Daniel Patrick Ellis Phone Interview
2-02-06
(Pop Singer, Actor)

Listen to the audio here.

Transcript:

Page 1, Page 2

Tracey: Tracey here from Pop Blitz Magazine.  We are talking with up and coming pop/rock singer, Daniel Patrick Ellis.  Daniel, can you please introduce yourself?

Daniel: Hey guys, Daniel Patrick Ellis.  What’s up Tracey and Pop Blitz Magazine?

Tracey: For those unfamiliar with you Daniel, what can you tell us about yourself and your music/acting?

Daniel: About myself, I’m 17 and I’ve been in acting and singing and dance since I was 10.  I used to go to a performing arts middle school and high school in Florida.  I did commercials and movies, and took dance and singing lessons and stuff like that in Florida.  And then, when I was 15 I moved to Los Angeles, and it’s almost been about 3 years that I’ve been in L.A.  A few months after I got here I auditioned for a pop group called Mac7 and we had a CD out in March and we toured around and did a bunch of shows.  And since I’ve been out here I’ve also done a few music videos, MTV shows, and movies.  I left the group in June, and have been doing my own thing, working on the album, and doing shows, and just touring, and everythings great.  I’m still auditioning for some work in acting too.

Tracey: Well I think that about covers it.

Daniel: *laughs* Yeah.

Tracey: Speaking of Mac 7, what is your favorite Mac7 memory?

Daniel: My favorite Mac 7 memory is when we performed at Club Sea World in San Diego, and it was the best experience ever.  It was like one of the biggest shows we’ve ever had, there were thousands and thousands of people.  I just remember being in the dressing room and getting ready, but I remember getting to the venue, getting to Sea World and we went to the back entrance where the employees enter, and we had like 6 security and police officers escort us to our dressing room.  While we were in the dressing room there were 2 security officers and 2 police officers standing outside the dressing room.  And whenever you would walk out, they would follow you wherever you went, to make sure nobody saw you which was pretty cool.  And then we did the show, which was amazing.  And had the autograph signing.  And the autograph signing was like barricaded by these huge metal gates, and there were these lights beaming down on us, and security guards on all sides.  They would only let 2 people in at a time to get autographs.  I felt so famous then.  After that, the park was actually closed by the time we finished the signing, but we still hadn’t been on any rides cos we had been working all day.  But they let us go on some rides.  The park was closed, and they took us around.  It was such a cool experience.  I loved it.

Tracey: That’s gotta be nice, being able to go on rides and not wait in line.

Daniel: Yeah, it was.  And we got to go on them a few times in a row.  We’d get off, and go back on again.

Tracey: What are your plans for 2006?

Daniel: My plans for 2006 are to record, and I have some songs that I have written.  I’ve been in the studio all of January so far, so I’m sure I’m going to be doing that a bunch more.  We’re hopefully going to release “Drama On The Scene” on Radio Disney this year.  I’m going to go touring.  I’m going to go to Argentina in May to launch my project called “Face the Wave”, which we manufacture and sell bracelets and give part of the proceeds to Tsnaumi and Hurricane Victims.  I’m going to Spain in March to visit my friends from the Cheetah Girls, cos they’re filming the sequel in Spain.  And just doing shows and auditioning.  I’ve already filmed a commercial, and I’ve just filmed an episode of “Commander In Chief”.  I’m just auditioning for movies, so just acting and music all together.  I’m hoping it will be a good year.

Tracey: Sounds like it.

Daniel: Yeah I’m hoping.

Tracey: When can we expect new music from you?  Any plans to release an EP or tour anytime soon?

Daniel: We don’t have any dates really.  I know sometime this year, probably in the first half of the year we’ll expect “Drama on the Scene” on Radio Disney.  Then I start touring.   There’s some tours in the works, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to do them because of other commitments, you know acting and Argentina and just different things.  I don’t know if I’ll be able to do them.  But aside from tours, I’m going to be doing tons of shows this year.  So, I mean I’m really going to be working on my music throughout the whole year.  If they aren’t on  Disney, I’ll have some samples on my Myspace. 

Tracey:  Sweet.  If you could do a duet with anyone who would it be?

Daniel: Duet with anyone, gosh I didn’t give this any thought again.  The only person I’ve talked about it with was Sabrina Bryant from “The Cheetah Girls”.  I’ve talked to her about it, and it would be a lot of fun to do it together.

Tracey: Are you planning on going to college?

