Things are starting to happen for contemporary singer/song-writer Samara Daniel.
Last year while watching the CTV Telethon of the Stars, Daniel told herself she would be on it next year. She took the initiative and landed a spot on the telethon. This year she will be performing with stars like Roch Voisine to raise money for children’s diseases. Her song “A Friend Like U” was written as a tribute to celebrate life, people that mark us in a positive way, as well as to honor the victims, survivors and volunteers of Sept. 11, 2001. She will be singing it on Dec. 1.
“It makes me nervous, but it’s flattering,” she told The Concordian in a interview at Club Indigo. “It’s flattering to know my song can go out there to reach people. ‘A Friend Like U’ is a song of hope.”
Getting this far has taken a lot of toil and sweat. Daniel immigrated to Montreal from Lebanon with her family in 1976 when she was three. She began developing a passion for music at age seven. She started singing in church choirs at age 12, with songwriting following suit at 15. She continues to take vocal lessons to perfect her pop/soft rock style.
Things started happening in the late eighties when Daniel captured first place in a dance and singing competition with a program in which she performed music by Samantha Fox and rap group Salt-N-Pepa. She also provided the choreography and vocals for her high school’s fashion show and participated in the school play at the end of the year.
In 1999, Daniel got rave reviews for her dancing/vocal abilities on her rendition of Fame during a performance at Universit
