Dan Kanter facts for kids

Daniel Joseph Kanter (born June 10, 1981) is a talented Canadian musician, producer, and songwriter. He is known for playing many instruments and for being the musical director and former lead guitarist for superstar Justin Bieber.

Dan Kanter has helped create many popular songs and albums. He co-wrote and co-produced the song "Be Alright" on Justin Bieber's album Believe. He also helped produce Bieber's albums My Worlds Acoustic and Believe Acoustic.

Besides working with Justin Bieber, Dan has performed with and directed many other famous artists. These include Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, Miley Cyrus, Shawn Mendes, Drake, Ariana Grande, and Usher. He was also a judge on TV shows like The Next Star and Searchlight. Today, he hosts the CBC show Guitars In Hand with Dan Kanter.

Early Life and Music

Dan Kanter was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. From a young age, he loved music and learned to play the piano, drums, and guitar. When he was 13, he appeared on a TV show called Leaps And Bounds.

By age 14, Dan was already playing in clubs with his band, Hubris, in his hometown. While in high school, he even helped write a full musical called "Destiny: The Musical," which was performed at his school.

After high school, Dan moved to Toronto to study music at York University. He played bass in a local funk band called Avenue Road. He graduated in 2007 with a degree in music.

Dan Kanter's Career

Working with Justin Bieber

Dan Kanter started working with Justin Bieber in 2010. He helped produce Bieber's album My Worlds Acoustic. In 2011, Dan appeared in the 3-D concert movie Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. This movie became one of the most successful concert films ever.

Dan also co-wrote and produced the song "Be Alright" for Bieber's albums Believe (2012) and Believe Acoustic (2013). He was also in the 2013 concert film Justin Bieber's Believe. Dan helped produce and perform on an acoustic version of "What Do You Mean?" for Bieber's album Purpose.

Other Music Achievements

Dan Kanter has done many other exciting things in music. He was a judge on the popular YTV singing competition show "The Next Star". He has also performed on two episodes of the famous TV show Saturday Night Live.

Dan co-wrote the song "ABC" for Cody Simpson's album Free. He also directed the amazing performances of the song "1-800-273-8255" by Logic, Khalid, and Alessia Cara at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards and the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.

In 2017, he was a judge on the CBC music show "Searchlight". Dan also hosts the CBC show "Guitars In Hand with Dan Kanter". He co-wrote the hit song "Infra-Red" for Three Days Grace's 2018 album Outsider. This song reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

In Spring 2020, Dan helped produce and appeared in a special Canadian version of the song "Lean On Me". Many famous Canadian artists like Justin Bieber, Bryan Adams, and Avril Lavigne were part of it. This project raised money for the Canadian Red Cross's COVID-19 efforts. The music video was shown during a big Canadian benefit concert called Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble.

Musical Inspirations

Dan Kanter grew up in a very musical family. His father loved Bob Dylan and directed many musicals, including The Who's Tommy and Les Misérables.

Dan says that Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Elton John, and Metallica are his biggest musical inspirations. He also enjoys bands from the grunge era, like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. For guitar playing, Dan looks up to Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and David Gilmour from Pink Floyd.

Personal Life

In October 2010, Dan Kanter married Yael Latner, who is a Fashion Director. Justin Bieber even performed at their wedding! Dan has mentioned on his Twitter that he loves food and trying new dishes.