Daniel Emmet is consistently one of the most requested artists to be covered in Classical Crossover Magazine. His appearance on Season 13 of America’s Got Talent undoubtedly provided an incredible platform but it has been his talent that has kept listeners begging for more.
Blessed with a rich and emotional voice, Daniel has all the accessibility and charm required for a successful performer but it took moving to Las Vegas for Daniel to find his inspiration. “Moving to the entertainment capital of the world, here in this wonderful city that I still call home, just sparked the creative bug in me. Seeing all these amazing entertainers doing what they love on the strip shows like Donny & Marie, Celine Dion, Barry Manilow, you name it, I saw them all and I fell in love with being a singer.”
He began as many aspiring classical singers do with “Twenty-four Italian Songs and Arias.” He says, “the operatic sound just kind of fell out of my face… it just flowed out of me in a way that felt natural and like a true sound right out of the gate.”
It didn’t take long for Daniel to get onto the stage. “The very first time I stepped on stage as just me, not as a character in a play, was when I was sixteen years old for the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation’s benefit gala here in Las Vegas at the Bellagio… it was the first time I’d felt that incredible connection that all of us as artists know is probably the best part of what we do. Where in a matter of under two minutes, you can forge an emotional connection and a bond with an entire roomful of strangers. That to me was the first time I’ve ever felt that power that music has, I knew, it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life right there in that moment.”
Daniel put in the work to develop his natural gifts so that when the chance for America’s Got Talent came along, he was ready. “There are not these moments that are just dropped out of the sky on your lap. It’s things that we as artists work so hard to prepare for, that’s what an opportunity is. It’s hard work that brings you to that point of luck… it was the right time for me as an artist to be in a position where I felt confident in my art and who I was as an artist to be able to tackle the challenges that were laid out in front of me during that season.” In addition, eagle-eyed fans will recognize another America’s Got Talent piece from 2022 that is represented on the album, a studio recording of Daniel’s viral rendition of “You’re The Inspiration” – where he teamed up with the act Metaphysic, stunning audiences around the globe as the first live musical deepfake performance in television history, as the singing voice of Simon Cowell — a performance that just won the Talent Recap Award for “Favorite Viral Moment” of the year.
America’s Got Talent opened many doors for Daniel who remains positive about the platform. The level of recognition from America’s Got Talent still takes him by surprise, Daniel shares he is often caught unawares at airports and grocery stores “neither of which I am ever looking cute.” He is grateful for the doors that opened, “It means that through that opportunity, I was able to make an impact with my music on that person. That’s the most special thing in the world when you can make that connection with somebody through music. That’s why I love what I do.”
After the show Daniel kept a busy performance schedule, touring alongside legends like Marie Osmond and David Foster. Daniel was featured on PBS specials (Pavlo: Live in Santorini, Benise: Fiesta), and this past November he debuted his own special – Daniel Emmet & Pia Toscano: “Simply The Best.” He released music sparingly with just three singles from 2019-2021. “I always put 110% into whatever it is that I’m going to share with the world. My release schedule may not be as quick as I would like it to be but my team and I are being really careful about what we put out in the world to make sure that it is the highest quality. It’s the best example of who I am and where I am as an artist at the time and sharing a different facet of what it is that I do with each one.”
The strategy paid off with Daniel’s self-titled debut album going straight to No.1 in the I-tunes Singer/Songwriter charts and reaching No.6 in the Billboard Classical Crossover charts. “I’m very proud to finally get to share this body of work with everyone…This has just been a really exciting time.”
Daniel describes the album as “a bit unexpected in terms of song choices, subject matter, and styles. But that’s exactly what I wanted it to be. It’s the playlist that runs in my head, and now it can be a playlist all on its own.”
The album shows a wide dynamic range and a finely honed instrument, it’s clear that like with his audition, this is Daniel’s moment. “There are works like ‘More Than I Wished For’ that are really simple and acoustic, very stripped down just piano vocal forward, and very simplistic. And then we get to tracks like ‘Che Vuole Questa Musica Stasera’ which has a 70-piece Symphony out of Prague, and me and a whole rhythm section, and a whole bunch of other stuff on it. That just is a huge wall of sound that comes across. So we really run the gamut with this one. I would say it strikes a happy balance between reimagined covers like ‘Unchained Melody’ and ‘Che Vuole’ and ‘Where Do I Begin’ the theme from Love Story that Andy Williams originally made famous, and originals like ‘More Than I Wished For’, and all kinds of other ones. In fact, the AGT bit as I like to call it, with the original audition with Simon is represented on the album was the original song that I sang on the show (Amante), where Simon also famously stopped me in the middle of it.” The album also includes Passerà “the piece that Simon had me learn in an hour and perform on America’s Got Talent in front of 10 million people and him which was terrifying but now is one of my favorite pieces to sing.”
The album also includes collaborations with GRAMMY Award winners Siedah Garrett and Frank Myers and Jerry Williams. Daniel’s praise for each is effusive, calling Siedah “one of my most favorite songwriters on the planet, and a pure joy to work with” and Frank “a brilliant lyricist and melodic master, Frank is someone whose words speak right to the heart with an undeniable honesty.” On Jerry Williams, Daniel raves, “Jerry is someone I have been so fortunate to work with as a producer, musical director, co-writer, arranger, you name it — a true musical partner in crime for the past 8 years. He is a creative force to be reckoned with, and well versed in every genre and style on the planet.”
Since we spoke to Daniel, Jerry Williams sadly passed away. Daniel took to social media to announce to pay tribute to Jerry Williams saying, “My heart is so heavy—I lost one of my closest friends; who was one of the greatest men I have ever known. Jerry Williams was a musical genius, and one of the most inspiring, creative, brilliant, and generous souls that has ever walked this earth. He taught me so much, and I am so fortunate to have spent so much time with him creating music, building shows, recording together, performing together, and sharing so many beautiful memories along the way. I will always feel your presence and remember you every time I sing or write. Thank you, Jerry, for everything. You will be so missed.”
Undoubtedly one of the special relationships Daniel has cemented during his run on America’s Got Talent is with Marie Osmond. “We met in Las Vegas and just hit it off immediately because Marie is just such a kind, giving, and just incredible human being who has one of the greatest careers in musical history. She is just as amazing a person offstage as she is onstage… People say don’t meet your heroes. But in this case, I’m glad I did, because she is awesome.” The day before the release, Marie shared her support for the album on an Instagram story calling it “wonderful, obviously”.
2023 will see Daniel once again joining 16x GRAMMY award winner David Foster and Katharine McPhee on their international and US tours. According to Daniel, “there’s no question, David Foster is the holy grail when it comes to producing and musicianship, and I am so honored to be able to share the stage with him, and learn from him. It’s an opportunity I will always be grateful for.” Daniel can also be found touring his own symphonic and solo concerts around the country, “Something that I love about the shows that I put on, and that my team and I create, is that there’s a little bit of something for everybody in it. It’s definitely not a standing-still kind of show. I would never, by any stretch of the imagination, call myself a dancer, that would be a big lie but I am what I would call a mover. So I will move around the stage and have a lot of fun. It’s a lot of different kinds of music. It’s not just one genre. So we’ll do rock, we’ll do pop, we’ll do opera and musical theater, get a little bit of everything in the show. The best part about any in-person show for me is always audience participation. It’s having that moment to interact with everyone. It’s not just come see the show and sit in your seat, you know, here are your night lights. Yeah, no, we’re all in this together, we’re having a great time together.”
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