Daniel Childs

Largo, FL, 9.7.23

I hope everyone is doing great out there! It's a beautiful day here in Florida, and as I write, I'm on the mend from being under the weather - which didn't stop me from playing a fun gig last night in St. Pete Beach.

Ahh, I love releasing new music. And I'm trying to do so more often! This new tune “Southbound” is guaranteed to get your toes tapping and make you feel like going to the beach. It's a fun, upbeat tune with an island vibe that contains lyrics about very real life experiences.

In late 2022 I played a show one night between the buildings of downtown Tampa. There was no captive audience, but I gave it my best effort and spent what energy I had left from my week of shows. And then after a tiresome load-out process, I hit the road.

Relieved to arrive at the ramp to merge onto I-275 south, back to the island life of Pinellas County, I had an interesting moment. The sign that read “SOUTH” really stuck out to me - there was an odd familiarity in that word. And I thought, “all my life I’ve been heading south on some interstate, just trying to get home.”

My thoughts went back to my young days in Nashville - exploring the streets of that city and looking for the meaning of life. Trying to make a “go” of a music career, but not knowing where to start. Playing what venues I could, and listening at what venues I couldn’t. Many of those nights I’d leave the downtown area discouraged, blazing south on interstate 65 toward my hometown 21 miles away. And the sense of relief when that suburb came into view, to a 21-year-old wandering kid, was unmatched.

I then thought about other southbound journeys in my life, like the journey of moving to Florida in 2014. Leaving a tough season behind, gaining high hopes and a sense of relief, and not looking back.

As I drove home from Tampa that chilly night in 2022, I started to put a song together in my head. And by the time I got home, most of the lyrics to “Southbound” were written.

“Southbound” at first was kind of an introspective bluegrass song, but a few months ago I tried it to a reggae beat, and decided to make it more of an upbeat song that you can tap your foot to.

I really hope you enjoy this tune, and there are some links below where you can download or stream it.

Also, a special thanks to my brother Cameron Childs for designing the artwork for the single. Great job!

Yes - I do intend for this song, as well as “Sunset Beach”, to be part of a second album I’m working on. I pray I can finish it quick and get it out to you all. But producing a record by yourself isn’t easy! Stay tuned though, because I’m hoping for great things.

God bless,

Daniel 

“Southbound” on iTunes - here.

“Southbound” on Apple Music - here.

“Southbound” on Spotify - here.

“Southbound” on Youtube - here.

“Southbound” on Amazon Music - here.

At 2023's 41st Annual John's Pass Seafood Festival, Daniel Childs performed on the Waltz Stage for a vast audience. Accompanied by percussionist Michael Beck, Childs performed several classic rock and soul hits, as well as his well-known original songs such as “Siesta Key” and “Sanibel Day”.

The set drew hundreds of listeners and marked the beginning of one of Childs' busiest years to date. In 2023, Daniel performed over 250 shows. Daniel's live schedule this past year has frequently taken him outside of Florida's Sun Coast, to towns in every direction of Tampa Bay including: Bradenton, Brooksville, Gulfport, Lake Mary, Lakeland, New Tampa, North Port, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Tarpon Springs, and of course, nearly every beach town on the Sun Coast.

We're please to announce the Daniel Childs Band is scheduled to perform in 2024 for the 42nd year of the festival. The performance will take place on the Saturday, January 20th from 2:00 - 4:00pm on the Waltz Stage. If you plan to be near the Gulf Coast at the time, don't miss an opportunity to experience one of the state's greatest festivals.

Largo, FL, 9.7.23

After a year of not releasing new music due to a hefty tour schedule, Daniel Childs has released a new single to all digital music platforms. The song, “Sunset Beach”, was written about a weekend getaway to the scenic community of Sunset Beach, Florida.

“Sunset Beach” is the first track to be released from an upcoming album called “Southbound”, still in production. Other songs projected to appear on “Southbound”, such as “Kind of Life” and “Riding the Wave”, have been heard in Daniel's live show. Childs performed the projected title track, “Southbound”, at the Will McLean Music Festival in 2023, and twice on the Florida Folk Show.

