DHANY

One of the first global superstars to join the Eurodance Vibes label is Italian singer songwriter Dhany (aka. Daniella Galli), who is recognised as being one of the premier white soul voices in dance music.

Dhany’s vocals have featured on many hits under both her own name and as part of the Benassi Bros dance project. She has released two albums, ‘Quiero Respirar’ (2000) and ‘Emotions’ (2007) and has written songs for many dance
music projects including In-Grid and Whigfield. Her biggest global hit with the Benassi Bros, ‘Every Single Day,’ has now been
streamed on Spotify more than 17 million times with more than 59 million views on YouTube, while ‘Hit My Heart’ has had more than 16 million streams on Spotify. Dhany has almost 482,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.

THE BEGINNING

Who inspired you to want to create music and what age were you when you first started singing?

During my studies, when I was 20 years old, I started singing in clubs, with some fellow professional musicians, who pushed me to try the musical activity. Let’s say, I started by chance.

How and when did your music career begin?

After a few months of experiences in small clubs with an acoustic duo, I’ve been involved as lead singer in some funky and jazz bands. I actually started touring up and down Italy and then I realized that it was time to try to work more seriously and invest more time and energy on this. So I decided to train with a professional teacher, who taught me the classic vocal technique.

Your dance music career started in 1995 when you joined the Italian record company Off Limits and released the hit singles, ‘Somebody To Touch Me’ and ‘Street Life’ with the KMC Team. Which of your single releases from the 90’s are most special to you and why?

Soon after my first two years of training, I was contacted by Larry Pignagnoli, the founder and boss of Off Limits production, which was one of the main independent labels in Italy for dance and house music. I signed with Off Limits and that’s how my dream began. I have a very special connection with ‘Somebody To Touch Me’. This was my first record - I remember every moment, the day I wrote the song, the favourable feedback of the label, the making of the cover, the day I drove back home with my first vinyl in my hands and the first day I heard the song at the radio. I was wondering if I was living a fairy tale or if everything was true. At the age of 22 it was something really special. I’ve been very lucky to have the chance to work with such a great team.

In 2004 you became part of the globally successful Benassi Bros team with numerous singles including ‘Hit My Heart’ and ‘Every Single Day’ along with albums ‘Pumphonia’ and ‘Phobia’. How did the success of this project change your life and music career?

My career has taken a turn. Benny and Alessandro are two extraordinary professionals, who have trusted me and from whom I have learned a lot. As well as from Larry, who has been a mentor to all of us. Since 2004 I have had the opportunity to confront myself with large audiences in Europe and the United States, as well as to continue my tour that has been going on uninterruptedly for 20 years. I have also trained a lot as a performer, travelling and meeting heterogeneous audiences in over 30 countries.

THE MUSIC BUSINESS

What do you enjoy the most about working in the music industry?

I deeply love my job and I consider it a privilege to be able to live and work doing what you like most. I love being creative, expressing emotions with my music, connect with people, fellow musicians and public. I also like to travel. And this job offered me all those fantastic things.

What has been the greatest accomplishment in your music career to date, and how has this shaped your career and outlook on life since then?

Being creative means being constantly looking for something, for growth and improvement. I couldn't tell you what my greatest accomplishment has been. Every time I start a project I try to convey a message, an emotion, some energy. If the public gets it I consider it a great achievement.

Reflecting on your continued success in the music industry over the last 30 years, what do you think are the most important qualities of a hit record?

I don't think there is an authentic formula. I believe instead in a series of factors and circumstances that converge to create the result. In my personal case the hits were definitely born from teamwork: we had an extraordinary team. Everyone brought their skills and we worked towards a common goal, with great balance and without personal ambition.

What music awards have you won during the course of your career, and which award is most special to you?
 

As a songwriter, together with Benny and Alessandro, we won double gold in France for the album ‘Hypnotica’, in which I had written many lyrics. As a songwriter and singer, another gold for the album ‘Pumphonia’ and one gold for ‘Phobia’. I guess the last gold has been the most significant, as I was already touring in France since a couple of years when it happened and these sales
have been a great re confirmation of the loyalty of our audience and a great sign of appreciation by the media who always supported us very much.

How much input and involvement did you have with the production of your records back in the 90’s compared to now?

I have always participated very actively in the creation of my productions, I have written almost everything I have sung and it is still like that. When a singer is also a melodist and a songwriter I believe it is essential that they can express themselves to be more credible. It is equally important that there is a great work team around to bring the original idea to its maximum completion without distorting it. Benny and Alessandro had understood this perfectly and allowed my melodies, which were sometimes long and a little too complex, to become simpler and more effective, in addition to arranging them in an extraordinary way. I am still amazed by how much energy is released from their arrangements.

You have toured in over 30 countries around the world. In which countries are your Benassi Bros songs the most popular, and which songs get the loudest crowd reactions when you are performing?

After the first very intense period of touring in France, Russia and Eastern Europe, for several years I have been carrying out a successful tour in Poland. The Polish audience, in clubs and festivals, has given me and continues to give me so much, both in the enthusiasm with which they participate in my live shows, and on the platforms, supporting me with streaming. I have a rich fanbase, which I particularly love, also in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Lithuania). Thanks to my management Eastwest Events, last year I also brought my concerts to the USA and UK and this year I will also tour in Hungary, Czech Republic and Denmark. In the setlist the most popular song is ‘Every Single Day’, which has been written by my dear friend Annerley Gordon.

What has been the most memorable highlight of your music career to date?

Without a doubt my first day of radio promotion for ‘Hit My Heart’ in France. Suddenly I found myself on stage at one of biggest arenas in Paris, with an artists’ list full of international stars that I had only seen on TV and that I would never have imagined I would meet in the dressing rooms... something that made my knees tremble... a huge responsibility. I remember that I was terrified by the idea of giving a bad performance and thus losing everything. Then I started singing and suddenly everything went well.
 

What is your best piece of advice for someone who wishes to become a singer or songwriter in the music industry today?

I advise young people who want to pursue a musical career to strengthen themselves with good preparation to acquire many different skills. Work always pays and the meaning of what we do is not in the results achieved or how high we get. The real goal is to get to do every day to live doing what we love most.

What is it about dance music that makes you continue to be passionate about the genre after so many years of singing and songwriting?

There are several reasons. I have always had a soul attitude in my voice and I express myself better in genres such as funk and r'n'b. House and dance have allowed me to free this trait of my voice, as well as the possibility to sing in English. Secondly, I must admit that I have had much more feedback in other countries, rather than in Italy and for this reason I think that writing and singing in English was an excellent choice for me, which has allowed me to access a much wider audience.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned in your music career?

A very positive lesson. The secret is to never give up. Before the millennium era I was feeling unmotivated very often, I thought I was not enough as a singer or as a songwriter. Many times I was one step away from leaving the music world. Luckily a voice inside me always told me to go on and I listened to it. You never know what can happen tomorrow.