Meet Dani Toralla

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dani Toralla. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dani below.

Dani , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I was so lucky to discover my passion for singing when I was just 6 years old. In fact, I needed a little help from my parents, to guide me to that discovery. My mom heard me sing one of the songs from her CD that was playing in the car while I was sitting in the backseat. She slowly turned down the volume of the radio to see if that nicely in tune little voice was mine. She was so surprised that I could sing with such grace and being aware of the pitches and rhythms. When we got home that evening, she immediately told my dad, and we discussed if I was interested in taking singing lessons. From that moment on, I have never stopped singing.

After graduating from high school, I took a trip to St. Louis, Missouri, a journey that turned out to be full of music and inspiration. I was able to witness all kinds of performances during my stay there, ranging from jazz to Broadway musicals. But my life changed the day that I went to the FOX Theatre to see the musical “Flashdance.” When I witnessed all the greatness of such a large ensemble doing everything perfectly, the singing, the dancing, the acting, I started crying. I was sitting in the audience, and my heart was beating so fast because all those artists were making me feel the power of music, the power of art. At that time, I needed to soon make the decision about what I was going to study at college, and after that night, there was no doubt that I was going to pursue a career in music. I wanted people to feel what I felt that night every time I sang.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am a singer whose primary goal is to connect with audiences through music. My concerts are always carefully designed to include songs that strongly move me emotionally, that way I can make sure that what I convey is real. My influences are mainly jazz, Brazilian music, and bolero, genres that often shape the sound of my performances, alongside my original compositions.

Currently, I lead my own project, the Dani Toralla Quartet, with which I perform regularly in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Another project that I am part of is my duo with Houston pianist Tomás Jonsson, called “Afina-Dos.” We released our debut album in 2024 called “Two Percent,” and now we are looking forward to recording a full-length album that will be released in 2026. Our recorded work has opened doors to international opportunities; most recently, we performed at the Guatemala Jazz Festival in March.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I believe there are three essential qualities for success in anything you choose to pursue: discipline, empathy, and humility.

To be consistent, stubborn, or dedicated with the thing that you want to become better at, that is called discipline. Nobody will do the hard work for you. If you want to achieve something meaningful, you must earn it through effort and perseverance. It also tastes better when you achieve what you worked so hard on getting if you know the amount of effort that it took you.

Empathy is the ability to understand how people feel. Being able to put yourself in somebody else’s shoes. Being sensitive should be a must, not only for artists, but for human beings. Empathy is what makes us vulnerable and real. If we ever lose the ability to feel, or understand what others might feel, something inside us has died.

All the people that I admire have the common factor of being humble. Humbleness is about not feeling superior to anyone. It is about respecting everybody, just because every person deserves to be treated with respect. Keeping your feet on the ground opens more doors than arrogance ever will. I like to think that the people I look up to have reached such great heights precisely because they remained humble, never believing they were worth more than anyone else.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

Music is all about collaboration! I moved to Texas two years ago, and one of the greatest things about the journey has been all the people that I’ve met through the process. So much great music has been created from those collaborations. I specifically love the cultural exchange that I have experienced here, as I am Guatemalan and I have met people from so many places. If you are an artist, let’s connect! We all should be supporting each other and contributing to the creation of more awesome things! Now social media is the way to get in touch and know about what our colleagues are doing.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Franchezka Ambrocio
Fernando Toralla
Luis Estacuy
Emilio Mesa
Gabriel Garcia

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