We recently connected with Charity Daw + Josh Edmondson and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Charity Daw + thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
No strangers to risk-taking here! I believe that’s what initially brought us together. We’ve always had the same tenacity and willingness to make sacrifices for the lives we wanted, and we recognized that quality in each other from the beginning.
We are intentional about living on the edge of our comfort zones to leave room for new opportunities. Early in our careers that meant city-hopping; leaving our hometowns for Nashville, then to Los Angeles, (with stints in NYC), and back again. Keeping our lives streamlined, especially financially. Not living outside of our means, not quitting day jobs too soon, all while putting in our 10,000 hours, even when we weren’t earning any money to do so. We just never wanted to be held back from being able to take risks when the opportunity came knocking.
Our dream has always been clear, so we’ve always had a North Star. We simply ask ourselves; does this align with the life we want for ourselves? If yes, then we take that LEAP!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
CHARITY DAW + JOSH EDMONDSON are a husband-and-wife team of RIAA platinum and Billboard chart-topping producer/songwriters who specialize in custom music for TV/Film, Brands, Recording Artists, and Gaming. Their tunes have amassed over a BILLION streams to date while gaining them a media-spanning roster of clients and credits from toy brands to major label artists, and everything in between. Even if don’t know their names, it’s very likely you know their work.
From original tunes penned for series and movies to the 25+ commercial jingles they’ve written, they’ve had a wide range of projects with impressive reach.
Some of their latest work includes Disney’s hit DESCENDANTS trilogy, Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues and The Loud House, the Rugrats reboot on Paramount +, and bringing music to the mega-popular L.O.L Surprise! franchise. Helping kick off the best-selling doll brand’s first-ever album and world-wide tour, writing and performing danceable power-bops like ’m A Queen, they have kids singing self-affirmations at the top of their lungs. “It’s always our number one goal to make sure we’re writing songs that inspire a feeling, especially when writing for a young demographic. Kids are the best authenticity detectors ever. No need to write down to them or withhold musicality.”
Parents can be just as saturated with kids’ media, and it’s really special to be able to co-listen and genuinely enjoy it together! As new parents themselves, they are more inspired than ever to make music that is clever, catchy, and timeless.
“If your kids are watching children’s and family-friendly programming, whether it be on TV or on streaming services, chances are you’re hearing them”.
Josh Edmondson has music production in his blood. His dad was topping rock n’ roll charts, producing popular acts in the 60’s and 70s. While Charity, of Cuban descent, was raised in an immersive musical melting pot, attending Miami’s most prestigious art schools. Their wide array of influences has proven to be a secret weapon for the duo.
“We love every aspect of making music for visual media. From reading scripts that inform us on how to move the story along through song, to creating beats that inspire choreography all while bringing ear-worms that grab a hold of you and won’t let go”.
Currently, Josh and Charity are crafting tunes for the latest range of Hot Wheels Monster Trucks, and you can hear Charity lend original songs, along with her voice acting talents to Netflix’s animated series Rainbow High.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
One thing we’ve had to unlearn is the idea of how things were “supposed” to go for us. It’s great to have your “bulletproof” plan, but also give yourself the grace to pivot as well. I know we both saw our careers going very differently at the start of our journeys. I often think back and laugh about one of the many times early on where I was convinced I was on a path to pop-stardom. I was riding the subway in NYC to a meet with a prestigious entertainment attorney. There was a poster that read something like: “Only One In a Zillion People Will Become a Pop Star”. I think it was actually an advertisement for American Idol, but I took that literal sign as a SIGN meant for me. I felt an overwhelming sense of conviction, surely I’d be the one to beat the odds. I imagined that subway tunnel illuminating in Wonka gold all the way to my stop; the Avenue Of The Americas. I side-eyed all the unlucky, non-pop stars around me as I stepped out of that subway car and into my destiny.
Needless to say, I did not become a pop star that day. That meeting was humbling and in fact, so was the next decade! BUT, I feel like I did go on to win the proverbial “golden ticket”. So that’s cool.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For us, the most rewarding thing besides getting to share our music with the world, is really that we get to do it together! It’s so special to be creative partners with your life partner. We’ve been in the thick of it together and we’re so grateful we don’t have to navigate the wins or losses alone. Plus, neither of us ever have to be mindful of the time we spend working, because we are both equally obsessed.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.charitydaw.com
- Instagram: @charitydaw @jedmo9
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharityDawMusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charitydawandjoshedmondson/
- Twitter: @charitydaw @joshedmondson
- Other: Check out our work here: https://clasiphyde.disco.ac/lib/7786
Image Credits
Erick Anderson, MGAE