And it is from there—the bench of her piano—that this Minneapolis, Minnesota artist tells her best stories.

Danielle’s devotion to music began in the churches, choirs, musicals, and talent shows of her youth, where she played Dorothy and Cinderella and performed with the Minnesota Opera Children’s Chorus. She began writing, and it wasn’t long before “Triathletes,” a song she wrote in jest about her father and his triathlete buddies, ultimately led her to producer Aaron Ankrum. But all joking aside, the song was a hit, and she recorded it with Ankrum as a single to help promote the Team Ortho Foundation, the international sports-medicine charity. Ankrum wasted no time in introducing Danielle to Grammy-nominated and Dove Award winning, Joel Hanson, who, with Ankrum, took Danielle under his wing and produced her first EP, “Long Way Down,” released in June, 2008.

Backed up by a talented band that features Kyle Tennis on guitars, Zachary Ojeda on bass, and Alexander Young/Timothy Thrush on drums, “Long Way Down” received critical acclaim in the Minneapolis music scene and led to invitations to play at venues throughout the Twin Cities, including First Avenue’s 7th Street Entry and the Fine Line Music Café, performing home to top local and visiting musical artists. Shortly after its release, the EP received airplay on Twin Cities indie station, 89.3 The Current.

In the spring of 2009 she released a three song EP titled “Hello” after being featured as a contestant in Radio Disney’s first ever “Next Big Thing” competition. She was featured on the radio and website along with other young artists that were chosen after a secret nation wide search for Radio Disney’s favorite un-known artists.

The following year Danielle spent time writing and recording her first full length album. She released “The Waiting” in June of 2010 with the help of producer Matt Patrick at The Library recording studio.

The thrill of Danielle’s local success is eclipsed only by the great privilege she has of doing something everyday that she knows she was meant to do forever: writing songs and sharing stories that resonate with the voices of her listeners. And for those fans who can’t seem to get enough of Danielle’s novel perspective and sound, there’s this good news: after taking some time to gain new inspiration, she is back writing again for her next album.