By Karan Amin and Jacob Ribotsky
Artist Dan Fox is living out his dream in the world of music. Dan is already an established artist on SoundCloud, Spotify, and Apple Music. In addition, he’s opened for the Chainsmokers and has earned hundreds of thousands of streams on SoundCloud. This is impressive resume for an artist who is only in his junior year of high school.
Dan or DVNIEL started creating music at the age of 12. At that time, he was also an avid basketball player, but he chose to pursue music instead. Dan explains, “I loved the idea of being able to create something that didn’t previously exist before; music gave me that opportunity.”
Unlike most artists, he doesn’t conform to a particular genre because he wishes to create music which can connect with a wider audience. Dan elaborates, “My music isn’t sending one particular message. I leave my music open ended. It’s supposed to be thought-provoking. Every individual can create their own interpretation and connect it with their own life.”
Dan also embodies the qualities of any successful artist; he is meticulous, innovative, and diligent. Working out of a few studios in the city as well as at home, Dan dedicates hours to experimenting with new tunes and interviewing for numerous blogs and channels. Additionally, he enjoys analyzing and interpreting music from a variety of genres. Although he does not idolize one particular artist, he enjoys listening to music of artists who he can relate to or to music which he can mold or use as an inspiration for his own work. Dan believes that producing music is no different than a scientist conducting an experiment. He is a scientist certified in musicology. His laboratory is his bedroom. His experiments take place on the computer. His products are euphonious melodies.
At the age of 16, Dan has already released an EP (extended play) titled “The Fourth Dimension.” Dan’s debut EP features four soundtracks: “Tesseract,” “Missing You,” “Void,” and “Lunar.” Furthermore, the EP is centered around the theme of a new dimension, hence it’s title. It also displays Dan’s love for Christopher Nolan’s film Interstellar and the movie’s soundtrack by Hans Zimmer. In an interview with Dan, he explained, “Hans Zimmer’s work in that film was impeccable. Zimmer’s music really defined a new dimension, perfectly representing the movie’s theme of a new dimension in space and reality. Hans is a true inspiration for me.” Dan has produced a masterpiece of an EP as “Missing You” already has over 120,000 streams on SoundCloud.
Dan is a student of the music industry and will thrive in the coming years. Dan hopes to earn a platinum album one day, but it isn’t his main priority. On the other hand, Dan prefers to just have the opportunity to travel the world by performing at various world class venues. Lastly, Dan explains, “I aspire to just bring happiness to people through my music, and let me touch people’s lives in a positive way!”