Dan Talevski’s playlist

They say there’s no rest for the wicked and that’s so true for “Guilty as Sin” singer Dan Talevski.

The Toronto-based star is already working on follow-up material to chase his two latest singles, “If I Ain’t Got You” and his fresh cover of Montell Jordan’s 1995 No.1 hit “This Is How We Do It,” which dropped just last month.

“No summer vacation this year,” Dan says. “It’s all good though, gotta keep grindin.”

That’s nothing new. Dan has been working his ass off since day one and has a lot to show for it.

Dan was handpicked to tour with the Backstreet Boys in 2010 and asked back by Nick Carter in 2016 for a string of nationwide dates.

Speaking of superstars, Dan’s earned collaborations with numerous artists including Timbaland, Soulja Boy and will.i.am, as well as fellow Canadians like Keesha Chante, Shawn Desman, Tyler Shaw and Ria Mae.

Dan has also made the Top 10 on Canadian radio and was nominated for Best New Canadian Artist at the 2016 iHeartRadio MMVAs for his hit “Knock Me Off My Feet.”

Dan has been hard at it since 2007 when he posted a YouTube video cover of Justin Timberlake’s “What Goes Around… Comes Around” which has over 1 million views.

Then Dan really seduced Canada when he released his 2015 steamy single “Guilty as Sin” and its explicit video.

“With ‘Guilty as Sin’ I wanted to make a mark in the industry as a new artist. I wanted to push boundaries a little and get people talking,” Dan says of his sexually charged track.   

“Pop music can be a little too serious sometimes. I like to have fun and I like to be edgy.”

Fun and edge are exactly what Dan served up when he dropped his 2017 debut EP High Times and his single “Birthday Suit.”

“I had a really good time with ‘Birthday Suit’ and the nudity that came with it,” he laughs. “It came about easily and naturally, and I think racy fun will always be a part of my music.”

Before you add Dan’s cover of “This Is How We Do It” to your summer playlist, take in his picks of songs by acts he applauds for pushing boundaries and causing waves in pop music.

“This playlist is going to be all-woman, just because when I think about artists who push boundaries, I think of females,” Dan says. “I mean men do it too, like Jason Derulo and his song ‘Talk Dirty,’ but it’s always more talked about and more controversial when a woman does it.”

You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette
“Lyrically, Alanis did something that no female in the 90s was doing. Swearing and singing about bad relationships so honestly. I love that she had a pop career and then stripped it down to this raw, grungy, vulnerable state. I used to crank up her album Jagged Little Pill all the time.”

Die Young – Kesha
“Her songs, her videos, the outfits she wears. There was a lot of controversy around ‘Die Young’ and it’s a killer song.”

Poker Face – Lady Gaga
“When I think of Lady Gaga pushing boundaries, I think of ‘Poker Face’ with the play on Russian roulette, card games and all the sexual undertones. In the video she’s basically half naked partying with strangers. Sign me up! Hahaha!”

Like a Virgin – Madonna
“I’m not the biggest Madonna fan, but she’s a huge part of music history. Thirty years ago, she was the first to visually stimulate the audience with sex appeal. She’s still doing it today.”

Needed Me – Rihanna
“Rihanna is always pushing boundaries, even with nearly every photo she posts online. Her song ‘Needed Me’ comes to mind. It’s a dark, sexy track that you can play in the bedroom. And then there’s the hot video.”

Get Dan’s latest single “This Is How We Do It” on iTunes here.

Dan is currently working on new music. For updates, follow the star on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Posted by Marc Andrew on Aug 8 2019. Filed under Celebrity Playlist. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.