When I first heard Dana Schindel’s track Keep Moving Forward, I was suitably impressed. It’s her debut single, making it all the more wonderous how good it sounds. If you read our review and liked what you saw, you can find out more about Dana below.

By Jane Howkins

You released a single titled Keep Moving Forward. What can you tell us about the track?

I wrote Keep Moving Forward about a real conversation I had with my dad when life wasn’t going how I wanted it to. He had some great advice that really made a difference for me.

Life can be hard. Sometimes we need a pep talk. Ultimately, I hope the story and heart of Keep Moving Forward reaches through and touches anyone who might need some encouragement along the way.

It’s a song you can listen to when you’re striving to reach that big goal and want to push through. It’s a song you can listen to when you’re feeling alone and need some connection. It’s a song that could play in a scene from our hero’s journey in a feel-good TV show or movie… Music Supervisors, please form an orderly queue.

How has the reception to Keep Moving Forward been so far, and where can the song be purchased?

I’ve been carrying this song around inside my head for years and to have it heard, and appreciated by other people, is one of the best experiences of my life.

It’s been getting shared, downloaded, and added to so many awesome playlists. I love that it’s getting added to playlists like Sad Girl Autumn and Saddest Songs, but also to playlists like Hype and Life Motivation. It means it’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to. People are hearing what they need to in it. Need to be in your feelings? – here’s the song. Need to feel motivated and supported? – here’s the song!

There have been some really nice reviews complimenting my songwriting and the singing and production. My favourite reviews are the messages of how Keep Moving Forward has turned someone’s day around. People are sharing it with their friends and family. The videos people make using this song to celebrate their loved ones and talk about their goals warm my heart.

Digital downloads and streaming of Keep Moving Forward is available on all major music sites.

This is your debut single, making it all the more impressive! How was the writing and recording process?

Thank you! I really thought about how to create the feeling of forward movement in each element of the song. Everything from the lyrics, to the choice in instruments and how we layered them in, to the vocals, works together so the entire song sounds like it is taking steps forward along the way and building from that initial place of vulnerability.

The verses and chorus came to me fairly straightforwardly after that conversation with my Dad. I broke open the initial first verse to make it two, adding in the imagery of the white knuckles around the steering wheel and bags in the back of the car. The bridge was more a matter of puzzling together how to say a complex idea in a simple way. I knew I wanted a key change and needed to find a way to earn it in the story of the song. It had to move the story forward and pack a lot of thematic punch in a short space to fit.

Over a year after that conversation with my dad, I was walking home from a Katy Perry concert singing this song to myself, yet again, when the ideas I’d been shaping finally fell into place: Problems aren’t as big as you think they are when you take a step back from them – they’re actually bricks, not walls, and you can build with them; having it all is bigger than you once thought. The key change happens when we talk about having it all – it’s a new level of understanding. By the time I got home, Keep Moving Forward was complete!

Recording was joyful. I’d play the tune and then sing weird instrument sounds to my co-producer Kaj Falch-Nielsen and we’d make them happen. I knew I wanted to start simply with a slide guitar that felt like rain and emotion and build up from there with drums, electric guitar, and vocal layers. We thought about a banjo but took it out again. Ed Whelan on drums was able to translate notes like “Can you make that riff sound like they’re stumbling but get back up?” and “Can you add more cymbals in a non-annoying way to make it sound like breaking through on the bridge and final chorus” and run with them. Collaborating to make music is a blast.

There’s not a downbeat that doesn’t come back up again. Not a slide down that doesn’t return to reach higher than it started. The song starts simply and builds – alone to supported, sad to inspired. Telling the story simply was a touchstone and we kept returning to the idea of being vulnerable and inspirational without getting cheesy – though there was a ‘super cheese’ mix we had fun making.

Do you plan to release any more singles in the near future?

Yes!

Do you plan to release an EP or an album anytime soon?

I’d love to go through the process of releasing a few more singles and then absolutely, I’ve picked out the songs that will be on the first album.

Your music has a country-pop sound. What/who influences you most as an artist? What have you been listening to recently?

I love country music because we get to write about life – the good, the bad, and everything in between. I’m inspired by life and love to tell a good story.

I had a great mix of musical influences growing up. My mom introduced me to her favourite triple threats – Barbra Streisand, Cher, Bette Midler and Dolly Parton, and my dad loved to listen to rock and old country radio full blast. Shania Twain and Alanis Morrissette were stapes of my existence and our house had the appropriately-sized shrine to Celine Dion, as all Canadian houses do.

I still listen to country radio and all those great artists and right now I’ve got Kelsea Ballerini, Chris Stapleton, Pink and Brandi Carlisle on repeat. I’m also looking forward to Kelly Clarkson’s new album. Can we get the Steve Carell shouting “Kelly Clarkson” gif included in this interview?

What do you think is the biggest challenge in the music business at the moment?

The music industry can seem quite mysterious from the outside when you’re thinking of jumping in. Figuring out how artists are doing all the things that go alongside making the actual music is a process and I’m so grateful to everyone who shares not only their music, but advice on how they’re doing what they’re doing – touring, funding, administration, and professional development. The most encouraging thing I’ve learned is that there’s no one way to do this. Different artists take different steps to create and get their music out there and you can choose your own adventure.

You’re from Canada. Where are you based? How is the local music scene faring at the moment?

I’m based in Vancouver, British Columbia and it’s encouraging to see live music coming back. The open mic nights and showcases that are running again are packed and concerts are selling out. It goes to show how much we all need music and how much we need to be together at live events. There’s nothing like feeling your feelings all together, singing along with strangers who’ve now become your friends.

Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?

Not yet but I’m so excited for the day I get to come and tour the UK with my music.

Any last words for the fans?

Thank you for listening and for sharing Keep Moving Forward with your loved ones! Thank you for taking the time to read this and doing things like checking out my website and following on socials. Even if they seem small, these are the things that keep an artist going and they mean so much. I’m so happy to be here with you.