TREVOR DANIEL

Trevor Daniel is an enigma. His music comes to life outside of stylistic and emotional boundaries. In his world, sadness, loneliness, and confusion co-exist seamlessly with ecstasy, lust, and clarity set to a soundtrack equally appropriate for a midnight festival set, underground club, or new romance. Pulling melody out of these shadows, he’s constantly shifted perspectives, engaging and entrancing audiences in every corner of the world. Reeling in billions of streams, picking up multiplatinum plaques, and selling out shows, the Texas-born and Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, producer, and outlier brings an inimitable vision to light on his Fearless Records debut LP, how to disappear completely.

Its sonic unpredictability mirrors the unpredictability of his journey up to this point.

“I’m very proud of this album,” he smiles. “I went through a bunch of shit to put it together, so there’s a theme and sound of trying to move forward. ‘how to disappear completely’ was a phrase I wrote down in my notebook one day, but it kept resonating with me. I did disappear for a few years, but it wasn’t because I wanted to. It was the situation I was in. Coming out on the other side, I felt motivated again.”

He initially motivated himself to make music as a kid in Houston, picking up drums in second grade and devoting all of his free time to the instrument. He turned the closet of his childhood bedroom into a D.I.Y. studio where he wrote and recorded on GarageBand. He gained traction with early uploads such as “Fool,” “Youth,” “With You,” and “Mirror.” After a DM from Internet Money founder and super producer Taz Taylor, Trevor’s life changed forever. He cooked up the Homesick EP highlighted by his quadruple-platinum breakout “Falling,” which has tallied over 1.6 billion Spotify streams and cracked the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. On the heels of the Restless EP, he dropped his debut Nicotine during 2020. Beyond teaming with Selena Gomez for the gold-certified “Past Life,” he distinguished himself as the rare phenomenon equally comfortable on tracks with Summer Walker, Bebe Rexha, and Zara Larsson or blackbear, Alan Walker, Imanbek, 24kGoldn, Sigala, and Ty Dolla $ign. He even joined forces with Becky G and Tainy on “F Is For Friends” from The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge On The Run – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

In the wake of his That Was Then EP, EUPHORIA. attested, “he’s constantly evolving as an artist and challenging himself to do more and fine-tune his sound,” and FAULT Magazine chose him as a cover star and christened him “one of the year’s most exciting artists.” Not to mention, he lit up the stages of major festivals such as Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, and Firefly, among others.

Following a complicated period marred by industry limbo, he broke free and inked a deal with Fearless Records. Within two months, he crafted the entirety of how to disappear completely, turning his attention towards the future.

Experimenting with his artistry, he leaned into brighter tones and crafted songs “in the moment.”

“It was actually a good time,” he says. “This is all about forward momentum.”

Speaking of, he leaps into this next era with the unshakable and undeniable anthemic single “Tempo.” Hazy synths dissolve into a glitchy beat punctuated by his breathy delivery. Getting flirty, he urges, “Girl, I wanna see you pick up the tempo.”

“It’s more of an ‘ass-shaking’ type of vibe,” he laughs. “I’ve been really into post-punk sounds like The Cure and eighties goth, but I also love the Timbaland drums. I knew it would be such a sick combo.”

Trevor’s emotionally charged vocals echo over a pulsating bassline and skittering cymbals on “Simple.” Watching a relationship slip through his fingers, he laments, “Now you’re acting like somebody else”

“Lyrically, it’s a sadder song,” he notes. “It talks about a situation where you’ve cared for another person for so long, and all of a sudden, this individual treats you like you’re not shit. It seems so easy for them to just not care.”

Video game-style keys melt into waves of feedback as fast-paced claps underline his falsetto. Holding nothing back, he makes a pledge aloud, “I know it’s fucked up, but I’d die for you. He can’t love you like I do.”

“You’re talking to a person, and you don’t really want to commit,” he reveals. “You know it’s not healthy, and it seems messy. At the same time, you still want to do it. You don’t care if it ends and you aren’t really thinking about the long term effects. It’s like, ‘This could probably end terribly, but fuck it.’”

“Borderline” finds him stuck between “wanting to save your feelings and not wanting any drama.” Then, there’s “Bad Things.” Rife with vocal fireworks, he flexes his range as he teases, “I know you wanna do bad things.”

“It’s another ‘fuck it’ type of situation,” he says. “It’s about someone who you know is not good for you. You’re coming to an agreement with yourself like, ‘Okay, I’m not in this long term.’ Your heart is not really in it, but for now it’s fun.”

In the end, how to disappear completely cements Trevor as just the enigma pop culture needs.

“This album touches on every emotion,” he concludes. “When people listen to it, I hope they can actually get something positive out of it. I’m a lot more direct now, and I’ve matured. I know what I want, and I’m excited for the future.”