GN: This year feels like a powerful turning point for you. When you sit with everything that’s ahead, what emotion rises to the surface first?

SD: Excitement. For the first time in a long time, I wake up eager to sit down at the piano and write. Every song I’ve released recently has come from such a genuine place, and I cannot wait for the moment I get to play them live.

GN: Your music often feels like a coming-of-age story still being written. At what point did you realize you were no longer chasing a sound but finding your own voice?

SD: After putting out my second EP, I spent a year in limbo with my label. I didn’t get to release much, so I spent a lot of time exploring and experimenting. Through that, I tried writing in so many different genres and singing in different styles. When I wrote “Symptoms,” I felt like I had finally found something. Everything about the tune felt so natural.“Reputation” is a continuation of this self-discovery.

GN: There’s a handmade quality to your music that feels increasingly rare. What does “handcrafted” mean to you in a world that moves so fast?

SD: It means to meticulously craft every moment of the song as if it were a painting. I read a book about Leonardo DeVinci recently, and my favorite part described DeVinci’s willingness to spend days looking at his work without changing anything. I produced “Reputation” alone, which gave me the unique opportunity to try this. This really helped me work through every detail of the song.

GN: Your songs feel breezy on the surface, but there’s intention underneath. How do you let things stay loose without losing emotional precision?

SD: To me, emotional precision is all about the melodies and instrumentals. I love writing lyrics that feel more relatable and ambiguous, then grounding them in chords and sonic pallets that help you understand how they should be interpreted.

GN: As these new singles unfold, did you always envision them as part of a larger story, or did the narrative reveal itself over time?

SD: While writing the first single “Symptoms,” the narrative became immediately clear. I love writing under the guides of a larger story. “Reputation” arrives just before Valentine’s Day, a moment loaded with expectation.

GN: What emotional space does this song live in for you?

“Reputation” is about love that risks everything. This song feels like yearning to me, which I feel is the best way to experience Valentine’s Day.

GN: You were discovered through an acoustic cover that took on a life of its own. How do you relate to that version of yourself today?

SD: I feel very grateful for that version of myself that built the groundwork for the career I am so blessed to have. Although the current version of myself enjoys and makes different music, I think the older version would be proud of the new music.

GN: That early moment brought massive attention very quickly. What did it teach you about identity, both as an artist and as a person?

SD: It taught me that if you don’t know who you are as an artist, your team or audience can do nothing to help you. Discovering your identity as an artist takes trial and error, time, and Curiosity.

GN: Stepping away from a major label to move forward independently is a powerful choice. What kind of creative autonomy were you searching for?

SD: I wanted to reattach myself to every process of the song release process. I’ve loved diving into my visual identity for the first time. Knowing that no one will step in to get things done has seriously motivated me to get down to the nitty gritty. For the first time in my career, I feel I’ve built a world that music can live within.

GN: Since going independent, where have you felt the biggest shift in your sound and your Process?

SD: When I was growing up, I got into songwriting by just writing alone on the piano. For the first time since my childhood, I’ve been revisiting this process. I find everything gets more personal when I write this way.

GN: Touring across Europe and opening for major artists placed you in front of new audiences night after night. What did performing in those moments teach you about connection?

SD: It taught me how electric it is. In an age where so much of the fan connection is over the internet, touring reminds you that music is about real people connecting to your words. Hearing those words sung back live is the best motivation I could ever ask for. 

GN: Life on the road can feel both exhilarating and disorienting. What helps you stay grounded when everything feels in motion?

SD: I love to read while on the road. Books have a special way of making me forget about all the chaos.

GN: Your EPs feel like emotional time capsules. How do you recognize when a chapter in your life or your music has come to an end and is ready to share?

SD: Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. This last chapter coincided with leaving my label and this gut feeling that I needed a change. Hopefully, the next chapter will present itself just as easily. 

GN: When you write, are you pulling more from memory, imagination, or questions you’re still trying to answer?

SD: It’s a bit of all three. “Reputation” was an attempt to tell a story I had let marinate for too long in my head. I think the best songs have this imaginative feel, where there’s an element of Embellishment. 

GN: There’s a quiet restraint in your songwriting, you leave space for listeners to step in. Is that instinctive, or something you’ve learned to embrace?

SD: It is absolutely something I’ve learned to embrace. I mentioned it earlier in this interview, but I think the best lyrics leave space for the listener and rely on the instrumentation. Personally, I love listening to songs that give room to insert your own experience.

GN: When you revisit your earlier songs now, what do you hear, growth, distance, or familiarity?

SD: I hear a mix of growth and familiarity, and it makes me so excited to think about the music I’ll be making years from now.

GN: What does the term Goodnight mean to you?

SD: Goodnight means dreaming, and I love to dream. Sometimes, I get my best ideas from my dreams.

PHOTO CREDITS

Photos courtesy of photographer Grant Spanier

Index Solo Art Image courtesy of photographer Stone Taul