Dana and the Wolf on Going Viral on Spotify & Their Latest “Him”

They met on move-in day at their dorm in the city. “We lived a few doors down on the same floor in a 18 floor building and that sealed our fate! Neither of us majored in music; film was the initial common ground. Daniel had me acting in all his film projects over our 4 years of schooling and when he asked me to go to LA with him, we drove out together 3 days after graduation. Music became a thing in the aftermath.”

The funny thing about them is that they are sort of opposites, but it makes it work. “I think a lot of our acquaintances and fans probably think, “Wow, they’ve been together for 10 years and they’re even working in a band together! They must be a match made in heaven!” To clear the air, we are very different and with that comes so much effort in not only understanding each other, but giving in to the other’s likes and lifestyle choices. It’s a constant effort, but I will say I’m incredibly satisfied with the payoff.”

In 2017, their single “Attitude” got onto Spotify’s Weekly Buzz and concurrently jumped onto the US Viral 50 Chart and hit #29. They said it came as a total surprise; “At the time we didn’t have a label/team and we still have no clue how we were discovered by a Spotify curator. We were elated, to say the least.”

Hear their latest, “Him”:

We asked about the songwriting of the record and the process. “Same as always, extremely difficult. Daniel and I are opposites in all ways; music is no exception. If we had pictures it would be of us yelling at each other. That being said, this song was one of the few that came together because we both agreed on some part of it and we were determined to see it through. That’s basically what all the songs we’ve released have in common.”

GGM: Whats something other than music you’re passionate about?

“I love to dance. I’ve always known this about myself, but funnily enough I recently discovered just how much it moves me. Over the Holidays I was faced with many bar/house party conversations that gave me the inner feeling of omg I’m falling asleep, even moments of, is this all there is? And then my favorite song came on. I excused myself from the conversation saying politely, “I just gotta dance.” Suddenly I could sense my whole body waking, I felt alive, and I felt purpose. I really love to dance.”

GGM: Do you think being a woman in music has affected your career? If so, how?

“We are all aware that sex sells, especially for female artists. There’s no point in giving specific examples because it’s practically all female artists on the pop charts. I understand that showing a little skin or giving bedroom eyes can help sell a song. However, most of our followers on Instagram are women. And then it hit me. Men don’t listen to female artists the way women listen to male artists. When I listen to Louise Armstrong or Shawn Mendes I don’t feel masculine or feminine, I just sing along and enjoy the music. But a man listening to Ella Fitzgerald or Kelly Clarkson may feel emasculated. I think guys have been teased by other guys that listening to female artists is lame. And even though the times have changed, I think that uncomfortableness is still there for guys. It really sucks, because, my shit is gender neutral. And so are a lot of these fabulous female artists out there.”

Dana And The Wolf’s Girl Gang Picks

Yelle