The uniquely talented, enchantingly handsome, innocently sweet and salaciously sexy pop recording star Wilder Daze has released his new single “Blush,” a song I can’t seem to dismiss from my thoughts, nor would I want to. To say I was highly impressed with the video that accompanied the release would be an understatement, as it is probably one of the most emotional, dramatic and tantalizing works of artistry that I have experienced thus far.
I was able to obtain a long, intimate conversation with Daze, and found him to be candid, relevant, authentic and very special, with some very romantic philosophies.
I’m so excited to talk to you. I loved your song to death.
Thank you.
What prompted you to write “Blush”? I know that there is a story that goes with it.
There is a story. I wrote it while I was in Paris. The song really came from feeling like I was having this love affair with Paris. I was literally there blushing, looking at the city and all the people. I felt like I was surrounded by the most beautiful people I have ever seen in my life. It was just the look of the sudden feeling of a passion that was reignited in me. The city of Paris was lighting my fire again. I wrote it in literally 10 minutes, just walking around the city. I was still in Europe for a few days after that, and I couldn’t get it out of my head. When I came back I immediately started working on it. But, it comes from this concept that I really explore even deeper on the album, which is just about my fascination on how love changes people. Really just romance, not necessarily a long-term, loving relationship; sometimes it could just be a one or two night thing. Sometimes a short-lived romance can really change your life. That’s where I sort of found myself right now, finding myself in a series of very short romances. But they are all very profound.
Are you in love right now?
I’m not in love with anyone in particular right now.
Do you write all of your own music?
Yes, I write the melodies and lyrics.
How long have you been writing and singing?
I think I started writing when I was 11 years old. It wasn’t a consistent thing until I moved to New York when I turned 18. Before then I was always a singer. Everybody in my mom’s family sings. Actually, all the men in my mom’s family, like my grandpa was a singer. I never met him unfortunately. I have an uncle who is a country singer in Brazil. It was always like a normal thing at family get-togethers. We would always sing songs at Christmas. It was always something everybody did. When I moved to New York I bought a keyboard and taught myself how to cover songs. Then I started writing more frequently. I didn’t start putting stuff online until I was 18. Ever since I moved to New York I’ve been consistently writing.
Where are you from?
I grew up in Virginia.
How long have you been in New York?
Almost six years.
Do you think that you were born to do this, that entertaining and singing wasn’t a choice?
Yeah, I have always had that feeling. Ever since I was young I would always have this feeling. I don’t know where it comes from. I guess he comes from the feeling that I would get when I would hear music that I really loved. There was something in my gut that told me to follow that. I always wanted to be in show business since I was a kid. When I was a kid I wanted to be a Disney kid, then when I got older I studied theater. There was just no other option for me. For a long time I was a completely unknown artist. Then I released my first single, “Sad By Nature,” and then something changed. All of a sudden, I guess through that song I found my audience. People would just start messaging me on Twitter, and I almost became this Twitter therapist. They told me very personal things about their lives. They asked for advice, like how did I get through this time in my life. It was a really important time for me as an artist. It happened about a year ago, because when I wrote the song I almost questioned even sending it to my producer. Sometimes I write a song that’s just for me, then I write one that I want to put out there. I almost put that into the “just for me” side. I’m so glad that I didn’t. I wrote it at 2 o’clock in the morning, sent it to a friend, who said it was probably one of the best things that I’ve ever done. I still have people who tell me that they wake up in the morning, and that song really helped them.
I feel like you are very intense.
It all comes from a very deep place. “Blush” might sound like a fun song, but the purpose of the video was to show that it went much deeper than that. It took me out of that place that I was in when I wrote “Sad By Nature.” I went abroad, and I found this new purpose in life again. I was in a relationship for a very long time. “Sad By Nature” was the song that I wrote coming out of that. “Blush” was liberating, when you enjoy being single again.
Are your lyrics acting as a lifeline for people whom you will never met?
I hope that I can meet some of them, but yeah, it does feel like that. That’s why I always get excited to put out something else, showing the fans the next chapter. I’m in a place right now that everything that I am releasing feels very current to where I’m at. It’s a really cool feeling. There are always things in my life that correlate to the song I’m about to release.
What was the hardest part of your life, and how did you get through it? Was it the break up?
That was the hardest part of my adult life. It wasn’t just a break up; it was a whole change in my life. I’ve always embraced change, but it’s a different thing when it’s change that has ended under your control. It’s like when the rug gets pulled out from under you, you just have to go with it. It was one of those break ups that also meant the end of a lot of mutual friendships. That caused me to rebel and change my nature. I honestly did get through that with the songs that I wrote. That is still what helps me get through, and it is also my reminder of why I feel I have to keep doing this. If my therapy can be therapeutic for somebody else, that’s the ultimate reward. Last year I found myself looking forward to watching the sunset every day, even during hard times. It’s how I find the beauty in each day, and that’s why the album is called “Golden Hour.”
Why haven’t I heard of you before?
I think the timing is really important. It’s amazing what can change in your life when you stop doubting yourself. When I wrote “Sad By Nature,” it was finally letting go of self-doubt that I didn’t even realize I still had. Part of that was moving to New York and getting out of the only environment I ever knew, and being the only gay kid in high school in conservative Virginia. In a lot of ways I feel like I grew up in New York. In the past six years my life has changed so much more dramatically than it ever did.
