Dana Williams (singer) facts for kids

Dana Williams is a talented singer, songwriter, guitarist, and poet from Los Angeles, USA. She became famous in 2014. This happened after she finished fourth on the TV singing show Rising Star. Dana is also known for her many song covers on YouTube. She appeared in a 2014 Apple Christmas commercial called "The Song." She has also worked with rappers like Freddie Gibbs, Boogie, and Rejjie Snow.

Her first music collection, The Lonely One, came out in 2014. Her second, Let's Fall, was released in 2015. A third, Thank You For The Memories, came out in 2020. This one included acoustic versions of her songs. Dana has kept releasing new songs on her own. She has released over 25 singles so far.

Growing Up and Music Beginnings

Dana Williams was born in Los Angeles on July 17, 1989. Her father, David Williams, was a famous musician. He worked with Michael Jackson for over 30 years. Dana's older sister, Davida Williams, is an actress. As a child, Dana lived in both Los Angeles and New York City. She also spent some time in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts.

Dana often went with her father to the recording studio. She even met Michael Jackson there. Her father's music inspired her to write love songs. For a school project, Dana learned about the jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. This made her love jazz music. Her grandmother, who was also a jazz singer, influenced her too. When Dana was in fourth grade, she sang with Jay-Z for a TV special. As she grew up in New York, she discovered Billie Holiday. Dana started performing at jazz clubs. She began writing her own music around age 14 or 15.

Dana went to middle school, high school, and college in New York. She studied music at the Masters School and Sarah Lawrence College. There, she became skilled at playing the guitar. She learned both classical and modern music styles. At Sarah Lawrence, she focused on poetry and creative writing. She realized that writing books might not be enough for a career. So, she started writing and performing songs more often. She decided to study both music and poetry. During college, Dana became an award-winning poet. She says this helps her write poetic song lyrics.

Dana's Music Journey

In 2012, Dana Williams opened for Leighton Meester on her tour. She also sang on Freddie Gibbs's song "The Hard." In 2013, Dana started posting cover songs on YouTube. Her most popular cover is "Dreams" with Leighton Meester. It has millions of views. Dana released her first song, "Keep Me Waiting," in 2013. Her first music collection, The Lonely One, came out in 2014. Her song "Keep Me Waiting" was used in the movies Whiplash and La La Land.

In 2014, Dana became very well known. She was on the singing competition Rising Star. She made it to the finale and finished in fourth place.

Later in 2014, Dana was in an Apple Christmas commercial. It was called "The Song." In the ad, she found an old recording of her grandmother singing. Her grandmother sang "Our Love is Here to Stay" for her husband. He was leaving for the Korean War. The commercial showed Dana recording her own version of the song. She made a duet with her grandmother's original voice. Then, she surprised her grandmother with the new recording. The commercial was very popular.

Dana worked with Freddie Gibbs on more songs in 2015. She sang on "Diamonds" and "McDuck." She also sang on "Callaway" with producer Swim Good. Her second music collection, Let's Fall, came out in December 2015. It included the songs "Fooling Myself" and "Come Back." She released a music video for "Damage" in 2016.

In 2016, Dana performed at the Base in Martha's Vineyard. She was also featured on Boogie's song "Sunroof." Dana played several live shows in Los Angeles. In 2017, she sang on "Lifeline" with electronic artist Melvv. She also worked with Rejjie Snow on "Pink Flower." Dana started working on a full album in 2016. This led to many new songs in 2017 and 2018. Some of these singles include "No Pressure," "Honey," and "Drifting." She also sang on "Give Me a Sign" by French producer Fakear.

In 2018, Dana was featured on Rejjie Snow's album Dear Annie. She sang on "Egyptian Luvr," "Room 27," and "Oh No!" She also released her own singles like "Preach" and "Sunny Day." Her song "Carried" was on the soundtrack for the movie "The Honor List." In 2019, Dana released three singles: "Holiday," "Do No Harm," and "Hard." Each song also had an acoustic version.

In 2020, Dana released more singles like "Silly Words" and "Underwater." She also released her third music collection, Thank You For The Memories. It featured acoustic songs and a cover of Rihanna's "Umbrella." Due to COVID-19, Dana did many online performances. She even performed on H.E.R.'s Instagram show. H.E.R. was very impressed by Dana's talent. Dana also sang on the song "Two Feet" with Young Franco and Pell.

On January 13, 2021, Dana released her single "You Win." As of now, Dana Williams has over 100 million streams on Spotify.

About Dana's Life

Dana Williams is good friends with actress and singer Leighton Meester. They went to the same middle school. They have sung many cover songs together on YouTube. These include "Dreams" and "Blue Christmas." Their videos have been watched millions of times.

Dana describes her music as "ethereal soul folk." She is inspired by artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Nina Simone. Her songs often come from her daily life experiences. She finds comfort in writing and singing about difficult times. This includes the loss of her father.

Dana currently lives and performs in Los Angeles. She moved there with her family in 2012 after college. Dana loves animals. As a child, she thought about becoming a veterinarian or marine biologist. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her dogs.

Music Releases

Extended Plays (EPs)

Singles

Guest Appearances

Music Videos

Dana's Own Music Videos

Featured Music Videos