Meet Dani Hagan | Singer/ songwriter, rock artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dani Hagan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dani, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I think a life as a creative almost chooses you. There was literally nothing else that captured my interest for a career. I considered jobs that paid my bills to be the side hustle, creative expression was always the driving force in my life. I’ve always walked in the direction of things that light me up from the inside, that’s how I know I’m going the right way.
I’ve always been happiest while in the creative process, the songwriting, the rehearsals, the recording days, and of course performing, either on stage or in front of the camera. Living a life that allowed that to be my daily existence seemed the obvious choice.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I often describe myself as “hyper-creative.” I’m constantly writing lyrics and composing songs, and when I need to step away from music, I recharge by painting, crafting, or creating in another medium before diving right back in. Creativity isn’t just what I do—it’s how I move through the world.

For years, I was told to hide parts of myself to be convincing as a rock artist. My background in ballet and opera was something I was encouraged to keep quiet, as though classical training somehow made me less authentic. Eventually I realized the opposite was true. In true rock-and-roll fashion, I threw out the rulebook and embraced every part of who I am. Instead of compartmentalizing my influences, I let them coexist. I’ve woven opera into my songs, featured ballet and boxing in a music video (check out the music video for “Blackout”), and I have a feeling painting will find its way into a future project too.

Most of my music explores matters of the heart, but I’m fascinated by perspective. For every song I release, there are often two or three others that never see the light of day because they’re written from the other side of the story. That process helps me better understand my own experiences while adding emotional depth and complexity to my work.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to trust my intuition. Feedback has its place, but I’ve found that asking for too many opinions too early is one of the fastest ways to silence a great idea. Every meaningful piece of art begins as something fragile, and I’ve learned to protect that spark until it’s strong enough to stand on its own.

I don’t think the challenges ever stop—and I wouldn’t want them to. They push me to grow, evolve, and discover new ways to tell stories. More than anything, I want people to know that my music is an honest reflection of who I am: equal parts rock, classical, visual art, vulnerability, curiosity, and above all, love. I no longer believe I have to choose just one version of myself, and I hope that gives others permission to embrace every part of who they are, too.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My social life revolves around my performances and my friend’s performances. We would definitely hit my favorite music venues like the Troubadour and the Viper Room (I actually have a show coming up at Viper on September 4th! You should definitely come with all your friends! It will be to celebrate a new release!). But first we would start with dinner in WeHo, maybe Gracias Madre or Drakes, catch a show and then head to an after party at Members to watch my DoubleTouch perform (more musical friends fusing classical piano with house beats), with any luck someone will pass me the microphone for an impromptu song. Sleep in and then kick off the next day with some pilates, that sounds pretty perfect to me! We would top of the visit with a living room concert for a small gathering of friends, this has actually become one of my favorite ways to celebrate releasing music.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Aaron Medina is my co-writer on a majority of my songs I’ve released over the last few years. We are quite the creative duo. I come up with concepts, lyrics and melodies, he has a gift of writing the chords and the melody instrumental arrangements. It’s been a great pairing, we really compliment each others strengths. My next single, which comes out July 24th, is called “Blackout,” another song we wrote together. It’s a powerful anthem about being in a relationship with an addict and how it shapes you as a person.

Website: https://Www.danihagan.com

Instagram: @dani.hagan

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danihaganmusic?mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr

Youtube: @danihaganmusic

Image Credits
Photos by Jack Lue