Songwriter Series: Miss Emily + Dani Zanoni
Emily Fennell’s (Miss Emily as we've come to know her) earliest memories swirl through the dusty Canadian fairgrounds of Southern Ontario. Accompanied by her parents, she pursued her love of performing at county fair singing competitions where the creaky floorboards of outdoor stages laid down the backbeat. Later as a young adult, Miss Emily emerged from a soul-drenched gumbo of blues, old school R&B and jazz. With Ray Charles and Aretha as her mentors and K.D. Lang as her benchmark she went to school. Studying her craft on the side roads, backroads and highways of Ontario; she played every juke joint and nightclub that would have her. When she was pregnant with her daughter Piper, she took up residency at The Merchant Taphouse in Kingston. Every Friday night she preached love, happiness and harmony to jam-packed crowds and in the midst of the cover songs, she’d throw in a few of her own. Soon the set lists would be more hers than theirs and as she fell in love with her adopted hometown of Kingston, Kingston fell in love with her. It’s a love that flourished as she played festivals and music halls, six sell-out shows at the Isabel Bader Theatre and most recently the historic Grand Theatre. Throughout her journey, despite the advice of highly-placed music industry insiders, never once did Miss Emily assume a persona or adopt a character. She is hilarious in her honesty, heartfelt in her compassion, touching in her grief but always and forever, she is simply her genuine self on stage and off. That naked commitment to the truth has never been more apparent than in her sixth studio album, “Defined By Love”. It’s a warts-and-all diary of a year filled with confusion and anger, lost relationships and found humanity.
As a dedicated student of Music Industry and Performance at Ramapo College of New Jersey, Dani Zanoni honed her skills under the guidance of mentors like Zuke Smith, Lisa Lutter, and Julie Miles. Her artistic pursuits expanded beyond local stages, including performing the National Anthem at her college graduation in 2019 at Newark's Prudential Center, opening for acclaimed blues artist Katie Henry, and performing at a sold-out Les Paul Showcase. Dani Zanoni's journey expanded globally with a memorable performance for the King of Ghana in 2017 with her college choir. Dani's electrifying live performances showcase her impressive vocals and dynamic energy, whether she's performing solo, as half of the duo, DnA, or leading the charge with her band, Dani Zanoni & Co. In early 2024, Dani unveiled her debut EP, 20 Something, featuring five tracks that delve into the challenges and self-discovery of navigating your twenties. With over 100,000 streams and 32,500 YouTube views, Dani's indie pop singer-songwriter tunes reflect a soulful vulnerability. Rooted in raw lyricism and honest delivery, Dani Zanoni aspires to be a relatable voice for others, utilizing her music as a therapeutic outlet to connect and offer listeners a sense of belonging, mirroring the profound impact music has had on her own life.