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Neil Davis On Helping Others with His Talent of Music

Neil Davis On Helping Others with His Talent of Music

Neil Davis

Neil Davis is an Italian-American singer-songwriter, actor, and human rights activist born and raised in Queens, NY.

Writing and performing independently for nearly a decade, Davis is influenced by the city’s rich culture, authentic edge, and arts scene. He made his Carnegie Hall debut last January performing with two-time Grammy Award winner Lauren Daigle, and he has also performed as an opening act for The Dave Matthews Band and Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child.

Davis’s music can be best described as the perfect balance of catchy yet emotionally driven pop songs about life, love, and hope.

OFM had the opportunity to chat with Davis and talk more about his passion for music, how he shares his talents with various nonprofit organizations, and his recent single, “Stand Up,” which can be described as an anthem about hope and equality. The song even caught the attention of President Joe Biden.

Hi, Neil! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me. How have you been doing during these days of COVID?
Doing well, considering the situation. It has been a journey for all of us, and I think it has kind of forced us to look inward and really think about what matters to us and what’s important. Like, what are you diehard passionate about? We saw so much tragedy over the last year, so for me, it has been a little bit of an awakening in the sense of focusing on things that matter to me and trying to continuously put my best foot forward in these crazy times. Trying to stay sane.

I would like to ask about your single, “Stand Up,” which was released last year right before the 2020 presidential election. The song is still going strong today. Can you tell us more about its concept and inspiration?
The song was sort of a personal message to myself that I wrote years ago. It was like a letter to my younger self, who needed to hear those words that are in the song. I was sort of giving this letter to myself, telling myself to stand up and you are going to be alright. So, the concept was really about empowering myself to stay strong, the younger version of myself, but also empower other people, especially within the LGBTQ community. I know the struggles I went through growing up, feeling super different, feeling like no one can hear you, being bullied, and things like that.

This is going back to the early-2000s when I was growing up in school, so it was not even as open as it is now. “Stand Up” was really for that kid that went through all those things in school, growing up, finding my identity, and being happy and comfortable in my own skin. That is what this song is about, but I sort of give it now as a gift. I released it for the other kids that need it and for the other people that need that empowerment. That really was the reason why I released it. I could have just kept it personal, but I really wanted to release it to help other people know that they are not alone, and ultimately, I think we are going to be alright.

Although you wrote “Stand Up” years ago, why did you wait this long to release it?
Something inside of me told me that we need this right now. I just kept hearing the chorus over and over in my head. At the top of 2020, I was like, if there is something I can do to help right now, it’s this song. If there is something I can lend and give during these tough times to make other people know that we are not alone, it is to release this song. It was just an intuitive moment that told me I need to really stand up now. I think the last year showed us that we could have used it.

What do you hope listeners take away from your music?
I hope that they feel that there is a voice out there that they can relate to. That I can be a voice for someone else they can identify with by my message and story. Find some comfort in it. The messages I received after “Stand Up” were really meaningful, and I keep them screenshotted and personal to myself because they all were so touching. So many kids from around the world DMed me and were like, ‘Oh my gosh, that song is giving me so much comfort right now,’ or, ‘I couldn’t sleep last night because I was really anxious, and ‘Stand Up’ really comforted me.’ Seeing that made me feel like my mission and purpose in music was being filled, aside from the fact that we got to do a really fun video for it and have a bunch of people submit what they stand up for. It was nice to flip the question on them and say, ‘What do you stand up for?’ I even got one from Tony Bennett, which was awesome.

Last January, you made your Carnegie Hall debut. What was that experience like?
It was incredible. I got to sing behind Lauren Daigle, who is an amazing singer-songwriter, and Carnegie Hall itself has this magic to it. I remember, even just during soundcheck, being in Carnegie Hall and looking up at all the empty balconies and feeling like I was in church. There was like a spiritual, magical thing about being in Carnegie Hall, so it was incredible. Then, that night, it sold out. So, every seat was full. I got to be there looking up at all the dots in the balconies, and it was a really emotional and amazing experience. I will never forget it.

You were born and raised in Queens, NY, and you say you are influenced by the city’s rich culture and art scene. How so?
Pretty much because my backyard was Times Square, Broadway, the Lower East Side. I was constantly going to shows and performing at local venues like The Bitter End and Rockwood Music Hall. My stomping grounds were literally these iconic music and theatrical landmarks. So, I think by being exposed to them at an early age, they gave me so much hope, so much to look forward to, and influenced my music. Even just going to see a show like Rent in high school, my friends and I would go do the lottery in New York, and it was a rock musical that totally inspired my first album. All those things inspired me growing up.

You have always had a passion for singing and performing?
Yes, always. During quarantine at my family’s house, we were looking through a lot of pictures and stuff, and we found a picture of me at, like, three years old performing on top of the coffee table in our old house. I have always been singing and loving the arts. That is why I ended up going to the Frank Sinatra School for Performing Arts for high school, so I knew early on that is the kind of avenue I wanted to go down.

What is the best advice you have received from a fellow artist?
I was lucky enough to be mentored by Tony Bennett, who started the Frank Sinatra School. He always emphasized, and still does, staying true to your craft and art and not focusing on the other things like the glitz, glam, fame, and lights. The school’s structure and Tony’s advice has always been to practice your instrument, stay true to your art, and stay true to yourself. I have always tried to follow that.

Not too long ago, you participated on a City University of New York panel addressing toxic masculinity. Do you believe toxic masculinity is a problem within the arts and entertainment industry?
Yes. It is not only a problem in the entertainment industry, but it is a problem in the world in general. I think that enforcing masculinity itself is toxic and can cause a lot of problems in everyone because you are enforcing a certain idea of how someone should be, but we are all born uniquely different. We are all born in our own ways. When you grow up being forced into this gender norm, you start to feel like you are not normal, or you are not good enough. Your whole life becomes you trying to become good enough, and I realized that really stems from the enforcement of toxic masculinity.

If I can help break that silence and talk about it, I am happy to. I have definitely suffered the effects of it, but luckily, I feel like I have broken free from it. I think that it all stems from societal norms. What we give our kids to play with, what we let them do as a child, what we force on other people. I don’t think we should enforce anything on anyone. We are free to discover ourselves and make those decisions for ourselves. So, the panel was great. It was a very informative and collaborative chat. Maybe the more we talk about it, the more people will realize it is a problem.

You also share your talent with various nonprofits like Sing for Hope and Pencils of Promise. Why are these kinds of organizations so important to you?
I think at the end of the day, if you do not feel like you are making a direct impact or change, positive change, in a way, why are we doing it? At the end of the day, I want to give back in a real way that I can see and touch. We have been doing a lot more virtually now, but I was going to a bunch of public schools with Sing for Hope and delivering pianos to schools that were underserved. Some of these kids have never touched a piano before. To be there and see these kids so excited about music and the possibilities of what they can become in the future was amazing.

With Pencils of Promise, they do amazing work with raising money to build schools for kids in a lot of underserved countries. I just started working with them in the last year, and I have been able to be part of their huge gala and they do amazing work raising money for kids and schools in places like Guatemala. They provide resources and literally help build schools from the ground up. It has been very rewarding to try to use my talent as a vehicle for change. We can all do it in our own ways, I have just sort of found my lane, which has been communicating it through music and my voice. Hopefully, I will be able to continue helping people.

We can expect to see you in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming remake of West Side Story. Can you tell us about that?
Oh, it was so much fun! It was incredible. I don’t have any lines, so I am not going to try to pretend that I am like the star of the movie at all, but I filmed for the scene, “America,” which I think is going to be one of the biggest scenes in the film. Personally, I knew what I was going into because I obviously knew what the offer was, but I went into it because I wanted to get the experience of being on a film set like that. Such a huge production, and Steven Spielberg is the director. Nothing could beat that. I was able to be on set with Steven Spielberg for three days in a row and literally have him direct the scene and say, ‘Cut, action, hold,’ and things like that. It was just really cool to be on set and be there. I can’t wait to see if I make the cut. It’s the movies, so you never know, but that is definitely the lane I want to stick to as well. Continuing to try for these musical films and musical TV shows.

What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform as an artist?
I hope to branch out into TV, film, and even Broadway. I have admired all three of those mediums my whole life, and I have mostly just stuck to doing singer-songwriter stuff. Before the pandemic, I was auditioning for a few Broadway shows, which are now on hold, but I am looking at TV and theatrical opportunities. That is the lane I definitely want to take, especially as the world starts to open up. Also, using my music in the backgrounds of TV, commercials, and things to help inspire people who are watching the show. That would be cool, too.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?
Not currently. I do have other things in the works, but nothing I can really talk about just yet. For now, I am kind of just trucking along and looking forward to coming back live. I am looking forward to performing live, off of Zoom, again. Performing back in a venue.

Stay up-to-date with Davis by following him on Instagram and visiting his official website. His music is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and all other digital streaming platforms.

Photos Courtesy of Kevin Chiu, Alex Lyon, and Gabe Araujo
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