Danny Sanchez has effortlessly been making banger after banger for the last five years. A renowned name around London and across the UK, the hit-maker boasts a plethora of tracks that ultimately reflect the trials and tribulations of everyday life, as well as keeping up with life itself. By combining raw bars with soulful productions, the Londoner has effectively cemented himself as one of the most recognised lo-fi rappers to date with releases such as “Hold Up” clocking in at 1.5M streams and joint effort “Brasileiro” with in-form rapper Bawo having exactly the same impact statistically. Away from the numbers for a second though, ultimately what Danny Sanchez does is consistently deliver immaculate records, whether it be the smooth sounds of “No Effort” or Spanish-influenced banger “Duro” – and it is for this reason we had to spotlight the youngstar and ask him a few questions.
Hey Danny, how are you doing? And what have you been getting up to recently?
I’ve been alright I guess, bit of the winter blues but that’s always normal. I haven’t been up to much musically to be fair, but sometimes you have to take a break and reset.
For the readers who don’t know, can you tell us a bit about yourself and how it all started?
My names Danny Sanchez and I’m a lad from South London who sometimes sings about how he feels. I’d like to think I make relatable music about the everyday bullshit that we all have to face. I taught myself guitar when I was 15 and it’s been a lovely little journey ever since.
Growing up who/ what were your main musical influences and how do they compare to today’s influences?
If I’m being honest always gotta big up Ed Sheeran and his track “The A Team”, as this it the song that made me want to pick up the guitar and start making music, so cheers Ed. Coming from a Spanish/South American background I grew up up listening to a lot of Salsa, Bachata and Vallenato which I think definitely has had a big influence on all my sweet boy riddims. My influences have always been very eclectic and I like taking inspiration from a lot of places. Nowadays a lot of my inspiration come from the people around me and the artists I work with. And Brent Faiyaz.
Hailing from south London. how has the area affected your overall sound and if you were based elsewhere, do you think you would have developed your slick style?
I mean other than being from the best part of London the area I grew up definitely had a large influence on me. The way I speak, the way I dress, the things I see all tie in to the area I’ve been brought up in. That’s not to say that people in other parts of London wouldn’t have similar upbringings but everything is personal to your story I guess.
You’ve been working closely with Kxmel over the last couple of years, which includes arguably your popular track to date “Hold Up”. How has your relationship developed over time and why do you think you work so well together?
One of the main reasons I think we work so well together is Kxmel gets things done where as I’ve always been the type to let things happen. It’s a dynamic that works well. On top of that he’s just a quality fella who has never been scared to tell me when what I’ve made is shit of when I can do better. It’s very important that your producer isn’t a yes man, they have to tell you the hard truths sometimes.
Your most recent track “Duro” with Nikhil Beats is a tasty up-beat banger smartly combining english and spanish lyricism. What was the creative process behind the track?
Nikhil was a pleasure to work with and it was fun to make something outside of what I normally make. There wasn’t much of a process to be fair we just caught a vibe. People tend to ask me will I do more Spanish stuff and I always just say when it comes. I don’t write in Spanish on purpose or because it’s doing well in the market it just comes out when it feels right.
You’ve now hit 1M+ Spotify streams on two of your tracks. As an independent artist, how does this make you feel and is this something you keep an eye on or drives you?
Any artist who says they don’t continuously refresh the stats of a track when it first comes out is a liar. Saying that you shouldn’t get lost in the streaming game but it can be very easy too. Obviously the streams on those tracks feels amazing and tell you you’re doing something right but a lot of the times at my live shows one of the most requested tracks is one of my least streamed. Always gotta come back to the music over the streams.
One of those tracks is “Brasileiro” alongside fellow in-form rapper Bawo. How did this particular collab come about?
It came about very naturally to be fair. Bawo is someone I highly respect as an artist and when things lined up in the right way during lockdown we made “Brasileiro”. I feel like sometimes people are too prideful to reach out to each other to make music and my collab with Bawo is a perfect example of what madness can come about from working together.
Your Volveré EP dropped late 2019, followed by a slew of immaculate singles. Do you have any plans for another longer-form project and if so, can you share any potential details?
Something big coming this year but no details just yet.
You’ve also shared the mic with the likes of Ninioh and Ashbeck. Is there anyone in particular you would like to work with in the near future?
Dream collaborations this year would definitely be someone like Maverick Sabre and Berwyn, so if you’re reading this check ya emails lads!
As a well respected figure in the underground rap scene, can you share a few artists that we should keep an eye on for 2022?
Gotta big up a few people here. Definitely gotta keep an eye on Bawo, Verbz, C.rem and Bel Cobain.
Let’s speak some stuff into existence. Where will we be seeing you next year? What aspirations do you have?
Hopefully you’re gonna see me headline Brixton O2 and hang up some golden plaques in my mums front room.
Six songs Danny has on rotation right now:
