As the weather has gotten colder in NYC the last couple of days I was reminded that it is October. Time to get away from sugary summer pop music and move toward the darker tones as Halloween approaches. Luckily I had the perfect song for this mood in my inbox. Let me introduce you to Detra.
Born and raised in the Nashville, Tennessee area, Detra was destined to have music in her blood. Although she is from the country music capital of the world, she always felt a stronger draw to dark rock music and the classical music from which most of it was based. “I don’t read music that well and have always played by ear,” says Detra. “I hear a song and can usually pick out the parts. Sometimes I make up my own chords which keep it interesting.” Her songwriting tends to have a certain dramatic flair that makes for more of a story than a song.
Detra’s upcoming release is the single ‘Breaking Dawn’ scheduled to hit iTunes on October 29th. It is a deep almost cinematic song that truly showcases her vocal abilities. She tells me of being inspired to write the song after being at Taylor Swift’s Christmas party a few years back when Taylor was dating Taylor Lautner. In the Secret Santa gift exchange Detra received the Twilight series hardcover books, which was Lautner’s gift. She chatted him up much of the night and was inspired to write a song about vampires. The next morning she woke up with a fire in her mind and finished ‘Breaking Dawn’ before nightfall. When a musician can get an idea in her head and write a complete song quickly it shows the passion of a true artist. She had the song mixed by legendary producer Michael Wagener (Ozzy, Motley Crue, Metallica) at his Wireworld Studio and had accomplished composer/producer and friend Michael Whittaker make the orchestration come to life to create the atmospheric soundscape behind the song. ‘Breaking Dawn’ is one of those songs that actually creates a visual picture in your mind as you hear it.
Go listen for yourself at:
Here is a preview video for you as well: