 Courtesy of the Artist
On January 15th, Toronto singer-songwriter (and finalist in the International Songwriting Competition) Dayna Shereck released her sophomore EP, Chasing The Moon. The four-track collection of newly handcrafted, personal, and heart-spun material was written in just under a year and recorded in Nashville. Here, Shereck answers her Essential 8 and relays the story behind the album's title, struggles and successes, and much more.
What’s the story behind your album’s title? I decided to name the EP Chasing The Moon after one of the songs on my EP. The title has a special meaning because it is one of the only real love songs I have ever written, I wrote it for my partner. I really tried to capture the sentiment of chasing a feeling, or trying to get to that perfect place in a relationship which may or may not really exist. At the same time, the song is about accepting that even without perfection, we are still here and that in itself is a romantic concept, to quote the lyric, we’ll keep “taking trips around the sun, feeling like we’re chasing the moon”. When/where do you do your best writing? I feel like I do my best writing sitting in a cozy living room setting with my co-writers. Usually sitting with a pillow on my lap, a notebook and phone in front of me for notes, and a glass of wine or coffee not far away. Sometimes we light candles and just get the mood right for talking and reflecting. Writing in Nashville is also very special and I have had a lot of great experiences there. I also had a wonderful opportunity to be selected as the Open Chair for SongWorks, a pro-writing camp put on by “Songwriters Association of Canada” this past summer. In SongWorks I had the opportunity to not only write with well known artists but have a top notch producer in the session co-writing and producing as we went along. That was pretty incredible! Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination? I draw much of my inspiration from my own experience. Things I have been through, my own thoughts and feelings, and conversations with others. I am most interested in matters of the heart, and tend to be motivated by discussing topics around relationships and family. I believe it’s most important to get to the heart of the matter in any writing session, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be my own story but it does have to be from a genuine and real place, and usually drawn from real life experience. 
What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician?
The best advice I ever received was from a writer-producer in Nashville who had achieved a high level of success. He essentially told me in his own words, a music career will be whatever you believe it to be. If you believe there is no money in music, you probably won’t make any money. If you believe that it can be a career, than eventually it will become one, you will align yourself with people who take it seriously and slowly doors will open. A second piece of advice I have found to be beneficial was received from Barbara Sedun, and music industry leader here in Canada, who ran a networking group for songwriters and those in the industry. She told me when I was starting out, that one of the keys to success was to start with your own peer group, start co-writing, your co-writers will start recording your songs, your network will grow, and you will rise together as a group. This has been very true. What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out? I knew when I started writing that whatever happened, I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. I would say to someone starting out, that the journey to making something happen is sometimes life-long. It’s important not to get discouraged at every roadblock and instead create your own version of success. For me that has meant being part of a songwriting community, finding writers I align with creatively, and taking every opportunity that comes my way. What’s the most frustrating thing about being on the road? Well the road for me is not about touring but about driving around Nashville from writing session to writing session. Driving around Nashville with little time between sessions often means too much fast food. And when I’m not having fast food I’m going out for great dinners. Usually a trip to Nashville means that I come home to some sort of health blitz, even it it’s short lived lol. What has been your biggest struggle so far? The biggest struggle I’ve experienced to date is realizing that there is politics in music just like everything else. It really is difficult to get a major label cut without an artist or producer as a writer on the song. It still happens but it much more difficult than it once was. People are less likely to take a chance on a writer who doesn’t have a known cut or hit behind them, so it becomes a catch 22. However if you stay dedicated long enough, your network will grow and amazing things will start happening. It’s just important to be able recognize each small step and not overlook it. On a positive note, What has been your biggest success? Well this is hard to answer because there have been a few really incredible moments. One in particular was when a friend in Nashville who had been really working a song “Stoned” that I co-wrote with Jeff Dayton called to tell me he was in the doctor’s office and missed five calls from Warner Music Nashville to put the song on hold for a major label artist. The song did get put on hold and unfortunately it didn’t get cut, but it was still a moment of great success that I will never ever forget. From where I started from I couldn’t believe that I had even gotten to that point. Website YouTube iTunes Spotify When she’s not putting pen to paper or fingertips to guitar, Dayna is a self-professed Anthro-girl through and through. Her love for the store Anthropologie runs so deep and true, she rounded out 2017 by launching a micro-blog “Anthropologie Moments” to document her shopping experiences and favourite items.
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