Q&A: Danni Baylor Takes an Introspective Journey on Debut EP ‘Things About The World That Burden Me’
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY AMAYA GRAHAM ☆
R&B SINGER AND SONGWRITER DANNI BAYLOR POURS HER HEART AND SOUL INTO HER MUSIC — Having found a love for music at a young age by singing with her church’s choir, she continued honing her craft in the following years. The Billboard-charting songwriter made a name for herself within the gospel and R&B genres through endeavors including touring with gospel singer Tye Tribbett, penning hits for Fantasia Barrino and Jason Nelson, and more.
These experiences ultimately led to the release of her captivating debut EP, Things About The World That Burden Me, on August 28. The seven tracks explore Baylor’s inner thoughts and trials she has encountered while navigating fame, social media difficulties, outside pressure, and more.
Through this empowering collection of songs, Baylor found positivity amidst some of the negative aspects of life and the world. She utilized this EP to process her emotions and connect with her audience, hoping the songs allow listeners “an opportunity to feel seen, to feel less alone.”
In an exclusive interview with The Luna Collective, Baylor candidly spoke about the complexity of her EP, the depth of its tracks and themes, and the relatable, positive messages pertaining to mental health throughout this project.
LUNA: Congratulations on the release of your EP. Its title, Things About The World That Burden Me, is extremely complex. Why was this the perfect description?
BAYLOR: It was the perfect description. First off, thank you for the congratulations! I’m really excited to get this thing out here. It was the perfect description because I felt like I was finally able to put some language to some of the things that I saw happening in my own way. It was a very deeply personal way that I hoped would resonate with other people and I’m seeing it is. People are agreeing with some of the topics in the music, so I’m really grateful about that.
LUNA: I know you started singing in church and you have a background in gospel. I wanted to ask how your faith and background in gospel music influenced your R&B music, especially with the EP?
BAYLOR: My faith and my relationship with God is what really inspires everything that I do, from the beginning. My background in church, singing in church, harmonizing, the choir, just everything, I pull that into my music for sure. I don’t know if you can hear the backgrounds, I do some choir-y things in my music. It really is just how I train my ear. Learning parts. Learning how to sing in front of a crowd. All these things are what influenced me and inspired me in just what I do now.
LUNA: I don’t know if you can share yet, but is this EP something you plan on touring or performing out in front of people?
BAYLOR: Absolutely! Absolutely! It’s a big thing. We’re trying to plan that now actually.
LUNA: Awesome! That’s really cool! You’ve said that this EP is very personal to you. Would you say that influenced the decision to not include any collaborations on it?
BAYLOR: I had a thought of collaborations. I wouldn’t say that I purposefully didn’t include anyone. I felt like it was so deeply personal to who I was. I was like, “Well, I think this is a good introduction just for it to be me.” You know, with these complex subject matters. I thought it was good for it to just come directly from me, but I’m never opposed to collaboration ever.
LUNA: Nice! So, going into more of the specifics of the songs, I wanted to start with your EP’s opener, “KOOLADE.” It seems to be like a piece of advice for people who want to chase fame. Is this stemming from more personal experience or were there moments for you where you felt like you were kinda caught up in the fame?
BAYLOR: Absolutely. I felt like it was my reminder to myself that my worth isn’t based on how many followers I have, how many subscribers, how many likes, [or] how viral I am. I was starting to get swept away in that, even though I love social media. It’s a great tool, but I feel like it’s something that has to be managed and handled carefully because if you’re there too long, you start comparing yourself and looking at your own life and [saying], “Oh my God, what have I done?” And it’s like, “No, don’t drink the koolade.” You are more than that. What you are, who you are, your purpose on Earth is not just based on those things that can be empty at the end of the day. That was my reminder to myself. I never wanted to seem like it was something that was coming off preachy to people, but, I was just really saying it to myself. Like “Danni, don’t drink the koolade. You are special no matter what you see on socials or no matter how big or small the platform. You are who you are and anything other than that is just, it really is just koolade.” You know, like don’t drink it.
LUNA: I would say “LIAR LIAR” personally was one that was one of my favorites. I know it touched a lot on people-pleasing and hiding your emotions and kind of deflecting from how you really feel. I thought it was interesting. I felt like some parts in a way were kind of self-deprecating as well, so I thought that composition was quite interesting. How was it writing about so many internal battles?
BAYLOR: Artistry’s a very brave thing. There were things that I was kind of nervous even writing. I was like, “Should I say that?” I always feel like the thing that I do that with, it's like, “Yeah, you really should do it. Go for it. Be brave. Put it on paper.” I’m a big believer of transparency and authenticity and I always want my transparency to make other people feel seen. Like, there’s no shame. That’s another thing. There’s no shame in being past your teenage years and still dealing with people-pleasing. There’s no shame in that. I don’t feel like we talk about that enough as adults. You can be an adult and still struggle with saying no or still struggle with self-care. I feel like being someone who’s just open about it. I feel like that takes some of the pressure off of other people who may struggle with it as well. So, me, I feel like I wanted to be brave enough to put that self-deprecation in there, but not as an end. It’s the beginning of making that change. Acknowledging that there’s an issue and it needs change.
LUNA: Right. I thought it was interesting too how you flipped some of that around with “DND (Do Not Disturb)” in a way. I really enjoyed that one. I feel like as an introvert, I felt like I really related to that one, probably the most. Why did you also want to express the idea of being okay to say no or to take care of yourself as well?
BAYLOR: Same thing. My own experience. My own experience with feeling like I always had to show up. Always had to show up in a certain way, even when I wasn’t on. It’s like, “Okay, why do I have this pressure to project that I’m on?” even when I’m not. It was really taking a toll on my mental health… It’s an act that I can’t keep up. Again, the acknowledgement of an issue. Like, “Hey, I need to change this.” The people who aren’t able to take my no, they’re not for me. They’re not my people. The people who love me and understand me and know my heart wanna think the best of me. They’ll understand that my no is not from a malicious place. It’s just from a place of self-care. I’d hope that they would do the same if they were in the same situation. Anyone would make the stand and say “I don’t have it right now and I’m not gonna force myself to have it.” That's perfectly fine. That’s not weak. You’re not being fearful. It’s just your truth.
LUNA: Exactly. I think that’s a really important thing to share with people. I also want to talk about “DISTRACTIONS.” You talked about constant social media usage and phone exposure and how that can lead to burnout a lot. What are some ways that you typically ease your mind when you feel overstimulated?
BAYLOR: I will get off my phone. I’ll put it on “do not disturb.” Like, really. It’s a real thing. I’ll put it on “do not disturb.” I’ll take walks. I walk my dog. My dog is like my child. My faith is very, very big. I pray a lot. I just take a lot of time to just recenter, refocus, especially when I can feel it. You know, when I feel that anxiety revving up. That’s how I combat that.
LUNA: That’s awesome. I also wanted to ask about “INSATIABLE.” You talked a lot about ambition and feeling like even though you have outside validation, sometimes feeling like you want more. Do you have more goals that you still feel are worth chasing or are you very content in the dreams you’re living now?
BAYLOR: I still feel like there are goals that are worth chasing, but remembering that those things aren’t what are supposed to make you feel like you have value. You know what I mean? As human beings, I feel like the world influences us to want more all the time and tells us that we are complacent if we’re content. That’s just not the case, so I feel like it’s always great to go after things but in a healthy way, and understanding when it’s going overboard. When it’s like, “No, I need more.” But, who can blame us? We’re constantly sold to. We’re constantly told, “Oh, you want this, but now you want this.” We kinda get tired of things quickly, just as human beings. I feel like it’s a good thing to be aware of that in chasing goals and understanding what is enough and just defining what success is to you. I think that’s important.
LUNA: I agree. I wanted to ask about “Warm” as well. I feel like this one was more acoustic sonically. Can you talk to me about the process of creating that song and why you wanted that sound on the project?
BAYLOR: I am a guitarist. I always start every song on guitar, and so I thought it was cool to just have that be just a guitar-driven ballad of the EP. I’ll start it out with cords. Again, everything is very deeply personal to what I’m feeling in the moment and just putting language to what I feel others could relate to. I just wanted [something] universal. I feel like guitar-driven songs are, always. They can last. I feel like they have the ability to really last the test of time because they don’t have a specific [sound]. There’s not like an EDM or a synth sound. It’s just something that I feel like, even if people don’t resonate with it right now, it’s like, in time when people come around to it, it’ll always have that classic sound.
Photo by Emanuel K Miranda
LUNA: Yeah, I agree because there’s a lot of trendy sounds. On the EP’s closer, “GO HOME ROGER,” you made a reference to Sister, Sister. I wanted to ask why you chose to reference that line and why you felt like this song was the perfect way to round out the EP?
BAYLOR: I love Sister, Sister. I’ve always loved that show. “GO HOME ROGER,” it just dropped in my head. I just thought, ““GO HOME ROGER,” like that would be such a dope song title.” It just dropped there. From there, I was like, “What can I play around with with what I’m dealing with now internally? How can I bring that into that space?” Then it was like, “Oh yeah!” [Tia and Tamera] were always like “GO HOME ROGER!” They were always saying that. I was like, “Wouldn’t that be great if I could say that to any negative thought, any negative person, any negative energy.” It doesn’t even have to be a person that I’m saying it to. If I could just make that a thing for myself. Like an inside joke for myself. Whenever I’m feeling anxiety, I’ll be like, “GO HOME ROGER!” I just wanted that to be something that people could do too. They could take it and use those tools. I want my songs to be tools for growth, always.
LUNA: Yeah, and I think this EP did a very great job at accomplishing that.
BAYLOR: Thank you!
LUNA: You’re very welcome. And my last question, among a lot of the relatable themes on the EP, if you could pick one that you hope listeners walk away with, what would it be and why?
BAYLOR: I just want people to be present in life. Go after what you go after, but be present and make sure you’re taking care of yourself. I feel like that’s the major point behind the entire thing. I feel like, especially as a Black woman, I’ve felt the pressure of having to be super strong, even when I didn’t feel it. It’s like, I’m not weak for declining something. I am wise when I take the time to say, “What do I have the capacity for?” I want that to be the main takeaway. Just making sure you’re taking care of yourself as you’re going after your goals, as you’re doing social media, doing whatever you do. Just make sure you’re balancing it with self-care.
