“I’ve worked very hard in order to be here today and tell you that I’m free, finally at peace with myself,” Danna tells Apple Music. The Mexican singer’s new album finds her extricating herself from darkness and choosing inner peace as her closest ally. CHILDSTAR is a reference not only to the label that she grew up with, but also the healing that has taken place in the present. “Obviously, this record is meant as a gift to my fans, but it’s also an even bigger gift for me. Through it, I made peace with many things that transpired during my childhood,” she says. Now her artistic choices assume a new dimension, and we get to know the human being behind Danna. Intriguing risks like a bilingual tracklist, songs that tackle sexuality and the surprising appearance of R&B stylings in her music are the foundations of this personal and artistic renaissance. “It’s like ‘Danna, chapter 1,’” she says. The singer talked with Apple Music about the many facets and shades of CHILDSTAR. The album opens with “THE FALL,” and the lyrics talk about “having fallen down”. So, we’re starting from the very bottom. “Hitting rock bottom was one of the experiences that made me re-evaluate my entire life, both on a personal and artistic level. I found myself in a dead end—there was no exit available—and for the first time, I felt defeated. In the end, those experiences helped me realise that I needed to overcome adversity on my own, and that I could find catharsis through art. I left the darkness behind, and now I’m in a better place. I found the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.” When you talk about being defeated, what exactly are you referring to? “I’ve been working in this industry for over 20 years, since I was four years old. In therapy, I had to go through the difficult process of realising that my childhood was not as idyllic or perfect as I imagined it to be. I was a very lonely kid. My emotions were constantly manipulated. I’m not portraying myself as a victim, but rather coming to terms with the way I grew up, how I developed my own way of presenting myself to the world, since I was always in the public eye. So, like you see on the album cover, there were many people, many hands pulling me in different directions. Those are people, but also toxic patterns that you tend to perpetuate: the music industry, pressure and anxiety.” The CHILDSTAR concept is transparent for anyone familiar with your life and career. Was that intentional? “I’ve constructed this Danna—the person I am today—through the experiences, moments and situations of my career. I see this one as my first real project. My self-discovery as an artist followed a reverse trajectory; I was always following what was happening in the outside world and what was asked of me, instead of following my instincts. Eventually, I realised that I could make my own decisions. I could take agency of my own art—“I want that colour, this sound.” Finding freedom in those choices took time.” And what does this freedom mean to you? “There are no rules. Sometimes we impose too many expectations on ourselves during the creative process, and that’s when the endless questioning begins. People advised me not to sing in English, for instance, something that many artists in Mexico struggle with. Some songs are born in English; the lyrics flow better that way. In the end, you should pay no attention to what people think of you. Obviously, this record is meant as a gift to my fans, but it’s also an even bigger gift for me. Through it, I made peace with all those things that transpired during childhood.” What’s the album’s narrative through line? “It takes place during the span of a weekend. I would leave therapy realising how fucked up my life was, and the first thing I did was drown myself in partying and excess. This is why alcohol, vice and sex addiction are a thread here—the attempt to fix things [by] adding new problems, instead of delving deeper on a mental and emotional level. The album begins with that initial snippet of empowerment: You fall down, and your own darkness emerges. It’s an erotic album in many different ways, but there’s also love in the equation, because the lyrics touch on my relationship with my boyfriend. I also mention my first girl crush. Then comes the after-party and the emotional hangover. Things get really dark, and you end on a low note. It’s a loop that happens every weekend until Monday. But then the dawn appears—“AMANECER”—and it feels like a warm hug in your heart, letting you know that, in the end, everything will be fine.”