KATIE BROWN - 19 OCT 2021

“You don’t even speak ‘cos they’ll make you eat your words”

Fittingly trading in the saccharine for a crisp and gritty edge, vampiric new pop banger “Ready to Bite” by Wellington-based Danica Bryant is a clever, dance-worthy track that puts celebrity culture and our relationship to it under a magnifying glass. With gothic undertones clad in gritty and upbeat modernity, the single showcases the strength and edge to both Danica’s vocals and lyrics, setting them to a backing of cuttingly clean electronic elements dirtied up by angry distortion that lends them extra punch and weight.

This contrast of glistening pop versus heavier grit mirrors Danica’s approach to music-making: she can address the fun, happy moments of life but is equally (and perhaps especially) comfortable letting those wildfire emotions beneath the surface rip their way out in the form of deliciously catchy hooks, snarling guitar and acerbic vocals.

Written with renowned producer Simon Gooding alongside MCK and Jake Murphy during the Hawkes Bay edition of APRA AMCOS Songhubs, “Ready to Bite” sprang from a sense of discomfort Danica encountered after hearing American musician Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls) speak about her experiences on the other side of the celebrity fence. In Danica’s words, she was “disturbed by how quickly we make assumptions on others without ever really knowing their experiences.”

An especially pertinent issue in this day and age of celebrity/cancel/outrage culture, the track represents the need to take a moment to try and understand that what we’re presented with and what we see mightn’t be the full story. She sings, “The stairway to heaven is paved with good intentions / But even the gods overdose,” an apt reminder of the perils of placing anyone on a pedestal, and of striving for that perceived perfection ourselves - danger, danger (high voltage!).

Self-described as “Britney Spears meets Alanis Morrisette”, Danica has been releasing music steadily over the past few years. 2020’s critically acclaimed debut EP Cider paved the way for a standout reception of catchy single “Heart Eyes”, which was released earlier this year, debuting on RNZ. A stage favourite, she bears national titles for Play It Strange and Smokefree Rockquest, and alongside supporting Elton John on his 2020 Aotearoa tour, other accolades include a songwriting mentorship with Bic Runga, a performance history with several national festivals, and gaining funding from NZ On Air’s artist-producer development programme.

Listen to “Ready to Bite” and read our interview with Danica below.

Follow Danica on Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube

KATIE: FIRST THINGS FIRST, CONGRATULATIONS ON “READY TO BITE” – IT’S AN INCREDIBLE TRACK! WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO MAKE IT AS PART OF THE APRA AMCOS SONGHUBS EXPERIENCE?

Danica: Thank you so much! Writing at Songhubs was my first major collaborative experience, and also my first time writing within the production process. It was extremely educational for my industry knowledge. Everyone came from a different musical background, with different knowledge and skills to share. We’d write in new, diverse groups everyday, which gave a huge spectrum of ideas to work with, and captured such a fun creative energy. It’s very beautiful to make art with others like that, tapping into this magical feeling and having something so exciting to show for it.

HOW DID YOU FIND THE PROCESS OF COLLABORATING WITH MULTIPLE PEOPLE?

Collaborating in a big group creates space for so much creativity you might never unlock on your own. Plus, it feels like the final product is something to be extra proud of, because you share such a genuine love and enthusiasm for what you made together. It’s also helpful to process everything collectively, so that you don’t end up in that quite lonely space songwriters can reach by themselves. Whilst I still typically write alone, I really enjoy and respect collaboration as a totally different, exciting approach to making music.

YOU ALREADY HAVE SOME PRETTY STANDOUT ACHIEVEMENTS UNDER YOUR BELT, INCLUDING NATIONAL TITLES FROM PLAY IT STRANGE AND SMOKEFREE ROCKQUEST. WHAT’S YOUR START-OUT STORY? WHAT GOT YOU INTO MUSIC AND SONGWRITING IN THE FIRST PLACE?

