FUN's The Ally Coalition Debuts Dani Shay's Sweet 'One' Music Video

The Ally Coalition, which was recently launched by six-time Grammy nominee Fun. and fashion designer Rachel Antonoff, debuted the music video for Dani Shay’s song “One.” In the video, we get a glimpse into the relationship of Dani and her girlfriend Ali Stroker, and it’s hard not to go “Awww!” for their love.

The Ally Coalition is all about LGBTQ equality, so Dani’s earnest and catchy song was a perf fit for a debut. Dani, who’s been on “America’s Got Talent” and “The Glee Project” (where she met gf Ali as a fellow contestant!) is releasing “One: The Winter EP” on Decemeber 18. In regards to "One," Ali and Dani explained about the song, "We believe we’re all connected under the surface, and that as we learn to really listen to our hearts (and open our minds), the possibilities are endless." Such legit words of wisdom, right?

After you’ve gotten totally addicted to the song “One,” think about buying the EP. It also has Dani and Ali singing “Let It Snow” and Dani’s new version of her YouTube hit “Holding On.” And don’t forget to check out The Ally Coalition! The girls got involved with the org because they believe in the cause and Ali is also a longtime friend (15 years and counting) to fun. guitarist Jack and his sis Rachel Antonoff.

And remember, you don’t have to be LGBTQ to get involved. The Ally Coalition is all about spreading love and awareness, and saying #OhHellNaw to homophobia and transphobia. You can take action by joining and declaring your support. And maybe down the line TAC will show us more awesome videos from Dani Shay and other super talented musicians!

Dani Shay Speaks with GLAAD:

 On Gender, Sexuality, Coming Out , & The Glee Project

The Glee Project’s second season premiered last week and the cast includes 23-year-old out contestant Dani Shay. Dani gained fame after her music video parody “What The Hell” went viral, which has since garnered over 5 million views. She parlayed her internet fame to an appearance on America’s Got Talent last summer and made it into the Top 48. Mentor Lea Michele complimented Dani during last week’s homework performance of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way;” saying she loved Dani and can tell that Dani really knows who she is. Dani spoke exclusively with GLAAD about her story and her Glee Projectexperience and hopes. Check out what Dani had to say below and catch her on new episodes of The Glee Project on Oxygen, Tuesday nights at 10.

GLAAD: What drew you to taking part in The Glee Project?

Dani Shay: Well, I feel like Glee is doing a great job of increasing peoples' tolerance and acceptance, by exposing them to new kinds of people and ideas, while also giving young "under-dogs" characters they can relate to. I feel like the essence of Glee lines up with the essence of my music, even though our styles are somewhat different. The whole point is to not only entertain, but also give people hope, and I love the combination of those two things.

GLAAD:  What kind of themed episodes will we be seeing this season on The Glee Project? If you could pick your own theme, what would you like to celebrate.

DS: There will be all kinds of themes, like "Individuality", "Vulnerablity", "Romanticality", and my personal favorite: "Dance-ability". If I could make my own theme, I'd probably want to do something that tested people's CREATIVITY; maybe they would have to write something original on their own, or in groups. Obviously, songwriting is something I get a lot of joy out of!

GLAAD: What would you like viewers to take away from watching this season of The Glee Project and your role on it?

DS: I would really like to leave viewers with a sense of curiosity- about me, but more importantly- about themselves. I hope they walk away with the courage to explore all that Life has to offer them, and can find the inspiration to really go for their dreams. Life is way too short to live in fear, trying to meet other peoples' expectations, and we will all be a lot happier when we can fully realize that. I mean, what's the worst thing that could happen if you go for your dreams? You get knocked down or rejected a few times? This is a personal motto I like to live by: Every "yes" is a win, and every "no" is a lesson; there are no losses, only opportunities to learn and grow. Perseverance is the key to success.

GLAAD: How old were you when you came out? How did your friends and family react?

DS: I was 18 when I finally embraced my feelings for women fully. I still didn't understand my gender identity so well, but that's because we are raised to think you are either A or B- Girl or Boy- and that there are no in-betweens, or variations of the two. I see things differently now though- you can be however you want to be; there are no rules. My family was pretty supportive when I came out, as I don't think it was much of a surprise to anyone (I had been dropping hints all of my life, haha). But I do think it was hard for my Mom at first, just because the Mormon church I was raised in, doesn't exactly accept anything L,G,B,T or Q. She is amazing though, and has fully accepted me, my feelings, and all my life choices since then.

GLAAD: What do you think of the LGBT representation and storylines on Glee?

