Sleeping in janky hotels on her musical journey has led Delaware folk-soul artist Sug Daniels (Danielle Johnson) to an upcoming gig in Willie Nelson’s backyard in Texas on Thursday, March 16.
She’s also making her debut at SXSW 2023 in downtown Austin that same day.
The 32-year-old singer, born in Smyrna and now living in Philly, recalled some of the dues she paid to get to this point.
Sug Daniels: Chipotle & ‘worst hotels ever’
In her early 20s, Sug Daniels worked at Chipotle by day, while rapping and singing in the Dover rap trio FlowCity at night.
The introverted, bread-baking singer also laughed about staying at “some of the worst hotels ever” with her bandmates from Hoochi Coochi, the Wilmington blues-soul outfit she co-founded nearly a decade ago.
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“The sheets are rough. You’re hoping to God you don’t get bed bugs. The hot water doesn’t work,” Daniels explained about some of the raggedy hotels she’s visited.
“It was worth it, because it was so fun,” the singer added. “We had such a good time and played all over and made a lot of connections.”
Willie Nelson & Luck Reunion festival
Daniels has three gigs in the Lone Star State this week.
Arguably her most interesting gig is Thursday with the Black Opry Revue at Luck Reunion festival, held in the outskirts of Austin in music legend Willie Nelson’s backyard.
Willie Nelson And Family are on the festival lineup, along with Spoon and a bunch of other acts.
Yes, the country icon is the landlord of Luck Reunion. “This is at Willie Nelson’s ranch, which is really cool,” Daniels said.
What is SXSW?
SXSW (South By South West) is a 10-day event aimed at helping creatives from all over the world network and reach their goals in Austin.
The event, ending Sunday, March 19, also attracts celebrities.
Last year’s affair drew an estimated 278,681 guests, according to organizers.
SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals (music, comedy, TV/film) that celebrate bridging the gap between music, tech, film, education and culture.
Debut show at SXSW 2023
Sug Daniels’ string of shows in the Austin area begins with a showcase, presented by Weird Sister Records, at Blk Vinyl on Wednesday.
On Thursday, she’ll play the Luck Reunion festival. That day she also makes her SXSW debut playing a showcase, presented by Don Giovanni Records, with her label mates at The 13th Floor venue on Thursday.
Joe Steinhardt, founder of indie label Don Giovanni Records in Central New Jersey, expects Daniels to blaze the stage.
He remembers the time she opened for Paisley Fields, an alt-country artist on his label from Brooklyn. Paisley is also playing Thursday’s showcase.
“I was blown away by her,” Steinhardt said of Daniels. “She is such an incredible storyteller, singer and songwriter.”
New spring bop, ‘When I’m Gone’
Drawing inspiration from real life, earlier this month Daniels released her fresh single, ‘When I’m Gone.”
The spring bop offers a calm, swirling and hypnotic melody as she sings about being a secret admirer of a woman who already has a girlfriend.
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“I like getting vulnerable… I’m a Scorpio, so I’m flirtatious,” the Smyrna musician said.
The song was produced by Sam Nobles, formerly of Wilmington, who now lives in Philly.
He played the Philadelphia Folk Festival with Daniels last year; and mixed her solo debut EP, “Franklin Street” (2021). “She writes songs that are infectious, full of spirit and relatable,” Nobles said. “She means every note she sings and gives every performance, whether in the studio or on the stage, her absolute all.”
’Franklin Street’ EP named after Delaware
After COVID-19 caused Daniel’s gigs to dry up in 2020, the lead singer of Hoochi Coochi, who was 29 at the time, began writing a lot of music and teaching herself to play instruments. That led her to picking up a ukulele her roommate had lying around.
The tropic melodies from the tiny lute created a music bed Daniels tucked her sorrows into on “Franklin Street,” named after the street she lived on in Wilmington.
Some rough moments that fueled her EP included enduring the pandemic while breaking up with her girlfriend of 10 years. Her ex is Chelsea Grant, drummer for Hoochi Coochi.
“I was going through a breakup, the world was ending … I mean, that’s prime-time to write some music,” Daniels recalled, before explaining she and Grant are still good friends.
Fighting for attention
Booking a room in the heartbreak hotel helped pave the way for Daniels to gig in Texas. It gave her a collection of fresh songs SXSW organizers could review when she applied for the event.
The rest is history.
Traveling to Austin this week is about networking and growing her audience, she said, while also living in the moment. “There’s a lot of labels. There’s a lot of publications that are down there,” she said. “I really just want to garnish a lot of attention. I’m really excited.”
If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.
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