Danny Fernandes - Review and Interview

Danny sleeps, eats and breathes music from the time he wales up until he hits the sheets for bed.

Now 22, Danny was born on September 16th 1985. By eleven he had an agent and was dancing in commercials. By 16 he was practically drowning in gold medals, even netting two consecutive (and aptly-named) Rising Star awards in the annual CNE dance battle. At the same time, he blew away thousands of competitors to become the youngest member of the Toronto Raptors famed Dance Pak and started appearing regularly as a backup dancer in music videos.

Soon after, he hit the road with the likes of Aaron Carter, Blackstreet, Deborah Cox and, of course, his brother Sean, with whom he toured the world for an entire year, even playing the NBA All-Star game in Atlanta.

By the time he returned to Canada, Danny was ready to step up to the mic. He hooked up with then-fledgling producer Pilzbury and the pair ensconced themselves in a Brampton studio. From there he made history, and music every day.

One of their first collaborations, back in 2003, was the song "Curious". In a rare case of piracy gone right, the track mysteriously leaked online (I do nott know who did i, Danny says, but who ever did I want to thank) and was discovered by a DJ in Germany who pressed it to bootleg vinyl. Fernandes MySpace page got flooded with requests and soon touring Europe for months on end and topping club charts

Then it was high time to conquer Canada. Fernandes did not have a label yet, but that was fine for him overseas. So late last year, he sent his song down to New York and the hot track easily convinced rapper Juelz Santana to drop a guest spot. Then Danny started working radio as a true independent artist. Without any label backup, "Curious" shot up radio playlists. By the time he soared, solo, into the top 20, CP Records snatched up this fresh talent.

You only get one chance to make a first impression, so Fernandes and Belly hunkered down in the studio to write the songs that would become his debut album Intro. "I make music that I can dance to", Danny says matter-of-fact. That is what I do because I was a dancer before I was anything else.

So rest assured Fernandes knows how to move hips. His debut is rammed with addictive club bangers, led by "Curious" and his fiery new floor-filler "Private Dancer." Built on spectral synths and skintight beats, Danny sexed-up his songs, even the slow numbers, are purpose-built for getting down and picking up, busting moves and breaking hearts.

Since taking his first steps towards stardom, Fernandes ambitions have only grown. The singer-dancer is positioning himself as the next Chris Brown or Justin Timberlake. It is a big goal, sure, but so far Fernandes has cleared every high bar he has set.

This album might be his intro, but there are more chapters to come. Keep putting out singles, keep putting out albums, keep putting out videos. Fernandes says he never plans to stop.