Ottawa, ON Contemporary Christian artist Danah-Lee channels her faith and musical spirit to deliver a powerful message of acceptance and belonging with her ambitious new single, “Equal.”
“Equal” was inspired by a melody that came to her while teaching a piano lesson. “I stopped the lesson and took two minutes to hum the melody into my phone’s recording app,” says Danah-Lee. “Later that evening, when I had an opportunity, the lyrics and melody flowed out of me so freely.”
A beacon of positivity and hope for the LGBTQIA+ community, Danah-Lee has been a champion for equal rights, challenging conventions within her faith. “As a Christian LGBTQIA+ artist, my vision and intended outcome for this recording was to examine and break down barriers between Queers and Christians,” says Danah-Lee. With faith and love in her heart, she would further her inclusive crusade by releasing two singles, ”Love Letter To A Friend” and “Home To Myself,” which would play a large role in her ascent as an artist.
The inspiration behind “Equal” is drawn from the very real threat of danger that members of the LGBTQIA+ community continue to face daily. “The song stems from years of Queer folks being treated as second-class citizens,” says Danah-Lee.
“As a member of this community, I have countless accounts and experiences of being treated with discrimination and anti-gay behaviour. Especially, but not limited to, within the Christian music industry. We need to change the conversation and be better.”
Accompanied by warm and melodic musicianship that feels like a welcoming embrace, Danah-Lee brings the potent message into the listener’s view and holds their attention so they can’t look away.
“Oh fear, why are you hiding here
On both sides of this petty war?
Some of us are scared to come out
And they are scared at findin’ out
We bleed the same kind of red.”
It was also crucial for Danah-Lee to accompany a visual with the release of “Equal.” “Making the lyric video was important to me because it highlights what our Queer community endured throughout the decades and still endures,” says Danah-Lee.
Danah-Lee is also a producer, award-winning music educator, church music director, entrepreneur, speaker, and author. Outside of her strong faith in Christ as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and outside of her career as an artist, Danah-Lee owns and operates a safe and inclusive music school. She was recently nominated for LouderThanTheMusic’s “Christian Album of the Year” (2020) and the “Impact Award” at Ottawa’s Capital Music Awards (2021). She has released four solo and two collaboration albums and has toured extensively throughout North America.
