DaniLeigh

“My life is, literally, like a movie,” singer, rapper and dancer DaniLeigh tells Apple Music. Certainly, the beginning of the Miami native’s career sounds like one. Handpicked by Prince at the age of 18 to direct and star in the video for his 2013 single “Breakfast Can Wait”—she played Prince himself in the dance-heavy vid—the artist born Danielle Curiel got a jump start on her path to stardom with The Purple One’s mentorship. Prior to that, DaniLeigh garnered some attention from her work as a backup dancer and her pop duo project, Curly Fryz, which she started with her sister. After going solo, fuelled by the momentum of “Breakfast Can Wait”, the movie of DaniLeigh’s life got its next plot twist with a Def Jam signing, and she made her major label debut with the punchy “Lurkin”, which mixed sparse, simmering beats with a catchy hook calling out thirsty social media scrollers. In 2018, her first full-length, The Plan, was packed with a blend of her bright, sensual R&B, shadowy trap and bold hip-hop, all touched by a skewed pop sensibility and including nods to her Dominican roots via Spanish lyrics. She set up her next act with the late-night beats and swaggering raps of “Monique” in late 2020.