What did your first performance look like?
It was a three piece—
Me on guitar, my friend Hudson on bass, and my friend Gavin on drums.
My voice wasn’t really there yet, but I just remember feeling so awesome.
Was that the point you knew you wanted to pursue music?
I knew I wanted to be an artist of some sort.
I’ve known since I was fourteen that I wanted to be a songwriter
and I wanted to be a performer.
Where do you find inspiration for your music?
That’s a hard question because I feel like my music is pulled from every aspect of my life.
I never know what’s going to be the next song.
I never know what’s going to come out of me.
It’s just all of my experiences and all of the things I hear.
In an interview with Embodied Magazine you described how “Poor Madeline” blew up overnight on TikTok. Do you have advice for artists that are trying to advertise themselves on social media… or is it just random luck?
I think it’s a combination of being authentic and luck. I definitely just got lucky.
I posted at the right time of day and the right trends were happening.
My advice is to just post what you want to post.
Don’t try too hard, people can see right through that.
It’s stupid I’m saying that because my social media manager wants me to do a fit check today.
It’s very crucial to the music making process.
(laughing) I don’t want to be an influencer, I just want to be a musician!
Do you feel like you still get to be an artist or do people want you to be an internet personality?
You do kind of have to play the algorithm and use the tools in front of you.
There’s a balance for sure.
Do you believe in manifesting?
I was actually just talking about that!
Because I’m so OCD I can’t say anything good is going to happen,
but I do think there is something to be said about putting energy towards the things you care about.
I think also something you need to be an artist
is just a blind faith that it’s going to happen for you.
You can’t be half in it.
So I do and I don’t.
A theme I’ve noticed in your music is finding unexpected beauty. Is there something unconventional you find beautiful?
I totally have a list.
When you make your bed and the duvet cover will fall into the cracks and patterns…
I think that’s really beautiful.
Would you say you pay attention to those details a lot?
I try to.
I think it helps me to slow down a little bit.
I think I have to make an active choice to be observant
because I struggle so much with being in my head.
In songs like “Winter Hat” and “Poor Madeline” there is a lot of allusion to the past.
Would you consider yourself a nostalgic person?
I don’t know if I’d call it nostalgia, but I do think my past haunts me.
I spend a lot of time dwelling on things.
I think the thing that I’m most focused on is the idea of letting go,
but also taking care of those pieces of you— taking care of the child in you.
If you’re thinking about those things, something is stuck.
Sometimes you have to go dig into the past to figure out why that piece of you is bothered.
Do you think songwriting for you is that digging?
Yeah totally.
A lot of times I’ll write a song and I don’t know what it’s about until I finish it.
I love when that happens. It’s like “oh I didn’t know I felt that way.”
Songwriting is super revealing and also helps me let go.
It’s kind of like I’m breathing.
I’m breathing in my life, the past, and my thoughts,
and when I write a song I’m breathing out.
You tackle a lot of heavier topics through your music.
Do you think your audience is drawn towards your transparency?
I think definitely.
It has always helped me personally to hear other people talk about it.
Like this conversation I’m having with you is reminding me what I stand for and what I’m trying to do. It gives me the opportunity to reflect a little more. I feel very lucky.
It fills me with so much love to be able to talk to people after shows, and talk about certain songs, and talk to you, and talk about this stuff.
Has there been a specific moment in your career where you’re like “they get it”?
I have those a lot. It’s usually when I’m talking to people after a show.
Everybody is going to understand a song differently. Nobody is ever going to truly understand what I’m saying, but it almost expands on the meaning when other people are able to connect to a song.
It makes it mean more which makes me feel less alone.
In that way I feel heard.
Is there something specific about your process or you as a person that you wish your audience knew?
I want them to know that I’m doing my best
and if my TikTok’s are cringe, that it’s not my fault.
You’re forced to do the fit checks.
This fit check was not my idea!
What should fans look forward to for the future of Daffo?
I think everyone knows what’s coming.
I feel super excited and I think everyone else should be excited too
because I’m proud of these songs.
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