“Sunset Beach” is from the same vein as Daniel's well-known songs from the album “Escape”, such as “Sanibel Day” and the award-winning “Siesta Key”. While retaining the same mentality behind these songs, “Sunset Beach” has a new and refreshing edge that we hope to hear more of. 

For streaming links, click here.

Last month, Florida-based recording artist Daniel Childs sat down remotely for a candid interview on Steve Robb's Song Creating podcast.  

The podcast, which is accessible on numerous servers including Spotify, Amazon, Stitcher and SongCreating.com, regularly features in-depth interviews with singer-songwriters across North America.  The featured interviews generally provide an artist's back-story, followed by an in-depth look at the writing process behind one of their original songs.  Robb and Childs talked for over 53 minutes and enjoyed diving into the writing process and the details of Childs' song "Quit My Job".

Big thanks to Steve Robb for featuring us!  Listen on your preferred streaming platform.

Largo, FL, 12/8/22

This past week it was officially announced that Daniel Childs' song "Siesta Key" won 1st place in the legendary Will McLean New Florida Song Contest for the year 2023.  The contest was originally founded by the late "Father of Florida Folk" himself, Will McLean, in the year 1992.  Childs now joins the all-time list of winners for the 21st year of the contest.

The song, "Siesta Key" was written by Daniel Childs and initially released as a single in June of 2020.  A remastered version of the recording was released in October of 2021 as part of Daniel's debut album, "Escape".

“I wrote 'Siesta Key' during a time of intense stress," Daniel wrote for the official contest article.  "The job I was working at the time was stressful, and its demanding nature would often leave me unable to feel at ease, even when I went home at night.  My only real escape from stress was to explore the beauty of Florida with my wife (Norma).  When possible, on weekends we would make overnight trips to various places we were interested in.  That’s when we discovered the beach town of Siesta Key, and I fell in love with the vibe of the place. 

“Siesta Key’ was the first song I completed in that time period, and it’s one of my very favorites to sing. My favorite line in the song is in the second chorus.  It says ‘life is crazy, life is short, and life feels wrong… until you find where you belong.’  I think that’s a truth that Siesta Key, Florida helped me realize.”

Childs also placed 8th in this year's contest with his song "Sanibel Day", another anthem written about his weekend getaways.  Both songs appear on the 2021 album "Escape", and have become very popular among listeners.

Daniel will subsequently be playing at the legendary Will McLean Music Festival this spring, along with several of Florida's great folk artists.

Largo, FL, 9/12/22

Recording Artist Daniel Childs released a new single this past Thursday titled "Spot On The Map".  The song is Childs' first follow-up to his 2021 Glory Echo album release, "Escape".

Childs wrote on social media this week, "My new single 'Spot On The Map' is a song about finding a place to call 'home'. For me, that home is the Florida Gulf Coast. I often think about our first summer here, when we were discovering the area for the first time. The beach, the salty air, and the warm bath water of the Gulf of Mexico are staples of the summertime here. 

"This recording is also a new stylistic adventure. While it’s the same kind of song you’d expect to hear after listening to my 2021 album 'Escape', I’m digging deeper into my Country roots and letting the southern side come out a little more. When country meets the beach, you have the Gulf Coast!

"The single features the great Reggie Duncan on pedal steel, and myself on guitars, bass and organ. Big thanks to Reggie for contributing, as well as Daniel Rivera for help on vocal editing!"

With the addition of steel guitar and a southern flare in his sound, it's safe to say that we'll be hearing more indie Country music from Daniel Childs soon.  We can confirm that he intends to eventually include "Spot On The Map" on a sophomore album release, TBA.  Self-produced, Childs' recorded music takes time to release, but the end product is always more than worth the wait.  We wait eagerly!

Hear "Spot On The Map" on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, or your preferred music streaming service!

Florida-based Recording Artist / Entertainer Daniel Childs has made waves among listeners with his 2021 debut album "Escape", as well as approximately 260 live appearances per year.  Recently, from across the country, SHOUTOUT ARIZONA Magazine took notice of Daniel's work and contacted him for an interview.  In the article, Daniel discusses the importance of risk in his career.  Read the article here.

