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It's safe to say that BRELAND took C2C Festival by storm this month.
The singer-songwriter and producer had already laid claim to his place as one of country's most exciting new propositions with an array of hit singles - including his summer heater of a debut 'My Truck', the Keith Urban-featuring 'Throw It Back' and his feature on Holler's personal favourite, Nelly's 'High Horse'.
So when the time came for BRELAND to arrive across the pond here in London, it was sure going to go down a treat. He certainly did not disappoint either, delivering several outstanding sets of high-energy enthusiasm and undeniably catchy jams across the weekend.
Arriving into London and heading straight across to his label's offices, the New Yersey-born rising star was in fine spirits as we sat down to find out all about what makes a certain Daniel Gerard Breland tick.
Do you have any nicknames?
Yeah! So BRELAND is kind of a nickname, it's my surname. It's my family name - my name is Daniel Breland. So from that, there are all different types of nicknames that I've had. D Breezy was one that stuck around for a minute - that's got a little something to it, high school days. Now, I just kind of go by BRELAND.
What is the worst job you've ever had?
Do you guys have CVS out here? It's a pharmacy/grocery and convenience store. I worked there for a while and it was awful, by far the worst job. People would come in with coupons and try and get everything for free, it would end up getting so crazy. This woman would come in with so many coupons that we'd almost have to pay her to leave the store. I was like, "Yo, I can't work here anymore".
What is your all-time favourite song?
My all-time favourite song is probably 'Giant Steps' by John Coltrane, but there are no words to that. So I'd say of all the songs that have words, 'All I Do' by Stevie Wonder.
Who would be your dream duet partner?
I think it would be really cool if we got Drake on a country song. I just feel like it could happen! He's got roots in Memphis, he's hanging out in Kentucky all the time - I'm like, "Bro just hop on something".
Can you ride a horse?
I have ridden a horse before! I would need a refresher though, it's been some time. It's definitely been some time.
What's your favourite takeout food?
I think my favourite takeout food is probably Chinese. It's easy, it's classic and they were delivering way before Uber, so I've got to go with that.
Cosy night in or big night out?
Up until recently I probably would've said cosy night in, but I feel like after the pandemic I have a lot of energy to give, so I'm out and about a little bit.
What's your go-to Karaoke song?
My go-to Karaoke song is [sings] "all of me, loves all of you", John Legend.
What is your favourite pizza topping?
I go simple, I'm a classic dude. I'm also from New Jersey, so pizza is very big where I'm from. So I just go simple, either a Meat Lovers Sausage and Pepperoni, or maybe just Pepperoni.
Have you ever milked a cow?
I have never milked anything [laughs]. So, take that however you will.
Who is your celebrity crush?
My celebrity crush growing up was JoJo, the RnB singer. We're friends now and she's engaged and her fiancee is an incredible dude. But I was definitely a little bummed out initially when I heard the news.
How old were you for your first kiss?
My first kiss I guess I was around 14? I think I was 14.
Country or city living?
I've been living in cities for a while. Even Nashville is a city. I think ultimately when I settle down, I would like to live somewhere where I have a bunch of land and don't have to be bothered.
What is your favourite English food?
Well, I had some type of roll the last time I was here. It was like pub food. It was a sausage roll! I was like, "yeah ok, I get it".
Have you ever received any crazy fan mail?
Well, sometimes people will send these long messages about some type of trauma they've experienced and then they need money. It gets weird because they've just put their whole story on me in a capacity where I have to decide whether 1) I believe you and 2) whether it's my responsibility to step in. It's a weird social dynamic when you get a message like that from a stranger.
What is the worst date you've ever been on?
I went on a date with this girl called Alexis - I guess you probably didn't need the name, sorry! My hometown had had a farm fair, and she was like the queen of the farm fair one year when we were like 18. It was the only thing she would talk about - I was like "I want to know about you as a person?" and she just kept talking about the farm fair. I said "dude I was at the farm fair, I know everything about it" and it was just a terrible time.
What is the weirdest rumour you've ever heard about yourself?
In my senior year of high school, I ran for student body president. Someone started a rumour that I had three nipples. I don't, I only have two nipples, but I guess it was enough for me to get runner up. I guess people were discriminating against my potential third nipple.
If you could go back to any decade, what would it be and why?
I would probably go back to the 90s if I could go back to any. I feel like there was just a lot of great music and there was a short period of time where it was very peaceful in terms of international conflicts. I feel like every other decade was predicated on some sort of major or potential warfare. So I'd maybe say '92 - '99 feels pretty good to me.
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Breland's debut album, Cross Country, is set for release in Summer 2022.