Daniel: I’m not planning on enrolling in a college and living in a dorm.  But I am planning on taking classes either online or maybe in a community college in the area, and I can just take a few classes a week.  Because I can’t plan the next 4 years of my life and say ‘I’m going to this college for the next 4 years’ cos you know it gets kind of hectic.  But I love learning and I want to learn more about tons of different things.  I would love to do architecture, home architecture on houses.  And also, producing on movies and television, and all that.  I would love to learn more. 

Tracey: That would be fun.  Community College is good, that’s where I went.

Daniel: Oh, awesome!  Yeah. That’s great.

Tracey: You’ve been featured in a few music videos.  What was that like and how is taping a music video different from commercials?

Daniel: It was tons of fun, it was awesome.  I loved it.  I don’t know, I don’t really find it that different.  It’s like the same thing, catering, hair, makeup.  I think the location, when you’re filming a music video, is different then a series, because a series is filmed on a sound stage, so the dressing rooms are usually in the building.  But when you film like a music video, it’s just sound stage, and there isn’t really that many dressing rooms cos it’s not that big of a place.  So there’s trailers for your dressing rooms, which is different.  But if you’re filming on location for a movie, you usually have trailers also.  But it’s kind of different then a series in that way.  I don’t really know.  I mean, I had a blast doing it.  Whenever I’m filming anything, it’s so much fun.

Tracey: You’re going to be in a BRATZ doll commercial.  What’s the story on that?

Daniel: The story on that, there was actually two commercials that they filmed back to back.  I auditioned for one of them, and I was supposed to play the lifeguard in the one commercial.  And there were hundreds of thousands of boys who auditioned, and I didn’t get that commercial.  My agent called me the following Monday, almost a week later and was like ‘So you have to go to work tomorrow for the Bratz doll commercial’ and I’m like ‘Oh, wow’ that’s late that I got that, you know.  So I actually went in, and I had no idea what I was going in for.  And I found out that they were filming a second commercial, and I booked that just off of the audition off of the first one, which is really exciting that they kept me in mind.  So there’s five life-size Bratz dolls and it’s kind of like their music video.  They sing, and they have choreography.  They’re a dance group and they come to life.  It’s kind of like a ball or dance or something.  There’s staircases, and there’s chandeliers.  It’s really nice.  So I play one of the boyfriends of the Bratz dolls.  It’s one other guy and I, and we’re just dancing with the Bratz dolls at the party.  It was a really short shoot, which is awesome because you don’t like being on set too long, because you get tired. 

Tracey: You’ll be appearing on an upcoming episode of “Commander In Chief”.  What was that like?

Daniel: Commander In Chief was awesome.  I had to do gymnastics in that episode, and I’ve been taking gymnastics since I was 3.  When I was ten, I was the national champion, which was really exciting.  So I do have experience in gymnastics.  We filmed it in L.A. and it was a real gymnastics place, with cameras, and set, and everything.  It was really cool.  They basically just had us doing tumbling classes.  And then there was dialogue.  But we just got to do our tricks and stuff.  It was just really fun, because I got to do two things I love to do.  I love to do gymnastics, and I love to act and film stuff and do stuff that I love in a series.  I had a blast filming it.

Tracey: Sounds fun.  Any idea when that will be airing?

Daniel: No.  I have no idea, unfortunately but I can probably look it up.  I’m guessing, I think this is for the new season, so I’m sure it won’t come out til later this year.  But when I do find out I’ll have to let you guys know.  And I also don’t know when the Bratz doll commercial comes out, so I’m going to have to find out both of those dates and let you guys know.

Tracey: Alright, sounds good.  Do you own an ipod?

Daniel: I do own an Ipod.  It is an Ipod mini, and it’s green, and it has my name on the back.  It’s engraved.  I’m kind of like behind the fad, or trend because its still black and white, it’s not color, and you can’t see music videos.  I don’t listen to it that much anyways.  Like when I’m in the car I have XM stereo and there’s no commercials.  So I’m just always listening to that and not music.  I don’t really listen to my Ipod, but I do online. 

Tracey: I mostly use my MP3 player for interviews lately.  It’s good for that.

Daniel: Yeah.

Tracey: You have a wide range of talents, what stands out the most?

Daniel: What stands out the most, I don’t know if I can say.  People have told me my dancing does, but then people have told me my singing does, and my acting does.  I love to do it all, so I’m hoping I’m talented always.  But, just performing in general, being onstage and singing and dancing, and talking to the audience, and acting at the same time.  All together, it’s my favorite talent.  I love to put it all together and perform, so I don’t know.  I try and convey it well, so hopefully it comes off.

For more of our interview with Daniel turn to page 2.