Coming out of Chicago and landing in Nashville has worked well for singer Daphne Willis. During her time as a DePaul University student, she began performing in Chicago that eventually led to her moving down south. She recorded her latest EP, Get It, in Nashville. Her new pop-crafted single, "Done With Bein' Done," was written by hitmaker Meghan Trainor and herself.
This out and proud talented singer was featured on After Ellen and Perez Hilton recently as she heads into the big time.
Windy City Times: Hi, Daphne. You are originally from Chicago?
Daphne Willis: Yes; I went to Fremd High School in Palatine. I then went to DePaul University for a couple of years in the city.
WCT: Did you study music?
DW: No; I studied secondary education and English. I am a huge literature buff. I was doing open mics and writing on my own. I formed a band and we would play at aliveOne, Tin Lizzie and Lucille's back in the day.
Then things progressed and I made an acoustic EP. It got sublicensed through a company called DMX—like when you are at Kohl's and you hear music playing. It ended up playing on a flight that the president of Vanguard Records ended up on [the flight]. When his iPod died, he plugged in his headphones and heard my song playing. He looked me up in the pamphlet and saw I was unsigned.
He sent up A&R rep Gary Paczosa from Nashville to talk to me. I took the deal and dropped out of college halfway through. About four years later, I moved down to Nashville.
WCT: How did you meet Meghan Trainor?
DW: I have a friend named Chris Gelbuda who is also on the same publishing company as Meghan, Big Yellow Dog Music. He told me a few years ago that I should write with his friend Meghan. At the time she was not some big mega-pop star. We got together and wrote "Done With Bein' Done" in an hour. She is really phenomenally talented. Six months later, she busted through the wall of the record industry like the Kool-Aid Man!
Chris Gelbuda produced her recent song with John Legend. He co-produced my EP Get It. We wrote the songs "Take My Time" and "Get It" together.
WCT: Was it fun making the video for "Done With Bein' Done," with all that paint?
DW: It was not fun at all. I hated it.
We were partying and drinking. It was all of my friends. I told them to wear shit they don't care about. They said it would wash out but it did not. Everything was ruined!
The video was amazing, though. I love abstract and philosophical videos like that, with symbolism going on.
WCT: What is the story behind your goggles?
DW: I have collected them for a long time. I have World War II fighter pilot goggles, welding goggles and vintage goggles. It started from when I played six years ago. My sunglasses had broken and I stopped at a gas station to buy some cheap biker glasses. I had them on at a concert I played and felt like Superwoman.
After I was done, people wanted to take pictures with them on. It was a moment when people forgot about things and looked through a different lens for a second. It became a symbol for perception and perspective. I'm a philosophy nerd.
WCT: Is your song "TMI" about the age we live in?
DW: Yes. It is a song poking fun at everybody and social media in general, also how dating and meeting people has changed to be more online now.
WCT: You must like playing it live.
DW: It is fun to play for people that have never heard it. I want to write another one called "FML" because there are a lot more acronyms out there. It could be about the worst hangover ever.
WCT: You could keep going with these songs, like "LOL!" Do you have a full album coming out?
DW: I am in the process of putting together a Beatles project. I'm a huge Beatles fan and Sony has The Beatles catalogue so they suggested it to me.
I am writing for an album also and hope to record it in the summer. The Beatles album will come out in the meantime.
WCT: What is your favorite Beatles song?
DW: It is a tie between "Eleanor Rigby" and "Come Together."
WCT: Have you noticed how the LGBT bar scene in Nashville is all together and it is more separated in Chicago?
DW: Yes, I noticed. People go to bars like Tribe and Play in Nashville. There is also fun karaoke at The Lipstick Lounge. I do like that here in Nashville is not so segregated.
I think the whole thing started off where gay bars could be a safe, comfortable place but now that times are changing, in a really great way, that needs to come down. We need to have places where everybody hangs out together, gay, straight, bi, or whatever. Let's all hang out together!
Come together with Willis at Martyrs, 3855 N. Lincoln Ave., on April 7. Visit daphnewillis.com and martyrslive.com for more information on tickets .
