Duncan Daniels is a US-based Nigerian singer-songwriter and record producer, born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in the United Kingdom and Nigeria. Over the years Daniels has been able to fuse and blend a mix of Afrobeats, Pop, Rock, and Soul. His music combines the right ingredients of beats, vocals, lyrics, and rhythm that is unique to his name and his brand, DunkishRock.
Duncan’s musical talents became evident at a young age, and those around him quickly took notice when he started writing music and playing the piano at the age of 11. He credits his passion for music to growing up listening to artists such as Fela Kuti, U2, Bon Jovi, boyz II men, and of course the legendary Michael Jackson.
His music career has spanned almost two decades, beginning in the early 2000s in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where he was part of the infamous Tuck Tyght collective. Duncan is often regarded as one of the most consistent US-based Nigerian Diaspora Artists with 5 solo albums, a 6th on the way, and over 20 singles released.
His 6th studio album titled “Songs of Limitless Optimism – S.O.L.O” is scheduled for release on August 12th, 2022.
The first offering from S.O.L.O, a bouncy, catchy summer tune titled OBALENDE is slated for worldwide release tomorrow, 1st July 2022.
We speak to Duncan about his journey so far and career expectations in the coming months.
Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. Feel free to include as little or as much detail as you’d like?
My name is Duncan Daniels, and I am a singer/songwriter and music producer. My story is very interesting however here is the short version.
I was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised for the most part in Nigeria. I started out making music in the early 2000s as a music producer working in Port Harcourt City Nigeria, I later moved back to Boston to study Music Production at Berklee College of Music. My first Album titled “I don Taya” was released in 2006 and since then, I have released 5 albums, with the 6th one about to drop in August.
One of my earliest works in the Afro music scene was back in 2010, a track titled “Like This” ft MI, and around the same time, I relocated to New York City. I have also been privileged to receive multiple nominations for the Nigerian Entertainment Awards (NEA).
My 1st full Afrobeats project was my 5th studio project titled “AFROECLECTIC” which was released on February 14th of 2020. I spent the lockdown period and most of 2021 releasing singles every quarter as a build-up to my upcoming 6th studio album titled S.O.L.O – “Songs of Limitless Optimism” set to be released August 12th, 2022.
How has your journey been so far? Has it been a smooth road? What were some of the struggles you faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth journey, being an independent artist is very challenging, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have had to build everything I’ve done till today on my own with limited resources, self-investing for a very long time, and still managing all aspects of my music business with not as much external support but I believe it’s worth it because I’m focused on the endgame.
We’d love to learn more about your work. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I’m proud of the effort I have put into my upcoming project. I’ve really dug deep into myself and my experiences, I have had to do some soul searching throughout the recording process. I believe I have put in my very best and that’s something I’m happy and proud of. The most outstanding element of this project is that there are no other featured artists on this project, and I have tried to showcase my versatility as an artist to stand on my own and perform these records exactly the way I envisioned them in my head.
We know this is your first album since becoming a father? Tell our readers about your new single OBALENDE, what was the inspiration behind the song?
The song was motivated by my days visiting Lagos from Port Harcourt and passing through Obalende, Ikoyi. Whenever I come back to Nigeria these days, I always take a drive from Ikoyi to VI and that nostalgic feeling inspired the song. I wanted to make a love song for summer that will leave you feeling good whenever you listen to it. So I used similar melodies and progressions like the 1998 smash by Tamia “So into You“.
Do you have any advice for those who are just starting out? Anything you wish you knew when you were starting out?
Don’t quit your day job, you need to have something to fall back on, a backup plan, especially as an indie artist. Have a solid financial base. And always believe in yourself even when others don’t.