DS: I know that mainstream media (Glee included) is making a lot of head-way when it comes to how the community is being portrayed, but I also feel like there are so many people barely being represented. For example, there are very few "masculine" women (or androgynous characters) in these story-lines, and I think that's partially due to the fear of how the majority of people might take it. Our society is so widely indoctrinated with the ideas of how men and women are "supposed to be," that I think it makes some people very uncomfortable to see anyone who falls too far outside of those gender categories. Glee is exposing young same-sex relationships, which is definitely progress, but I would really like to see gender stereotypes, and the need for labels, broken down as well.

GLAAD: If you win the multi episode role on Glee, what would you like your character/storyline to be like?

DS: If I won a role on Glee, I would like to play an androgynous character who enjoys flirting, and making people question everything they thought they knew about themselves, especially their sexuality. I would encourage my love interests to look beyond "straight"/"gay", and "male"/"female" labels, and dive deeper into what it means to really love a person for who they are. See, I think we put too much pressure on people to define themselves by their feelings, rather than encourage them to explore their feelings in every moment. It adds an unnecessary pressure to life, in my opinion. Labeling something only limits our perception of it. The truth is, everybody is different, and every connection is unique, and that's the kind of message I would really like to bring to Glee.

GLAAD: What would you like to tell LGBT fans of Glee and The Glee Project?

DS: I would like to tell all the LGBT fans of Glee and The Glee Project to: always be brave, and do your best to set a positive example of acceptance and love. Remember that step by step, we are changing this world, and you are a big part of that change. Find what makes you happy, and how you want to make an impact, and do it! Also, know that I love you very much, and you are in my heart. I'll be releasing some really cool new videos soon, and I can't wait to share them with you. Peace and Love- Dani.

Entertainment Weekly: The Glee Project 2

Exclusive Cast Reveal

One of the best new reality shows from last year, The Glee Project, is returning for a second season this summer. The series, which grants the winner of an arc on Glee, saw two victors from last year, Samuel Larsen and Damian McGinty, who both have since appeared on the Fox hit.

This year, a new crop of singer/actor hopefuls are headed to the Oxygen series and EW has the EXCLUSIVE cast reveal. The Glee Project‘s inspiring 14 contestants includes... (Click here for more.)

AGT News Interview: Dani Shay Talks About New Music & 'The Glee Project'

Photo Credit: Coral Mae Photography                   

Great news for fans of season six singing sensation Dani Shay!

Dani tells us she is busy in the studio putting the finishing touches on an EP of new songs which will be available for purchase on January 1.

(Pre-orders are being accepted on her newly relaunched and redesigned website, www.danishay.com)

“Its all original songs that have been up on YouTube, that a lot of my new (and hopefully will-be die-hard) fans have been listening to for the past year,” Dani tells AGTNews.com “I am excited to finally have them on a record.”

We caught up with the super-talented singer-songwriter over Thanksgiving weekend to hear about the record, life after ‘AGT’ and her audition for ‘The Glee Project.’

Q:  What is happening with ‘The Glee Project?’
I submitted my audition tape and I also auditioned in person.  I drove to Nashville.  The rest is up in the air.  I’ll find out soon and we’ll see how it goes from there.  Honestly I feel like this venue is way more appropriate for me and what I am trying to do as an artist.  But at the same time I don’t think I would be open to do something like this had I not learned the things I learned when I was on “America’s Got Talent.”

Q:  And what did you learn from ‘AGT?’
When I was on “America’s Got Talent” – when I first got on there – I was so intent on doing originals, only doing my songs.  I was afraid I would be a sellout if I did covers.  Then I just had a total shift and realized ‘Wait – I can do covers… I can do whatever I want.  It doesn’t make me a sellout.  If I want to do it, I just do it.”  I was totally over complicating it – as I sometimes do – which is why I made the decisions I did when I was on the show.  After the fact, in retrospect, I was like “Wow, I was really limiting myself when I was on that show.  Now, as you know, on “Glee,” that’s what they do.  It’s all covers. So it was cool to witness myself changing and opening up to that.

Q:  ‘Glee’ could also open up an acting career for you?
Actually I have always loved to act.  When I was in high school, I thought I was going to be an actor.  I didn’t own a guitar or know I was going to be a singer.  I actually always loved writing.  Then I got into singing and doing drama.  I did musical theater before I ever got into songwriting.  I was in a theater arts school in high school.

Q:  Are you a Gleek?
Yeah.   I only got into it a little over a year ago.  I gave it a shot and I loved it.

Q:  You are about to release new music. Do you have a record deal?
No.  I am financing it myself.

Q:  That’s not cheap.
No, its not.  (laughs) But I manage to have some really great people in my life.  And really talented people in my life, who believe in me and want to be involved in helping me out and stuff.  So thankfully I haven’t had to pay as much as you might think or as much as some people might pay straight out of pocket.

