Danielle Leigh Curiel (born December 20, 1994), known professionally as DaniLeigh, is a Dominican American singer, songwriter, rapper, dancer, and choreographer. Initially appearing as a backup dancer, Curiel began her career by posting covers of popular songs on YouTube before moving to Los Angeles, where she began choreographing for other artists and dancing. She made a career breakthrough after working with Prince on the music video for his single "Breakfast Can Wait". DaniLeigh was signed to Def Jam Records in 2017, releasing mixtapes and singles starting that year.[1]
DaniLeigh | |
|---|---|
.jpg) DaniLeigh performing in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Danielle Leigh Curiel |
| Born | December 20, 1994 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | iamdanileigh |
Early life
Curiel was born on December 20, 1994, in Miami, Florida to Dominican parents from the Dominican Republic.[2] She was deeply interested in music during her youth, and cites Missy Elliott, Aaliyah, Drake, and Rihanna as influences. She started dancing at the age of 12 and singing at the age of 14, though she was initially too shy to sing in front of others until she received positive feedback.[3] Though she started posting vocal covers of songs such as Musiq Soulchild's "So Beautiful" on YouTube, her career did not officially start until she moved to Los Angeles, where she made connections and started off as a backup dancer to artists such as Pharrell Williams and Nelly Furtado. She also formed part of the pop duo Curly Fryz with her sister.[2]
Career
Curiel was asked by Prince to direct the video for his single "Breakfast Can Wait" when she was 18 years old.[4][5] Following the video's success, Prince continued mentoring DaniLeigh until his death in 2016. She released her first single "D.O.S.E" in 2015, but her first successful single was "Play", released in 2017. The single is an empowerment song for women and Latinos, and features Mexican-American rapper Kap G.[1]
After signing with Def Jam Records, she released her first EP, Summer with Friends, in 2017, followed up by The Plan in 2018. The latter features appearances by rappers YG, Lil Yachty, Lil Baby, and YBN Nahmir. She later released a few more singles such as "Lil Bebe", which was remixed featuring vocals from Lil Baby, and "Easy", which was remixed featuring vocals from singer Chris Brown.[6] She has also made a cameo appearance in Megan Thee Stallion's "Hot Girl Summer" music video. In late 2019, she choreographed for DaBaby’s music video “BOP on Broadway”.
In January 2021, the singer issued an apology after posting part of a song called "Yellow Bone" on social media, which was criticized for promoting colorism.[7]
Musical style
DaniLeigh incorporates elements of hip hop and Latin music into her primarily R&B-style music.[1][8]
Discography
EPs
- Summer With Friends (2017)
LPs
- The Plan (2018)
- MOVIE (2020)
- My Present (2019)
- In My Feelings (2020)
- Summer With Friends (2017)
Singles
| Title | Year | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "D.O.S.E" | 2015 | Non-album single | |
| "In My Feelings" (feat. Kap G) | 2017 | Summer with Friends | |
| "Lil Bebe" (feat. Lil Baby) | 2018 | The Plan | |
| "Blue Chips" | |||
| "Life" | Non-album single | ||
| "No Limits" | 2019 | Non-album single | |
| "Easy (Remix)" [10] (feat. Chris Brown)[11] | |||
| "Cravin" (feat. G-Eazy) | |||
| "Levi High" (feat. DaBaby)[13] | 2020 | MOVIE HIGH | |
| "Dominican Mami" (feat. Fivio Foreign) |
References
- ^ a b c "DaniLeigh". Def Jam. 3 January 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
- ^ a b "DaniLeigh — Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ^ "5 things you didn't know about DaniLeigh". AXS. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ^ Ferreiro, Laura. "Prince Enlists Unknown Teenager to Direct "Breakfast Can Wait" Video". Yahoo Music. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ Lewis, Randy (11 October 2013). "Watch Prince's new video 'Breakfast Can Wait'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ "DaniLeigh featuring Chris Brown - "Easy" (Remix)". BET.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ^ Gray, Arielle (26 January 2021). "DaniLeigh's Apology for the 'Yellow Bone' Controversy Only Makes It Worse". Glamour.
- ^ "Meet DaniLeigh, the Dominican Rapper & Singer With a Co-Sign From Prince". Remezcla. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- ^ "American certifications – Dani Leigh". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "Top 40/R Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
- ^ "Chris Brown Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- ^ "American certifications – Dani Leigh". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- ^ Powell, Jon (13 March 2020). "DaniLeigh connects with DaBaby for 'Levi High'". Revolt. Retrieved 27 March 2020.