Conversations with Missy: Daphne Willis

There are so many genres of music these days, however, not everyone fits into one box. For Daphne Willis, she has the amazing ability to sing more than one style and in my opinion, has created a new genre altogether. 

Creating music that fans will relate to and want to keep listening to is always an important factor for most musicians, though Willis takes it a step further by continuing to be vulnerable in order to keep her songs extremely real. While this may be difficult for some artists to do, Willis has embraced this journey she is on with her music and has turned it into something that is not only uplifting and encouraging to others, but something that brings hope, healing, and peace to them.

As I sat with Willis for our interview, I was immediately comfortable. Not only is she down to earth, she has an amazing calming effect on anyone she is speaking to because they matter to her. I cannot tell you how refreshing it was to be able to talk to her about her fans and music and the journey she is currently on learning new things. She was very open about wanting to learn new things to further herself and explained that she recently began taking piano lessons. After mentioning that I recently wanted to play my old instruments from high school after seeing Tim Rushlow's Big Band perform at the Nashville Palace, Willis immediately encouraged me to do it and was absolutely genuine. Willis truly cares and is passionate about overall life.

Fans have joined Willis for life's good times and bad. They have formed friendships and provided support to one another. Do you remember the phrase "Sharing is caring"? That is exactly what Willis is doing and enabling her fans to do as well. By creating an online support group, Willis and her fans have been able to share life experiences whether good, bad, happy, or sad. For these fans, having a positive outlet within this support group is priceless. The best part for me was hearing Willis explain how much this means to her personally. 

By maintaining her identity and embracing who she is as a human and as an artist, Willis has been able to write some of the most beautiful songs and deliver them with an undeniable amount of passion. Of these songs, there are two that immediately stood out to me. "Somebody's Someone" is one of those songs that make you think and instantly relate it to someone you know, if not yourself. This particular song has the ability to move you to tears and is frankly one of the most beautiful songs I have heard in a long time.  The second song that captured my immediate attention is "I Am Enough". Far too often people find themselves doubting their own worth based on what society thinks about them. Sadly, some can never get past feeling like they are never going to be good enough, so they lose their fight. "I Am Enough" is a song that I encourage everyone to listen to, especially if they have kids. The message this song delivers is powerful and often a forgotten one. 

Do yourself a favor and grab her latest album Freaks Like Me. You will be happy you did. Be sure to watch our full conversation as Willis treats us to a special performance of "Somebody's Someone". Willis combines real talent with real life and real love. The world could use just a bit more of that right now. ~Missy