Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Danilo Parra. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Danilo , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Indeed it is possible to make a living making music full time. I come from a family where many make music professionally in various facets of that industry, from singing to music production. I know that everyone with talent and determination can make a living from that area of the entertainment industry, but one have to be disciplined and focus on the fact that this is not a hobby but a job.

From an early age, I began to go to recording studios and saw my relatives work in the industry. So eventually, I began recording children’s voices singing and doing voiceovers in commercials for radio and TV and throughout my adolescence I started to make professional music. I was earning money from the musical talent inherited by my family. I followed the steps that naturally one intuits that one must follow in music and also based on observation of what was happening around me.
If I could go back in time Knowing what I know today I know that to be a music professional you need to create a team that includes a manager, a public relations officer, and a musical and artistic director to reach a certain segment of your audience.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

always work independently with a work team that I put together depending on the needs that arose. my team worked with me because they believed in the projects that I was taking out and they also saw it as a job opportunity, and the work environment in the entertainment industry Although it has a lot of stress it brings great emotional rewards, It has always been a great desire to have a manager who is in charge of my projection of how to maximize my talent and to find new markets for my music.

I have a musical heritage that I polished from an early age until it reached a semi-professional level that allowed me to get excited with each step and each reward, so it was motivating for me to find a passion for music in my career and in my life. the main obstacles that I had in my musical life I come from a country where there is no local entertainment industry that would allow me to export my talent. As essential skills I can tell you that I really wanted determination and perseverance.

All my projects have been a great challenge because I am an independent artist where every decision and every initiative has to come from me.
Of the most recent projects I can tell you that one that was a great challenge for an online concert called the special one that we did for social networks with all the elements that a concert with a live audience would have that project was very expensive and very sacrificed and honestly it was worth so much sacrifice for the good results we had

Honestly, no work that I have published has been minimized or its message has been misunderstood because together with my team we have a work policy and conduct that we abide by and the main one is to be an artist that anyone in the world can listen to and watch your videos without restriction

From a very young age I knew that I wanted to live from music and although my dream was not to be a singer, I always knew that I would live from art, from songs.
I started with my brother to make music but I didn’t sing I was a musical composer and even this part of the choreography

From an early age my parents and a close musician told me that I had the voice and charisma to be a solo singer, but I never listened, that was not my approach, then it happened that while recording an album of his I sang to direct him in the recording as his producer and the sound engineer told me “You should also sing” and that was the last push I had to decide in becoming a soloist artist.

The first dollar I earned as a musician was when I was a teenager and it was recording a commercial for a well-known brand, but when I earned money as a solo singer it was thanks to the fact that a friend who had a nightclub hired me and offered me a lot of money, which was much more than expected. that I earned in a conventional job. So that’s when I realized that I was on the right path but above all at the right time to advance in my professional career as a singer.

life is not perfect And that’s the perfect thing about life as you grow up and move up in your music career you know you’re moving forward when problems arise.
Without me looking for it, the problems began to appear, perhaps due to the immaturity of the people involved or due to the overwhelming unexpected success that started my career.
I never had problems with anyone and suddenly someone felt affected by strategic decisions that I made so that the project continues to grow. And I also made the decision to remove certain members of the team from their positions and that is how the first demands that I had arose and that some I won them and I lost others

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

the best thing that has happened to me with the fans because, like me, they are people who study and fight and work hard to earn a living and they are my greatest support.

I did not know how famous my songs were, which for me was a surprise that the first concert I had as a solo artist was SOLD OUT it was at Teatro Centro de Arte in my hometown of Guayaquil

As such, I have not had a mentor apart from my parents and they have been great artistic and personal guides. I believe that they taught me to be the good person that I am. They have taught me the value of being transparent and, above all, of the highest respect that must have to work and public

I love being an artist and I carry it in my soul on stage, so I also understand that at some point the years will take their toll on me and I will have to stop performing live and that is the beauty of having been a composer because my songs and my productions continue to beyond what I will follow on stage.
There are many emotional ups and downs being independent and creative. I understand that people who have a regular and stable job have economic peace and greater ease in planning their lives. Their vacations. Being independent there are many things that are not stable and many times when it is time to improvise.

parents should lead by example And that’s what mine did That’s why I’ve never been involved in any problem outside the natives of the entertainment industry But if a guy away from scandals of problems with alcohol and drugs and been able to form a stable family that brings me emotional peace and all that I owe to the upbringing and training that my parents gave me my parents

as a teenager and at university I worked in a company that exported wood to South America I also worked in a music store I was a bank teller and all that experience has helped me to value each person and each fan because my conclusion is that we are all the same we feel And we have the same needs and what we have to create is the opportunity for each one to get their dreams afloat and move forward

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

definitely if I could go back in time and correct the mistakes I made in the same way I have to be thankful that I learned from those mistakes that those mistakes were part of who I am today.

since I had not decided to be a solo artist, I started after 20 years to be a singer and yes, with what I know today, if I could start over and before in order to have a larger audience that grew with me

everything I’ve invested in my career for better or worse has allowed me to get to this point where you interview me where people listen to my music on Spotify Watch my videos on YouTube and live audiences sing along to my songs So I think everyone they were successes and no investment was bad because although some earn more in those that earn less I also learned and all learning has a cost

The biggest risk I took was to get out of my comfort zone and decide to launch myself as a singer that absorbed my time and resources.
Another very big risk was leaving Ecuador, where I constantly had to look for new territories that would allow me to expand my music, such as Mexico and the United States, where I currently live, and although the road has been hard, I have been able to advance successfully.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.daniloparra.com
• Instagram: daniloparramusic
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/daniloparramusic
• Twitter: @daniloparraec

Image Credits
Photographer: Malena Rigó Instagram: @filmarbymalena