The Dailee is the professional name of emerging independent recording artist and producer, Dany Lee. He made his solo professional recording debut in 2022 with the single “Move On”. That track introduced a talented singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with a genre-fluid sound.
Lee creates every aspect of his music himself. From composition to performance, mixing and mastering, The Dailee’s music is entirely self-produced. In February the multifaceted artist delivered his debut album.
Alfred Borden is the brand new album from The Dailee, released worldwide via all major streaming services on February 28, 2023. The record is a showcase for the many diverse talents of the multifaceted young artist. Over the course of nine songs he blends elements of hip-hop, r&b, indie, emo and pop into his own distinct sound.
There is a cinematic feel to The Dailee’s music. That’s no accident. Even the album’s title is a nod to Hollywood. It is named after Christian Bale’s character in the 2006 film The Prestige. The Dailee is a storyteller. Whether he’s laying down smooth r&b vibes and dreamy poetry on tracks like “Floating in Space” and “Personal”, or dropping old-school rhymes over breakbeat grooves on tracks like the excellent “The New J.I.D”, there is an autobiographical narrative thread that ties the record together into a cohesive whole.
On “Takeoff”, The Dailee injects a nice dose of jazz into the mix with killer funk groove and some impressive mic skills. “Mac” slows things down for a bit of indie-pop emo. The infectiously catchy “! Love !” introduces a bit of 80’s pop, while tracks like “Get em’ Out” and “The Dailee” pair electric piano neo-soul with modern hip-hop beats. The album closes with the classic soul and heartfelt emotion of “Thank You”
Check out Alfred Borden in its entirety below. You can also hear the songs “The New J.I.D” and “! Love !” on the Deep Indie Beat playlist. We had the chance to chat with The Dailee about his music. Read his answers to our 8 questions. And follow the links at the end of this article to connect with the artist.
8 Questions with The Dailee
Where are you from?
I am from South Korea and I was born in 2006. I was raised in China in an international school so English is almost my first language.
How long have you been making music?
I’ve been making music for 3-4 years.
Who are the musicians involved in your project?
I have made the entire music by myself.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
My biggest musical influences are Mac Miller, J.I.D (have a song named after both of them), Tyler the Creator and MF DOOM. Mac Miller is a really special and a crucial part of my artist career.
What is your greatest non-musical influence?
My biggest non-musical influences are Joaquin Phoenix because of the charisma he has on the screen and his dedication.Â
What inspired you to create this project?
Christopher Nolan, because of the dedication and the perfection he has in his movies.
What are your plans for the future (musically)?
My plan is not be famous or make a lot of money. My goal is to give people who are discriminated or people who are called “weird” a comfort through my music because I felt that way too. Mac Miller gave me comfort and inspiration and I didn’t even get to talk to him. I think power of music is bigger than anything and I want to spread that in a positive way.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
I want to talk about why and how I made the entire album on my own. I was always into music and wanted to make my own. But seeing my favorite artists in huge studios with a crowd of people made me think that I was not capable of making good music. That was when I saw Billie Eilish and her brother make their by themselves in their bedroom.Â
So, I started to learn and master the craft at the age of 12. I kept on making music and found out that doing the whole thing by myself was really difficult. Every time I felt like this wasn’t a good idea, I kept on watching videos of Billie and watched videos of Steve Lacy making music through his phone. I think there is a different color in people who make their music on their own because there is no one else to blame or congratulate then themselves. So I really worked hard on my craft and released my first song in 2022. I worked on this album after that and it is finally coming out.
I also want to talk about how I was always left out through my school years. I never fit in in any of the friend groups so music really was my only friend. So I take this craft very seriously and take great responsibility in it.
Thank you for reading this huge thing.
