Dana Vaughns is an R&B/Pop recording artist, actor, and dancer. He has a unique style that fuses together classic 90’s R&B vibes with a fresh new perspective on life and love at the age of 21.
Dana has spent quite some time in the spotlight, with his musical career kicking off as a teen. He released his first solo single “Feelings” in 2017, and it has surpassed over 1.5 million streams! His single “DNA” (released in mid-2018) was featured on social media star Lele Pons’ YouTube playlist showcasing Dana’s sweet dancing skills.
But not only is Dana an incredible singer, songwriter, and dancer, he’s also an actor! Dana will be appearing on season 2 of BET’s hit show “American Soul”. He will be playing the role of “Fresh Edwards”.
Dana recently released his latest single “Lovey Dovey”, and it’s a song of pure, wholesome admiration. Give it a listen below!
I got to chat with Dana about the meaning of “Lovey Dovey”, the process of constructing the track, future projects, as well as some of the exciting projects he’s taken on within the past year!
Chels: So first of all, your newest single “Lovey Dovey” featuring Jordan Ward is out now. Can you give us a little background on what inspired you to create this track?
Dana: I’m super excited about “Lovey Dovey” being out, honestly the bass line was the first thing that I came up with. I don’t really know what inspired it per say in that moment but all I can say is that when I did make the track, I was trying to fuse the feelings of the Beach Boys back in the day, mixed with D’Angelo. It’s a song of admiration really, there’s this girl that I’m describing in this song, everybody knows around town and she’s the baddest thing out there but no one really approaches her, they’re just kinda letting her do her own thing. That was really just kinda it.
Chels: Well, “Lovey Dovey” is certainly a bop! Can you give us a little idea of what we can expect to hear next from you?
Dana: Next, expect to hear a full EP. I’m actually in the finishing stages of that this week, so I’m not going to do any more singles until this EP comes out. It’ll be about 6 or 7 songs and you can expect more things like you heard in “Lovey Dovey”, all these songs are written by me. The project is called “Familiar Strangers”, I’m happy to announce. I think with that title it just kind of explains… familiar describes a certain feeling you go through during your life that you have with say a loved one or someone who sparks your interest. But the strangers part is you don’t know this person it’s kinda just this whole story of like “well I’ve never met you, but these feelings that you make me feel that I can connect to I know it’s something more than just of the time being”. It’s more examples of that.
Chels: So your musical career kicked off when you joined IM5 way back in the day. How would you say your creative process has evolved over the years?
Dana: I think my creative process evolved into actually like a full creative process now. I’ve produced records, I write records, I’m involved with the mixing and things like that so I think when it comes to actually making the music I really am just making it from scratch… I think that’s the biggest difference. Also doing it by myself, I think being a co-writer and a solo artist that’s definitely different as well. But it’s just been a lot of fun. It’s great to have the freedom to make whatever you want and do it well so I just try to capitalize on that.
Chels: Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Dana: Jill Scott, for sure Usher, I would say when I first started writing, more like James Funtleroy… those would have to be my biggest 3.
Chels: So you’ve gotten the opportunity to share the stage with some of my personal favorite musicians – Cardi B and Offset at the 2019 BET Awards, and Kanye West at Coachella earlier this year. Can you tell us how that went?
Dana: That was actually a lot of fun. I came out to LA about 10 years ago to pursue dance and I’m still doing it now so it’s great to still be able to work in those fields and work with Cardi and Kanye. It’s just crazy to be a part of that and it’s hard work and strenuous but I think it’s cool being an artist as well because I know how I would want my artists to be at rehearsals or catered to this and pay attention to that. So it’s cool for me because I try to just help the artist just stay calm and do what we need to make sure they’re comfortable. It’s great.
Chels: One last thing… what advice can you give to any aspiring musicians, or just creatives in general?
Dana: I would say to strive for more really. I think music is something that is never ending. You can always get better you can always get more finite. Don’t be afraid to actually dive deeper and make something really special and not just so… I’m not calling others unoriginal but take the time to actually do something that you can craft. Have a high standard and don’t be afraid to go for it even thought that’s not really what’s popular right now. It’s just quick turnarounds and beats that slap but at this point in time and technology all the music should be sounding good so.
You can find Dana on Twitter and Instagram @DanaVaughns! Keep an eye (and ear!) out for his new EP coming soon.