As strange as it sounds, I’ve always done music because I just didn’t understand not everybody did! I was an avid reader and writer as a child, and I started playing guitar when I was eight because that was how old you had to be to take lessons at my school, but all these things happened naturally because the opportunities felt almost expected. That’s probably a result of watching so much Hannah Montana and Camp Rock as a kid! I think I realized around intermediate age that music felt a whole lot more important to me than it did to others, and I kind of acknowledged that I had the potential to make it into something big for myself.

“READY TO BITE” HAS A PRETTY STRONG MESSAGE ABOUT THE WAY WE MAKE ASSUMPTIONS WITHOUT COMPLETELY KNOWING THE BACK STORY, PARTICULARLY IN THE ARENA OF CELEBRITY CULTURE. WAS THERE ONE EXPERIENCE IN PARTICULAR THAT MADE YOU FRUSTRATED WITH THIS?

Amanda Palmer from the Dresden Dolls visited us at Songhubs, and she played us a really dark, vulnerable unreleased song about her lockdown experience last year. She had been through a very public divorce right on the cusp of lockdown, leaving her stranded in New Zealand with her kids but separated from her ex-husband. I can only imagine how hard that must have been, but then the media started obsessing over it too, and I remember at the time even I discussed it with friends like tabloid gossip. Directly hearing Amanda’s side just horrified me at my own complicity in how we consume other’s lives, and how easy it is to forget that everybody is a real, actual human being.

HOW DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD BE GETTING AROUND THIS WHOLE CULTURAL MINDSET?

It’s easy to preach, but harder to practise — we all need to treat others as we’d like to be treated. We don’t like being gossiped about, so we shouldn’t gossip about other people. There are always two sides to every story and it’s worth hearing both before making assumptions. Nobody is free from criticism or judgement, but we still need to have critical thought and offer some sympathy where necessary.

WHAT WAS YOUR PROCESS IN TRANSLATING THAT FRUSTRATION INTO SONG – DID YOU SET OUT WITH A CLEAR DIRECTION, OR DID IT TAKE SHAPE AS YOU WENT ALONG?

As soon as I’d explained my thematic idea and given everyone an idea of my general musical vibe, we honed in pretty quickly on that grungy, hard pop style. The melodies came together fast and then the lyrics became quite a fill-in-the-blanks puzzle, as most of them were either jotted down by me the night before, or restructured from a note in my phone I’d made about a year prior, on the theme of expressing feelings through food metaphor. So essentially we had the song’s direction from the get-go, we just tightened it up throughout the day.

LOOKING BACK AT YOUR MUSICAL TRAJECTORY SO FAR, WHAT’S BEEN ONE OF YOUR FAVOURITE EXPERIENCES?

I’ve been so fortunate in my opportunities over the years, but one of my favourite experiences was my single release party at the Common Room in Hawkes’ Bay, back in June. It was my first true headlining show. My music video premiered with RNZ that morning, we unexpectedly almost sold out the venue, I played with the beautiful band I’ve known since early high school, and I had ice cream! Performing for so many people who feel genuinely invested in what I’m doing was just the most ethereal feeling in the world.

LOOKING AHEAD, WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST AND BRIGHTEST DREAM FOR WHAT YOU’RE DOING?

I want this to be a viable career, and the dream is really just to make a living from what I create. There are little specific goals, like receiving single funding or touring Aotearoa. But ultimately, if I can share what I make, with an audience who cares and supports me, I couldn’t ask for anything more.

GIVEN THE ENVIRONMENT WE’RE CURRENTLY IN, WHAT’S YOUR TOP TIP FOR KEEPING OUR COOL?

Take it day by day. There is no need to blame or pressure yourself for not coping in this changing environment the same way you might have before the pandemic. We are in this together, so think of others as well as yourself, spread love, and get vaccinated!

WHO SHOULD WE BE LISTENING TO WHILE WE’RE AT IT?

There are so many amazing Kiwi musicians to support! Some of my current favourites are Sylvee, Lake South, Kendall Elise, Mousey and Edera. And maybe I’m biased but ‘Ready to Bite’ is of course worth a listen!