Penning a love song was easy for Danielle Severinski.
The Pitt Meadows teen has been singing since she was a child, honing her vocal chops at church.
“I enjoy song writing the most,” says Severinski, who started taking music seriously a little over a year ago in Grade 11.
The 17-year-old entered Youthink magazine’s B.C.’s Best Teen Contest on a whim last year, mailing her entry in just two days before the cut-off date.
“I totally forgot about it,” says Severinski, who sings as DaniElle and grew up on a dairy farm in Pitt Meadows.
In January, out of more than 40 entries, DaniElle made the top 10. Only then, did Severinski set out to lasso local fans, who pushed her all the way to top three by voting every week.
“I went to every computer class in school and got people to vote for me,” says Severinski, with a laugh.
Those votes landed Severinski a spot in the Top Three showcase at Electric Owl in Vancouver, where she snagged second place in the contest on April 27.
Blues rock band The Racket took first place and The Flying FishMongers placed third.
DaniElle sang three original songs for the contest – Changed Your Mind, Someone’s Good for Nothing and Country Girl and a medley of covers. She was backed by a band of classmates – Terry Chen on piano, Aidan Pauls on lead guitar, Jordan Jones on bass, Jarren Louie on drums and Martijn Van Ramshorst on guitar.
Severinski will be recording a demo for Country Girl at Nimbus as a result of her win and uses the $750 in prize money for a few more demos.
“It definitely boosts your ego,” says Severinski. “When I got there it didn’t matter where I placed. I just wanted to soak in everything. But now I’m planning on pursing music and I’m going to try as hard as I can.”
• Hear DaniElle sing on her YouTube channel.
