Addi McDaniel

“When I’m singing, I’m searching,” says Addi McDaniel. “Every song, every performance is a search for answers, an exploration of what it means to be a whole person.” McDaniel grew up in a vibrantly musical household in St. Augustine, FL, where she enjoyed a childhood surrounded by instruments and an endless series of impromptu jam sessions. The oldest of four siblings, she was captivated by the songs of Rufus Wainwright, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen (“I’m drawn to any voice that conveys pathos, honesty and depth” she says) and fell in love with singing and writing her own poetry from an early age. After attending a performing arts high school and studying music and theater in college, McDaniel relocated to New York City to hone her craft. In 2012, she teamed up with virtuoso harpist Jacqueline Kerrod to form the genre-bending duo Addi & Jacq, which would go on to be crowned “Best Emerging Band in New York” by WNYC and perform everywhere from National Sawdust to the Apollo Theatre.