On the most recent "Island Time" concert at Tampa Bay's Pine Key (also known as Beer Can Island), Daniel Childs was featured on the same show as JuanJamon and Zach Deputy.  Childs played many of his well-known songs from the album "Escape", as well as two not-yet-released songs from a future country project.  In the above video clip, check out Daniel's performance of his song "Island Time" from the matinee concert.

Largo, Florida, 10/15/21

Hello everyone!!  So, I decided to write this press release myself, instead of going the traditional route - which would mean having someone else write it in 3rd person.  Since I produced this record myself and released it myself, why not write the press release myself, too?  I'm not saying that in a boastful way... it's just the kind of reasoning that has gotten "Escape" in the ears of the public.

Hey guys, first and foremost I want to give God glory for helping me make this record happen.  I'm listening to the mixes right now, and I have to say that the charm we captured on songs like "Sanibel Day" and "Siesta Key"... guys, I couldn't have done that on my own.  I had help from Above pulling this off.  The way everything has so beautifully come together could have only happened with God.  And the beautiful sunset on the album cover is completely real, and I feel like He did that just for us.  

Yes, I wrote a few sarcastic lyrics for this project, but my hope is that despite my many imperfections, God can use this album to help people escape their stress and find that there is more to life than the daily grind.

I'm just floored, and feeling kind of emotional as this has come together.  I checked early this morning, and saw the album on iTunes and Apple Music.  By the time I got up later in the morning, it was on Spotify, Napster, YouTube and more.  I just can't believe this.  I have always dreamed of having my own album released everywhere, but it absolutely never came together until now.  35, to me, seems like an advanced age to be launching a career as an artist, but the truth is that I was never ready until now.  And even still, I'm going through the process of becoming who I need to be.

All that to say, guys, please check out my new album "Escape".  I have a page on my website that lists some of the places you can stream or buy it.  Physical copies are coming, and pre-order is available for those.  I'll also have them with me at shows once we have them in stock.

"Escape" is designed to help you put on your headphones and escape to your own private island!  It's an album about getting away from your stress and remembering what really matters.  To me, that kind of freedom is what the Florida life is all about, and you can hear that echoed in songs like "Sanibel Day", "Siesta Key" and "Island Time".  "Sanibel" and "Siesta" were both written during a stressful time period, and are about real experiences getting away from my troubles in some of America's most beautiful places.

"My Every Dream" is a song I wrote for my wife, and it's one of my very favorite songs on the album.  "Quit My Job" and "Day Off" are further reminders that there's a lot more to life than work!

I plan to soon release content that will go more in depth about this album, the meanings behind the songs, and what went in to the production process.  But a few facts I'll go on and give you are that the album is entirely self-produced.  I played all the guitars, bass and mandolin... programmed drums and synths.  I also did all the vocals and mastered.  Daniel Rivera created the string section for "Sanibel Day".  Though I recorded 9 or 10 songs for this project, only 7 made the cut... and they're the perfect 7 tunes to complete "Escape".  Norma is co-writer on a couple of the songs, and designed the album cover with me.  Though this album took a year and a half to make, I'm really happy with how beautifully it has all come together.

Thank you for reading this, and for listening to this record!  More content is on the way, and I believe that the "Escape" journey is far from over!  I sincerely hope that you enjoy this music that I poured my heart and time into!

God bless,

Daniel Childs

Daniel Childs has announced an official digital release date for his long-anticipated debut album, "Escape".

Childs first indicated plans for an album in June of 2020 with the release of his single "Siesta Key".  The following September, an official announcement was posted on Childs' official website.

Daniel writes of the release, "This album is designed to help listeners 'escape' from the harder things in life... whether that be a job, taxes, or circumstances they're uneasy about.  'Escape', as an album, is a reminder that there's so much more to live for than the things that try to weigh us down.  I hope that this album helps listeners feel like they're at the beach.  I hope it helps listeners relieve stress.  And I hope it reminds listeners what's really important."

"Escape" consists of seven of Childs' original songs, including the already well-known singles "Siesta Key" and "Here We Are", as well as the heart-felt "Sanibel Day".

Download or stream this album everywhere this coming Friday, October 15th.  Our team will also be announcing pre-order information for physical copies, which are still in production.