Danyel Smith facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Danyel Smith
Born	1965 (age 59–60) Oakland, California, U.S.
Education	Journalism
Alma mater	University of California
Occupation	Journalist, magazine editor, Writer
Years active	1989-present
Known for	Celebrity interviews
Notable work	Shine Bright, More Like Wrestling, Bliss
Spouse(s)	Elliott Wilson

Danyel Smith (born 1965) is an American magazine editor, journalist, and writer. She made history as the first African-American editor of Billboard and Vibe magazines. Danyel Smith has written two novels and a book about the history of African-American women in pop music.

Early life

Danyel Smith was born in Oakland, California. She started writing at a young age. She kept journals and even created her own newspaper called the Weekly Arrow in fourth grade.

When she was 10, her family moved to Los Angeles. She graduated from St. Mary's Academy in Inglewood in 1983. After high school, Smith returned to the Bay area to study at the University of California, Berkeley.

Career highlights

Smith began her career in 1989 as a freelance writer. She wrote columns and reviews for newspapers in the San Francisco Bay Area. From 1990 to 1991, she was the music editor for SF Weekly.

In 1992, Smith started writing for Spin magazine. She had a popular column called "Dreaming America." The next year, she moved to New York to become the Rhythm and blues editor for Billboard magazine. She also wrote music reviews for The New York Times.

Leading magazines

In 1994, Smith became the music editor for Vibe magazine, which was new at the time. In 1997, she became the editor-in-chief of Vibe. This was a big step, as she was the first African-American and the first woman to hold that position. While at Vibe, she also helped lead Blaze, a hip-hop magazine.

In 1999, she joined Time Inc., working as an editor and writer for magazines like Time, Entertainment Weekly, and InStyle. Smith has also helped choose nominees for important awards, such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Writing and teaching

In 2001, Smith left Time Inc. to study fiction writing. She published two novels and taught at universities. She also led workshops and was a writer-in-residence at Skidmore College.

Return to media

In 2006, Smith returned to Vibe as the chief content officer. This meant she was in charge of both the magazine and its digital content. Her article about Keyshia Cole was even featured in a "Best Music Writing" book.

After working at Vibe again, she briefly worked for The Root, an African-American political website. Then, she returned to Billboard as its editor until 2012.

In 2014, Smith was a journalism fellow at Stanford University. She also created a unique "book-shaped magazine" called HRDCVR. With her husband, she hosted a podcast called Relationship Goals. They talked about pop culture, hip-hop, and their relationship. From 2016 to 2019, Smith was a culture editor at ESPN's The Undefeated. Today, she often appears on TV to talk about entertainment and pop culture. She also hosts the podcast Black Girl Songbook on Spotify.

Books

Danyel Smith started writing fiction in 1996. Her first novel, More Like Wrestling, came out in 2003. This book tells the story of two sisters growing up in Oakland. It was a bestseller and received great reviews. Critics called it "lyrical and original." The title comes from a quote by the philosopher Marcus Aurelius: "the art of living is more like wrestling than dancing."

In 2005, she published her second novel, Bliss. This book is about a female record executive facing challenges in her life and career.

Smith's third book, Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop, was published in 2022. This book combines her own memories with music criticism. It shares the "intimate history of Black women’s music as the foundational story of American pop."

HRDCVR magazine

In 2014, while at Stanford University, Smith and her husband, Elliott Wilson, launched HRDCVR. This was a special hardcover culture magazine. They raised over $67,000 from more than 500 supporters to create it.

The magazine was printed in October 2015. It included articles about famous people like Drake and Sasha and Malia Obama. Many talented writers and artists contributed to it. Smith and Wilson also created a weekly newsletter called HRDlist.

Works

Novels

• More Like Wrestling (2003)
• Bliss (2005)

Non-Fiction

• "Introduction" in Tupac Amaru Shakur: 1971–1996 (1998)
• HRDCVR (2015) with Elliott Wilson
• Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop (2022)

Podcasts

• Take it Personal with Elliott Wilson (2009–2010)
• Relationship Goals with Elliott Wilson (2015–2016)
• Black Girl Songbook (part of The Ringer network) (2021–)

Awards and honors

• 1996: National Arts Journalism Program Fellowship
• 2003: Millay Colony for the Arts Residency
• 2011: African American Literary Award
• 2014: John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University
• 2017: Shorty Award for Best Journalist (Nominee)
• 2019: NABJ Award for Sports (for her work on Simone Biles)
• 2021: Yaddo Fellowship
• 2023: NAACP Image Award Nomination for Black Girl Songbook podcast

Personal life

Danyel Smith's mother is of Filipino and African-American background. Danyel has a younger sister, Raquel, and a younger stepsister, Nicole, and stepbrother Keith. She lives in Southern California with her husband, Elliott Wilson. They got married in Los Angeles in June 2005.

See also

In Spanish: Danyel Smith para niños

• Vibe (magazine)
• List of writers on popular music
• Music journalism