Music News - Singer-Songwriter Dan Sharp Reveals Candid New Single + Video 'Man Don’t Cry'
03 November 2023 - 0 Comments
Armed with his guitar, an inimitable knack for writing unifying songs, and captivating crowds from festival stages to small clubs, New Zealand’s Dan Sharp is skilled in the art of creating thoughtful, considered music with an impact that leaves audiences wanting more.
STREAM MAN DON’T CRY HERE
“I always aspire to be authentic in the pursuit of something beautiful. That can mean being vulnerable at times, but if it's not real, then it's not worth it” says Sharp.
Following the release of two EPs and numerous singles in recent years, resulting in over a million streams on Spotify alone, Sharp is gearing up towards the next stage of his career, with debut album Between The Brave, Bold, and Given Up set to arrive in early 2024.
From early years as a solo singer-songwriter, Dan Sharp has spent years honing his skills to evolve into an accomplished, dedicated musician and producer who approaches the craft with integrity and authenticity.
Dan’s commitment to his art runs deep, and his music is courageous, thoughtful, and disarmingly honest, deeply connected with age-old traditions of artists sharing stories and emotions through their creativity. Drawing on the timeless writing of artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Van Morrison, Dan delivers his brand of indie-rock with a throwback production aesthetic to bands of the 90’s.
Entirely self-funded and self-produced, Dan drew together a band of accomplished musicians to play on his new project: Stan Bicknell on drums (Black Comet, formerly of 48May, Kimbra), Brad Craig on bass (Flamingo Pier, Mini Simmons), Will Henderson (Janine, YAHYAH) on keys and Johnny Mclean (formerly of Tahuna Breaks) on horns and percussion.
An acknowledgement that we don’t always get to choose our struggles, Man Don’t Cry is an exploration of the internal cycle of generational pain that stems from childhood trauma, a quiet wound on the soul which ultimately serves to shape the man. Man Don’t Cry exposes this hurt as the lyrics pose the question “What is a boy, but an extension of the man who made him?”
Very much a non-fictional story, Man Don’t Cry speaks to a cycle of emotional disconnect born of a sense of abandonment, deep-seated insecurities and a detachment to emotional pain.
Growing up in rural Aotearoa, Dan knows many stoic Kiwi men and the delicate tightrope they often walk in regards to their own mental health. Honing in on a story he found himself close to while broaching the broader issues at play, Dan relays a common scenario: a fatherless boy having to grow up too quickly with his best example of manhood being the Dad who walked away. Years of misplaced anger, self-doubt, and misguided attempts at validation eventually exposing a grown human who stills need the nurturing of a child, but unable to ask for help. This is the essence of Man Don’t Cry.
Sharp explains: “The song felt important to me as it touched on something real. The cyclical nature of damage and misunderstanding that is unresolved, passed down through generations and permeating outwards. I thought of some of the men I knew and something clicked. It’s everywhere. We carry our wounds in the way we talk and walk. Overlay our societies stoic approach to masculinity, and we are where we are in terms of suffering mental health and the tragic implications that has.”
Follow up singles and the album are set to follow, meanwhile Dan is making plans for a national tour with shows in Australia and the UK to follow. Filtered through a modern lens, his heartfelt, guitar-driven compositions result in a sound as moving as it is gripping, and one that cements Dan as a powerful voice flying his own flag.
Photo Credit: Don Hooper
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