Singer, songwriter, and producer Daniel Arison has released his latest single, “Anything In Common,” a heartfelt reflection on the emotional journey of growing apart from lifelong friends. The single follows the success of “Easier To Hate You” and “Other People,” with the latter peaking at #1 on Spotify’s Viral 50 Playlist in Taiwan.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Daniel about the new music, AI, dream collabs, and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific or different with this single release? What’s the back story?
“Anything In Common” is probably the scariest and most revealing song I have ever written. The hardest part of growing up is the realization that you also grow apart from so many people in your life, especially childhood friends. This is what this song is all about.
The music video seems to tell a very specific story, can you tell us a bit about that?
This music video is part of a larger narrative created for a different single (coming out beginning next year), and will tell a bigger story on friendship. And in this specific video, we wanted to show the contrast between the good times we once had vs. the harsh lyrics of it all being a memory.
What drives you to create? What keeps you going, especially on the bad days?
I love writing genuine songs that come from a true experience of mine. When I write a song that is true to me, I know I’m at a good place. At the end of the day I can only write songs that make me happy and hopefully move other people as well.
If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown – who would it be and why? Please plug them with a link so readers can check them out.
John Mayer is my all time favorite artist. His lyrics and melodies are absolutely amazing.
This AI thing is getting way out of control. I have students using ChatGPT to write death metal songs about country music…and country songs about being sad. You can feed some Ais a text prompt and create a Hollywood-quality short film. How do you feel about this new wave of technological innovation?
I hate this trend of using AI. In general, the music industry became more about the money and less about the music. Social media today is 90% of the work and it’s kinda sad… music is real human emotion and I wouldn’t change that for the world. The feeling that you get when creating a song after hours of work- is unmatched.
I know it’s hard…but what’s your favorite song and/or favorite artist of all time? If not favorite, in your top 3?
So hard to pick one! In the singer songwriter world- John Mayer. In the Pop world, Tate McRae and Post Malone are my all time favorites.
Where is the best place to stay connected with You?
Instagram, Spotify and Youtube would be the three best ways to stay connected!
I appreciate Your time. Want to say anything else before we sign off? Can you tease any other upcoming projects or live performances?
There are so many songs coming up soon!!! So excited for everything that’s coming. I would suggest staying close 😉
