PROFILE TONY GIAMPETRUZZI September 13, 2006
Bollinger kisses the sky
DANIELLE BOLLINGER IS CLIMBING THE CHARTS AND TALKS TO IN NEWSWEEKLY ABOUT HER LIFE
"I would say I'm the girl next door who isn't afraid of showing a little skin."
Danielle Bollinger, the Midwestern girl who recently recorded her freshman CD, "When the Broken Hearted Love Again", is no stranger to the limelight, having appeared on such shows as "Star Search," A&E's "Airline" and a host of other shows. And, when it comes to showing skin, most people agree: Danielle is a stunner, so bring it on.
That said, Bollinger won't be bearing her gams anytime soon - as a budding pop/dance star, she sees her job as that of a role model, and that means keeping it real for girls who are too often inundated with the images of waifish shock celebs.
"This all stems from my mom having kids with a big age span between us - my sisters are 13 and 11. When the 11-year-old told me she looked fat one day, I blew up," Bollinger confides. "I mean, they're watching TV, reading magazines and getting societal stuff at school and hearing the only way you're beautiful is if it's on the outside."
Bollinger says that she wants to be a role model, and, when her siblings look up to her, she wants to relate that whether you're a size two or 20, as long as you feel good and are taking care of yourself, you're beautiful with who you are.
"If you know that and are comfortable in your own skin, it will radiate and people will be more drawn to you anyway," says Bollinger, eschewing the Britneys and Simpsons of the pop world. "That's where I go with that."
That said, Bollinger is becoming a bona fide pop success, in no small part due to her loyal gay following.
In the past couple months, she's been racking up the miles, performing at Pride events from New York City to San Diego as well as the Gay Games in Chicago, and even having her break out hits being remixed by gay uber remixer Junior Vasquez.
Hard work and the positive self-image ethic is an MO that has worked so far. And, if the stars are aligned as they appear to be, Bollinger, who started singing in church when she was five, is about to pop.
Her voice is indeed infectious. Never having received vocal training, Bollinger is entirely self-taught and among a group of stars who don't adhere to convention.
"Everything is right where we want it to be. I'm just taking the tour and running with it," says Bollinger, noting that most shows feature her most recent hits.
"I do 'Kiss The Sky' and 'You'll Always Have Me.' That song is going over really, really well. It's not your typical dance track, you know, it's actually very meaningful. It's a great feel good song."
A feel good song that caught the ear of Vasquez, though, and is getting club play throughout the world.
It's also the song that is a bit of a circling back for Bollinger.
It all began in Michigan. As a teen, Bollinger was being noticed for her voice and beauty, doing fashion and singing jingles for commercials from an early age. She eventually landed a gig singing in a cover band while working as a pharmaceutical representative.
Her big break came when she signed with EsNtion.
"When I moved to Nashville, I met up with producer Andy Gurley. My best friend's boss put up money for me to record a demo, and Andy Gurley produced it," Bollinger recalls. "Andy's wife CD Gurley sent it out over the Web to all sorts of labels and that's where EsNtion Silver found me."
Which led to the recording of "When The Broken Hearted Love Again." Like Bollinger, the sounds of the album range from pop to rock to even country, and the message of the CD is simple: think positive.
So, says Bollinger, her latest hit, "You'll Always Have Me," has special meaning.
"That song has the most impact on me and my life and my situation. What it's saying basically is that you know that I am going to be here for you no matter what because my family and my friends and my support system were always there for me through this crazy time of getting back to the music industry," say Bollinger. "So, it's kind of something that I want to give back to them."
Bollinger says that when you see her live, that emotion comes through on stage, and, when she sings it, people feel it. Especially the gay men.
"Honestly I have never thought of the gay guys as being one community and the straight people being another community. If you're a music lover, who cares?" says Bollinger. "My objective is to stretch out to everyone. I'm honored that such an important, huge community is such a huge following, though. I never thought it would get that big. They're having a good time, and that's what's important."
www.daniellebollinger.com