Q:  People are always talking about your hair…
I have it buzzed on the sides now.  It’s a little shorter than it was (over the summer).  And kind of texturized on the top.  What’s funny is when I left ‘AGT,’ I go my hair cut the next day – which I posted on my Facebook.  I literally I got home from L.A. and I walked into a Walgreens and I see on the magazine rack a picture of Justin Bieber with my new haircut!  I kid you not!

Q:  Can you tell us about Be More Heroic?
Be More Heroic is a non-profit organization that I am helping to start with my friend Justin Chase, who is also a singer-songwriter.  We got together after I was off ‘America’s Got Talent’ and we were just talking about different things that we would like to see in our culture change and we were like “what is something we can do about it?”  And he had this idea to start a website where people could upload inspirational videos.  Not cheesy, but cool ones.  Things young people really want to gravitate toward and inspire them.  So he had this idea to make a video for “Pumped Up Kicks” and he sent me his version of it and said “I would love to have a rap on this.  What do you think?”   He knows I like to rap and I like to write rap.  So I wrote my rap the day before I filmed the video with him. It was amazing how it all just came together — and nobody was paid for it.  People just donated their time and their effort because they believed in it and they really wanted to inspire people to take notice of the bullying problem.

Q:  What do you think about Howard Stern becoming a judge on ‘AGT?’
I think that is awesome.

Q:  Do you think he would be a fan of yours?
Honestly, after the parody (of Bieber) I think he probably totally would have understood what I was saying and found it funny and gotten the humor.  I don’t know about later on in the competition.  It’s hard to tell what he would have thought if I had made the same decisions I made (about song choices).

America's Got Talent, Season 6, 2011

Sharon Osbourne:

"You're fabulous; you light up the stage!"  

"I'm a big fan…  I love the purity of you, you're not contrived; you're true to who you are."  

"You sing with your heart, and I love that about you. "

Piers Morgan:

"I think you are a very talented young lady."  

"I love the humor… and I actually think, in your own right as a singer/songwriter, very talented!"

Howie Mandel:

"I love you; I love your attitude; I love everything you do." 

 "I think that you are a true star."

CBS NEWS: Beautiful & talented female singer Dani Shay looks like Justin Bieber

Dani Shay undoubtedly shows herself to be a talented and beautiful young singer in this video where she sings an original song entitled "Superheroes." It's the latter part that I'm having a lot of trouble with with for one major reason - she also happens to look exactly like Justin Bieber. 

It is truly scary just how dead-on she looks to Justin Bieber when you watch her. But she is aware of this and has even had some fun with it by doing a parody cover of Justin Bieber like the one below entitled "What The Hell." Of this video she writes: I am stopped everywhere I go because people think I am Justin Bieber. Before I even knew who he was, no matter what I was wearing, I would be asked for photos, autographs, etc. 

My advice - ignore the similarity in appearance, because she is a great singer. Just kick back and listen to some good acoustic guitar and singing by a talented young musician.  We here at The Feed salute you, Dani Shay!

PEREZ HILTON: Girl Who Looks Like Justin Bieber

Sings about Looking Like Him

Wow!  She could totally be Justin's stunt double in Justin Bieber: Never Say Never... Again!

Check out the video of Dani Shay performing her song What The Hell, which is all about how she looks like Justin Bieber.

She should seriously collab with The Biebs, and they should do a confusing duet together.  Ha!

All jokes aside, she's got a very nice voice, and we wish her all the best!

REV Miami: Dani Shay at E.L.L.A. Music Festival

On Sunday, October 4th, I had the pleasure of attending the last day of the E.L.L.A. Music Festival. During the diverse array of performances one young woman, by the name of Dani Shay, took me completely by surprise. She opened up her set by explaining that she was slightly emotional that day and apologized in advance for one of the best performances I have ever had the pleasure of viewing.

She opened up with a song titled, 'Shades Of Green', which absolutely blew my mind. When she started singing, everyone was immediately surprised that such a strong voice could come from such a tiny, quiet girl! As she sang her song, 'Apple', I watched in amazement as her heartfelt delivery was not only displayed in her face, but also spread to everybody surrounding her. Towards the end of her set she played a song that asked everybody, "All in favor of a new world shout I", in which everybody around cheered and indeed shouted. 'New World' questioned just about everyone in the audience, and outside of it.

Out of every performance I have covered I would have to say that Dani Shay is one of the most personable and impressing people I have seen to date.

2011 Press Quotes:

"You can tell by her music and lyrics that there is a deep connection with her...  She is trying to make sense of life's journey, through her music."  -InfoStarCelebrityBlog  

"Beyond just looking like The Biebs, this girl’s got a great voice!"  -Brittany Talarico, OK! Magazine 

"Dani Shay gets our props for sticking to her guns (by singing her own music on America's Got Talent)..." -Kristin Watson, SheKnowsEntertainment

"She has the kind of talent that comes from deep within the soul."  -Trevor Decker, DoTheRightThing