Daily Discovery: dnk., “Heartache"

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ARTIST: dnk.

SONG: “Heartache”

BIRTHDATE: David: 09/29/1990 // Kayla: 05/22/1991

HOMETOWN: David: Wheaton, IL // Kayla: Spokane, WA

CURRENT LOCATION: Nashville, TN

AMBITIONS:

Kayla: To meet and immediately befriend Jimmy Fallon, to lead every person I meet with a smile on their face, and to open a gluten-free donut shop. So I can eat the donuts.

David: To have a Grammy that isn’t stolen from my publishers’ desk. To run a company that focuses on combining artistic integrity and commercial relevance for creators, music and beyond. Foster environments for at risk youth to develop their crafts, may that be a school or organization! Be a singing, male Oprah. Harpo? Also, Beyonce is one of my ambitions. Because…Beyonce.

TURN-OFFS:

Kayla: Arrogant behavior and the belittling of other human beings. Also saggy pants.

David: People who don’t believe in the miracle that is being alive. Also, pants that aren’t saggy. (See what I did there, Kayla?)

TURN-ONS:

Kayla: Willingness to put other people’s happiness above appearing cool or professional, an excellent sense of humor, and gifts of food. Specifically tacos or ice cream.

David: Seeing someone REALLY love my dog and our band as much as I love them. Eyes that are kinda mysterious but also ones that tell the truth. This is about romance, right? Also, EXCELLENT, DIVERSIFIED TASTE IN MUSIC.

DREAM GIG:

Kayla: To be featured in a The Lonely Island song. I’m tryna host SNL and have Andy Samberg come back to make a digital short with The Lonely Island guys. The Lonely Island feat. Thugbelina. I want that.

David: We do a lot of outreach in inner city schools and hospitals. And let me tell you, THOSE KIDS LOVE KATY PERRY. So, to write a song with her and perform it at one of our outreach events and see their faces… I would actually weep uncontrollably and also oogle at Katy Perry. Oh, also, Beyonce, because… Beyonce.

FAVORITE LYRIC:

Kayla: “Don’t drop that thun thun thun (AYYY)/ don’t drop that thun thun thun.” But really, I don’t know that I could choose one lyric as my all-time favorite. However, the lyrics of the chorus in my friend Cody Fry’s song “Leaving Home” are beautiful, and I loved them immediately:

“Home is like an island and I’m at sea/ Try to pull it out but it’s pulling me/ I could sail as far as the eye can see/ Look behind and that island looks back at me/Because no matter how far I go/ I can’t leave my home”

David: Nothing ruins me or completes me in the way Joni Mitchell crafts this phrase in “Case of You.”

“I remember the time you told me, you said, “Love is touching souls.” Surely you touched mine. ‘Cause part of you pours out of me, in these lines from time to time/ Oh, you’re in my blood like holy wine, you taste so bitter and so sweet oh I/ Could drink a case of you darling and I would still be on my feet/ I would still be on my feet.”

WHAT!?

CRAZIEST PERSON I KNOW:

Kayla: David.

David: David.

SONG I WISH I WROTE:

Kayla: “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.” Beauty.

David: India Arie, “Good Mourning” India Arie can drop the worlds biggest cliches matched with the worlds smoothest voice and you just surrender with no complaints.

5 PEOPLE I’D MOST LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH:

Kayla: Jimmy Fallon, Andy Samberg, Kristen Wiig, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robin Williams. All at the same time. How absolutely overwhelmingly hilarious would that be?!

David: Beyonce, India Arie, Martin Luther King Jr., Jesus, and Kayla. I have dinner with Kayla often but I always like figuring out ways to feed her.

MY FAVORITE CONCERT EXPERIENCE:

Kayla: I took one of my little brothers to a Macklemore concert for his 16th birthday last October, and it was amazing. He’s an incredible performer and speaker, and my brother loved it, which is really what pushed it to number one on my list of concert experiences. The fact that he had a blast and that I had a hand in making him excited for a night makes me really happy.

David: India Arie performed the Ryman in October and she performed “I Am Light” at the top of her set. Bold, starting a show with a ballad/prayer. The moment she opened her mouth, the whole entire room collectively fell apart. No dry eyes in the house. Also, no elaborate lighting. Nothing flashy (which I love for every other event). The way she empowers people is absolutely magnificent. Ryan Tedder/One Republic was the other favorite… just a prodigy on display and I got to see it with our producer, Aaron Sprinkle, who did “Life In Color” on their last record. Seeing all those connections was something I won’t forget.

I WROTE THIS SONG: Our two co-writers and producers, Becki Devries and Aaron Sprinkle, were extremely influential in the creation of this song! Becki (Kompass-Kobalt) has developed and produced the full dnk. project, and was also a co-writer. Aaron Sprinkle (One Republic, Amberlin) created and arranged the tracks, and co-wrote the song.

Kayla: David challenged me to think about what I was teased about as a kid, which is what gives this song a bit of a “playground” feel. I drew a lot on my experiences being picked on for my size, and tapped into the inner snarkiness that has evolved from those experiences.

David: I need to write more love songs like I need a vat of queso dip always at my disposal: It’s just unnecessary. I’d been writing a ton of sad songs, as it was around a tumultuous relationship. Suddenly, it hit me: this relationship is not love. It’s just constant heartache. BYE! Had some amazing help from Mitchell Rose, our cowriter. Thus: Heartache was born.