The midday sun shone between the leaves of the trees in McBurney Park and onto the festival-goers lounging on blankets and lawn chairs as Danielle Hope Edwards took to the main stage.

A palpable energy invigorated the downtown Kingston neighbourhood, still charged from the previous day’s Pride Parade and festivities. The weather had been clear, bright, and warm all weekend, but Sunday, June 19 held special significance. In addition to being day two of the Skeleton Park Arts Festival and Father’s Day, it was Juneteenth — a celebration of the emancipation of enslaved African peoples. Though Danielle was booked to perform, she saw a unique opportunity to engage when she arrived on the stage.

“I had to bring the two careers together, the music and the teaching career,” Danielle said with a chuckle from a bench in the park. “I asked the audience who knows what [Juneteenth] is and who doesn’t, because I find a lot of people—mainly in Canada—don’t because it’s more of an American thing … but it’s still a North American thing.”

It’s that desire to share and connect that brought Danielle to Kingston in the first place. Having grown up in Prince Edward County, Danielle arrived in the city to study Concurrent Education at Queen’s University. Danielle is working towards a career as an elementary school teacher, but hopes to bring more to the classroom than just curriculum.

“My desire for teaching is more about being a teacher that is able to be there for students and for their well-being and their educational needs, because that’s also a big part of where my heart is,” says Danielle. “I think of youth a lot of the time, or I think of myself when I was that age, because one quote that keeps me going is, ‘Be the person that you needed when you were a kid.’ So I try to set that example in my life.”

Mental wellness advocacy is another of Danielle’s passions, and, like most people over the course of the pandemic, she felt the effects of isolation on her own mental health. One of the ways she expressed and worked through those struggles was through her music and poetry.

Music has been a significant part of Danielle’s life since she was six years old. She began making her own songs at a young age with her musical family, and now draws inspiration from the many soul, gospel, and R&B singer-songwriters she loves. The music and style of artists such as Alicia Keys, Jacob Collier, and Ella Fitzgerald all inform Danielle’s music. You can hear their influence on her single, “Love Stands,” a track she released in 2020 in response to the murder of George Floyd.

“A lot of the times [when] the lyrics flow are a time when I’m reflecting on something I’m going through, or something I want to say, but it’s not quite coming through in words,” Danielle explains.

“Love Stands” encapsulates so much of what makes Danielle’s music special. It’s a solo piano ballad, simple in its arrangement and leaving room for her voice and lyrics to take the spotlight. With familiar phrasing, enhanced by the strength of Danielle’s voice, “Love Stands” is a poignant and timely message of perseverance, positivity, and compassion in the face of overwhelming hardship. It’s universal in scale, but at the same time the lyrics — suffused with her spirituality and perspective and driven by a wholehearted compassion — come from a deeply personal place.

“I grew up being really unable to open up about my mental health, and so when I would struggle with it, there wasn’t always an outlet I could have. But music was one of those outlets,” Danielle explains. “I also want to use [music] to maybe help others who might be going through the same… Ultimately, I just want to put the message out there that you’re never alone, and there are people who genuinely care for you and love you. And some of them you might not even know yet, but you’re still worthy. You’re still loved, and your life is worth living. It’s not a mistake.”

Though her studies come first, Danielle’s musical journey continues as well. Alongside teaching practicums, she has written and recorded a number of songs in recent months, and she has plans to release an EP (Extended Play record) before the end of the year. Those two passions are deeply connected for Danielle, and her journey is just beginning.

“My music is very personal to me and a great desire inside my heart, and then teaching and working with youth is also very personal to me and a great desire in my heart. So I think, at this stage I’m still working out if they will intertwine more or less, but I’m excited to see where it will go.” Posted: May 29, 2023 Originally Published: Oct 1, 2022