Words: Iris Beek | Photos: Holly McCandless-Desmond

What if you decided to give up everything to pursue your dreams? It’s something that rising music maker Dan Aura experienced a few years ago, packing up his possessions and moving from a small village to sunny Brighton. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Aura released a handful of tracks and gained over 100,000 streams in the first few months alone. Now, the industry’s eyes are focused on him and his forthcoming EP, with ‘Where It Hurts’ as the title track. The songwriter sits down with Iris Beek to share his memories of growing up as a queer person in a conservative town, advice for other aspiring artists, and why you shouldn’t be defined by what you’ve been through.

Congratulations on your new song, ‘Where It Hurts.’ Could you tell us more about the song and the process of making it?

Thank you! It’s quite a personal song for me – not that any of my other songs are not personal. But this one was very cathartic to write. It’s about a very specific situation, being strung along and wishing that someone would rip the band-aid off. Like; ‘If you’re going to hurt me, I’d rather you just do it, and do it with some balls. I’ll keep my dignity.’ But it was a really fun song to make. It didn’t take too long to get to a version where I was happy. We hit a great place within the first two days on it.

Is there a connection between ‘Where It Hurts’ and your previous releases ‘Rich Man’ and ‘Rewritten’?

In a sense, yes. They all connect in some way. Obviously, this one is a little bit harsher. It’s not as happy but it’s a song that you can scream on and I think that’s what everyone needs. 

When you make a song, do you just put it in your voice notes when you have an idea?

I have so many voice notes because I keep all of them. There’s like 5 to 10 years’ worth of little voice notes. Even my notes app is an absolute mess Which I will guard with my life because there’s so much stuff in there. I usually write by myself in my bedroom and bring it into the studio because that helps me bring my idea to life. I find it a lot harder if I’m in the studio, and I must write something completely from scratch because my creative brain never stops working. I could get home from a day out and something would come to me, otherwise, I will forget it.

What is the story you’re trying to tell in your upcoming EP that comes out next month?

It’s a mixed match of songs, but it’s the most personal I’ve been with my lyrics. The last track on the EP is called ‘Hard To Be’ which is about my story of where I grew up and the experiences that I went through as a queer person in a conservative town. It’s super personal. All I want to put across is self-empowerment. You are not defined by what you’ve been through.

Do you want to help other queer people as well with this EP?

Yeah definitely. A lot of queer people think that our trauma is our story. It’s good to talk about it, but it never defines you as a person although it has contributed to your character, and who you are as a person. You can’t define yourself with that. A lot of queer people need to get out of that spiral because I’ve been through it. I still go through it. I get stuff on the street. I don’t think it will end in our lifetimes unfortunately, all we can do is be ourselves and keep going.

Would you say that has been the most challenging aspect of putting together your new EP, and what have you found the most rewarding?

Some people don’t realise how long it takes to put a project together, even if it’s just four to six songs. Because there are so many limitations, especially when you’re an independent artist, and you’re funding it by yourself. I am limited by most things. I can’t be in the studio every day like big artists can. I’m a perfectionist, and that helps me in a way because I get to look over everything with a magnifying glass and fine-comb through everything to make sure that it’s extra perfect.

I’m so picky! I’m glad in a sense that it took the time that it did. Some of the songs I wrote two or three years ago [so] I’m super glad to finally be releasing it. Putting it out is super rewarding as an independent artist. I’ve worked super hard on it, and it deserves to be heard by everyone. 

It’s rewarding, for sure, and we can’t wait to hear it! You teamed up with Sakima, who worked previously on Regard’s ‘You‘ featuring Troye Sivan and Tate McRae. What did you learn from him whilst working together?

SAKIMA and I get along really, really well. We have since day one. He doesn’t really take things too seriously. If we have something and it’s not really working, or it’s not exactly what I had envisioned, he will just be like, ‘Right, let’s do it like this!’ He’s very proactive. That’s something that I’m taking into sessions now. Also, the pros of working with Sakima is that he brings his dogs to the sessions!

That’s a huge pro! Did you always want to pursue a music career?

Funnily enough, no. I am very indecisive. I will take that to the grave, unfortunately. When I was a kid, I did every single activity. I was a gymnast for about eight years then I did competitive tennis. I did competitive trampolining. I could never decide what I wanted to do and then I took music for one of my GCSEs and that’s when my passion for music started.

I’ve always loved music, but that was the point where I decided that it was something that I wanted to pursue and study. I moved out when I was 16, instead of doing my A levels. I was going to do politics, business, and music. Instead, I decided to move to Brighton to study music full-time and it was the best decision that I ever made.

That must’ve been quite a shift after growing up in a small village in the South of England. What were the biggest differences for you when you moved to a big city?

It was the best thing that I could have done. There was no culture where I lived and there weren’t really many young people either. The music scene was nonexistent. I found my people in Brighton and in London as well. I don’t think that I will leave, those cities have my heart. I felt so more accepted as well. I was quite an early bloomer when I came out, I didn’t really have a community of queer people around me.

What’s really important for queer people is to have other people like them around them, because you can discuss similar issues that you’re having. A lot of queer people share the same trauma. It’s nice, in a sense to know that someone else knows exactly how you feel. Moving was very good for my brain and my heart as well.

When you released music for the first time online, you gained 100,000 streams in the first few months during a global pandemic. How did that happen and did you expect it?

No, definitely not. I don’t even know! But you never know how it works with the algorithm, I wasn’t even playlisted. I was unmanaged on site, and I had no funding so people loving the songs meant a lot to me, because I didn’t know who these people were, why they were listening to me, or how they found me. But they have and they have stuck with me until now. I’m very grateful for that. 

A lot of people reading this will be BIMM University students, just like you a few years ago. What’s the best advice you can give them?

Okay, this is good, because I went through it all! I would say, put yourself out there. Also, it sounds cliche, but don’t be afraid to fail quickly. The more you fail, the more you learn about yourself, and you learn what you can’t do. You also learn what you can do and what you can do well, and it’s what you can’t do and what you can do well, that will set you aside from everyone else who is trying to do the same thing as you.

Also, you need to build up a network of people who will ride or die for you. In terms of industry contacts, that’s definitely easier said than done. But unfortunately, a lot of the legwork in the industry is who you know so, the more people that you can get to know, the more it will help you in the long run.

That’s really good advice. Final question, what do you hope to achieve this year?

I think my answer is just to be happier. Being in the industry is super tough, especially when you feel alone a lot of the time. I think I just want to enjoy the fact that my music is going to be out there for everyone to hear. I’m going to enjoy playing it live. I’m going to enjoy seeing people that love my music and just kind of take a little breather; in terms of working and enjoying life a bit more.

A huge thanks to Dan for his time and wise words. Stream his latest song ‘Where It Hurts’ below and keep up to date with his EP announcements via Instagram.