Originally from Lebanon, but raised in North Carolina, Joe Daccache is now in Nashville.
Daccache made his debut to the Nashville music scene during his live performance at the 2018 Urban Pop Showcase. Since then, he was featured in Altadena’s R&b Night Showcase, and has appeared on other Nashville artist’s bills.
His lyrical wit and hooky melodies caught the eye of people in the industry – receiving the Broadcast Music Inc. John Lennon Songwriting Award, which contributed to the rise of his career as a writer/artist. His blend of Pop and rhythm and blues are credited to his childhood influences of Pop, R&b, and Gospel music.
The single, “Better Days” will become available on all streaming platforms April 3, 2020. It is a Gospel/pop song that was inspired by my mom’s recent cancer diagnosis. I wanted to create a project highlighting faith and positivity during hard times.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Joe about the newest release, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I am originally from Lebanon, but my family moved to America when I was 7. In 2016, I moved to Nashville for better career opportunities, and it was the best decision I ever made. My sound is heavily influenced by Pop, R&b, and Gospel music. I love the hooky elements in pop, the rhythmic and vocal elements in R&b, and hunny ain’t nothing beat the choir sounds of a good ole’ gospel song. I’ve found a way to take everything I like from each genre and create something unique for my listeners.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
Music has always been an escape for me. Growing up, I was not open about my sexuality. It was a constant fear of mine that people would not be accepting of me being gay. Music was my escape, because it allowed me to pour my all into it, without me needing to worry about being judged. It was the only outlet I had to be my truest and most authentic self. When I came out to my family and my friends, they supported me all the way. However, music was always my first supporter, and I found myself through it. That alone motivates me. Also, knowing that a fan listening to my music will hear their story/struggle in a song of mine is the best feeling and another great means of motivation!
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
This release is extremely special for me, because it came from a place of pain that I’ve never experienced before.
We all go through trying times in our life. Some of our experiences in these times are similar to one another, and others we feel completely isolated in. However, one thing that we can all agree on is that during hard times, we try our hardest to stay strong.
Back in August, my mom got diagnosed with cancer. Through this difficult season, we’ve all tried to stay strong. So strong, that my entire family hasn’t even cried together, yet. My mom stays strong out of fear her tears will make us weak, and we stay strong out of fear our tears will do the same to her. A few weeks ago, I was standing at a self-checkout in Walmart when I got a text from my mom that said “Cancer Free”. She is now officially in remission!
A couple weeks before we heard the amazing news, I wrote “Better Days” with my good friends, Autumn Buysee and Tony Chetta for my mom and for anyone is experiencing a difficult time in their life and is unable to express their emotions. Hopefully this song helps everyone who hears it find peace and positivity amidst their struggle.
Gospel music has always pulled me out of my anxiety and being too in my head, so it was a fun way for me to expand my brand while still being able to create normal pop/R&b music.
What was the writing process of “Better Days” like?
Honestly, when in the session, I said to my co-writer Autumn, before we begin writing, I need to explain how I feel and talk through my emotions. We closed our laptops, and I just started word vomiting everything that was going on with my mom. Autumn picked up on a passing phrase that I had said “I’m just can’t wait to find out my mom is cured so that I can finally be vulnerable and cry with her”. She stopped me right there and said, that right there is our main idea – “I can’t wait to cry with you.” In the session with us was the extremely talented, Tony Chetta. He is a prodigy on the piano, and began playing these beautiful uplifting chords. I started singing the melody on top of the chords, and from there everything is history. We cut all of the final vocals that night after writing the song. When we played it back and heard what we had just created, we were mind-blown. We all joked saying we blacked out in the session and woke up to this. The energy in that room was crazy, and there was definitely a special bond all three of us shared. They understood and believed in my vision for the song, and I appreciated that so much.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Because it brings me back to my childhood, I would have to say CD’s are my favorite. I remember going to work on the weekends with my dad when I was growing up, and I would make a million CD’s so we could jam out to Ne-Yo in the car. #TeamLimeWire
Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I appreciate all streaming services, but personally, I prefer Spotify. The platform is so user friendly. And y’all, it is a hands down a government conspiracy how well it knows my taste in music!! Every Monday when I check my discover weekly, I’m like DAYUM, know how the hell did I not know these songs existed?? For anyone who is not familiar with Spotify that’s reading this is, Discover Weekly is an algorithmic playlist that takes into account the songs you like and creates a playlist (Discover Weekly) for you every Monday with songs you haven’t yet streamed on the platform which it thinks you might like. And lemme tell you hunny, the app is never wrong.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
With roughly 40,000 songs uploaded to Spotify alone everyday, the biggest challenge I think any musician faces in this oversaturated digital music age is being heard. Even though that sounds like a negative thing, it pushes me that much more to being my most authentic self in every song. You can listen to 40,000 songs in a day, but you can only listen to 1 Joe Daccache. This is the best advice I have for any artist that’s reading this. Might sound cliche, but no one can be beat you at being yourself. Inauthenticity can be heard even over all the cool synth sounds and gang vocals. Be your best self and every good thing will follow.
Technology has been the reason artists are able to make a career as independents. Thanks to streaming platforms and social media, we are able to create a fanbase for our music, and showcase our artistry without needing to fit a certain market.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
I’m very active on my instagram. I love when listeners direct message me or leave a comment on an Instagram post. I always respond, and I absolutely love the good energy everyone brings! I keep my instagram updated with releases/shows; however, if you follow me on Spotify, you will never miss a new release, because it will be in your release radar when it comes out! Also, Spotify has a section where you can view my tour dates/cities so you’ll know when I’ll be in a city near you 🙂
Anything else before we sign off?
Thank you, Joshua for allowing me to share my story, and thank you to all of you for following along with my journey. With common everyday struggles, and all of the changes coronavirus is bringing to our world, I hope “Better Days” helps you find peace and comfort in knowing that at the end of the day, hunnyyy everything has always and will always be ok.
