Photo Courtesy: Danielle Lowe
Danielle Lowe plugs in her headphones to her cellphone and puts on Kesha’s “Praying,” then “Learn to Let Go” – two songs that remind her of how she overcame a struggle with bulimia following her first semester at the University of Miami.
Unable to focus on her schoolwork, Lowe became concerned. After the semester ended, she was determined to get help. She underwent treatments and therapy. The process and the people who helped her led to Lowe’s “ah-hah” moment.
“I struggled finding out what I wanted to do,” Lowe said. “I knew I wanted to help other people because those who helped me changed my life. I wanted to do something with music, since I loved songwriting, and, naturally, the two kind of came together.”
Lowe discovered that UM offered a music therapy major. Pushing herself, with the help of her voice coach, Lowe applied to the Frost School of Music, and a new journey began.
“I think that had an impact on me finding myself and getting better,” Lowe said.
Describing herself as “just a girl with a guitar,” Lowe writes indie-pop music, channeling her emotions into songwriting. Lowe’s favorite artist is Kesha, someone who has openly discussed her own battle with eating disorders in the past. Lowe said, like Kesha, she writes songs that reflect on personal experiences and are transparent about challenges people experience.
“I wrote this one song called ‘Softer’ that really means a lot to me,” Lowe said. “I worked on it for such a long time, and basically, it’s about putting on a tough front but feeling soft on the inside. I was really happy with the message I communicated with that because facades are something we all have. Being transparent in my music is really important to me. I want people to reach out.”