We’ve sat down with Canadian artist Daniel Philip, a creative mind with the passion to innovate, mold and frame different aesthetically eloquent concepts that reflects his true identity and nature in any tasteful artform either through his brands, paintings, and most especially his music.
Daniel Philip born and raised in Canada actually grew up in Jamaica. According to the young artist, no one actually knew this about him but for eight years he lived in Jamaica with his parents then moved to Canada and lived most of his early adult life. His father is Dutch while his mother is Brazilian descent. Growing up in Canada, Daniel Philip was always surrounded with music, he remembers vinyl records played constantly in his home. His parents fairly enjoyed soothing music from Jazz, Blues, Country, and all types of music genres and have adapted to it as well.
“I spent my whole childhood listening, indulging and consuming music. Record playing almost every day. I was always involved in creative activities such as the Jazz band in school, church choir, where I learned to read music sheets and musical arrangements. When I was young, I wanted to be a star, famous and sought after. I wanted to be great!” – Daniel Philip
The young artist always had the passion for music, even at a young age. His mother, as passionate as he is, wanted him to excel in whatever he wanted to do and had his full support. His father however, has always been his true guide and mentor over the years. Although he supports his son in all his endeavors, he constantly reminds him of the tough realities of life and the industry. Thus made him the man he is right now.
Music has never been Daniel Philip’s bread and butter. According to the creative mind, music is his getaway. Every time he creates a wonderful piece of art and listens to it, it makes him disconnect from the world and get lost and leave the planet for a moment in pure euphoria and bliss. Like nothing matters. Just him and his creations?
“Creating music is like painting for me. I project what I feel in the moment with my art. I don’t care what genre I’m in, I don’t care about my sound. I care about the feeling and the place it takes me or people for a moment” – Daniel Philip
Daniel Philip has always been true to himself and his music. All of the singles he released on Spotify even from his first ever track which he played raw using keys called “Breath” is a pure reflection of truth, vulnerability and honesty in his life. Each song, each melody, each emotion, reflects a different time of his life and where he was at mentally, emotionally and spiritually. All of them were created and reflected his thought process and thinking of the time. He does admit that it took him a while to release all of his singles and share it to people. According to Daniel: “I care about what people think, but I don’t care about what I make.”
We’ve also asked the young musician the artist he looks up to the most and who he resonates with more and what he thinks of the current music and entertainment industry right now. James Blake is his favorite artist. He admires his music, sound, and emotion. Majority of his creative process is inspired by James Blake’s music. The artistic, raw and vulnerable side of the singer. “I remember his song Retrograde. Me and my buddy played it on a burned CD inside the car. You know that intro where it escalates. I absolutely fell in love with it”- Daniel Philip
He also consumes, takes in what he consumes and decides to create something beautiful and worthwhile with it. He believes that art creations are reflections of something else. Something much bigger, has more depth, has more meaning, and has more value. And this is what all artists do from Piccaso, Da Vinci, Beethoven, Mozart, and even existing artists. It’s very important to consume in their creative process.
Daniel also gave his thoughts about the current music industry and how he believes that a person should be their number one driving force in what they do in the industry. He also added that being assigned to a record label is good. However, it ultimately changes your identity as a musician and creative mind due to a lot of influences and money hungry individuals. Most of the artists right now are one hit wonders because they’ve lost track of their identity as an artist. They’re becoming something they’re not just to gain popularity and traction. He also added that if you’re enslaved with the project, music or any type of artform you’re currently doing no matter how much talent you have, then chances are you won’t find joy in it. Therefore, you’ll lose yourself in the process and lose interest no matter how much passion and money you’ve invested in it. That’s why the young artist always stays true to what music is for him no matter what or how people perceive it.
When asked if he’ll ever want to perform on stage or in a small crowd, he said he’ll do it not because of monetary value but for emotional and spiritual value. He’d play music in front of a crowd without no hesitation when he felt he wanted to share his emotions with people and take them to a different place to get lost and disconnected. Cos that’s what music is all about to him. He feels that everyone has a voice whether that be through a remarkable painting, in a protest or simply in the form of a song with the technology we have now, everyone can be heard.
Daniel has already released four songs on Spotify. “Cut Away”, “Still in Love”, “This is the End” and “Home”. Although the young visionary has been releasing strips of music and gaining popularity and traction specially his song “Still in Love” he doesn’t rely on his music to survive. “Get a job then work on your passion. Be responsible. Know what you need and take small steps to achieve that” – Daniel Philip
ACG is a creative global agency that Daniel has put his primary focus on. He is the Creative Director and Founder of this worldwide movement that builds, sells and acquires brands. His strong conviction and advice to aspiring artists out there is to be level headed and be practical without losing their passion in what they really want to do in life. Do something that would give you more time to actually do the things you love and enjoy. Execute what truly fulfills you. That’s why he’s able to create and release more music because he has lived up to this strong conviction and principle. Time is what his brand “The Daniel Philip Watch” is derived from.
“Hey, I’m a farmer. And I plant seeds everyday. Don’t have to be literally a seed. Could be ideas for the team, for yourself, for growth and success. You can always plant seeds in every aspect. Learn how to multitask and I can assure you, it will bring you closer to knowing the truth”- Daniel Philip.
The rising artist has a lot more unfinished projects. He has been cooking up quite a lot of tracks that portray a serious gaping sound and storyline that evokes and transpires to millions of people. He strongly believes in comfort out of the uncomfortable. Music that’s raw, honest, true, and his. Although music right now is something he’s doing on the side, he will eventually spend more time on it which involves music videos and actual production. However, for now the creative artist is fully satisfied with what his music is to him.