WIMBI 001 Fangirling Over Danyel Smith
WIMBI is the glitchez’ growing list of women in music ‘bout it. Specifically, music artists who create art around the definition pondered in our Contemporary Artist in Music article.
The WIMBI List is not restricted to music creators but includes the surrounding ecosystem. This includes the critic and writer reviewing work, the DJ that shares music to the masses while putting their spin on it and labels who intentionally curate & support boundary-stretching artists. For the glitchez mission, there’s a super focus on Black, Woman & Queer with each issue featuring a WIMBI we’d like to recognize.
Danyel "Word" Smith
For Spring 2024, we’re talking about Danyel Smith. Author, Former editor at Vibe & Billboard Magazine, writer, journalist, speaker, “Blackgirl Songbook” podcast host and author to Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop. And by her work’s very nature, she is an archivist, documentarian and historian in her chosen subjects. Here’s how I ended up fangirling over Danyel Smith and adding her to the list of Women In Music ‘Bout It.
Google it: The Power of Content Discovery
It’s amazing how online content discovery will have one reading an article written 4 years ago and having it be just as relevant as when it first came out. Today, we call that evergreen content.
In 2020, I discovered Danyel Smith’s work by way of an enthralling 2016 ESPN thinkpiece. The article is about Whitney Houston’s 1991 historic Super Bowl national anthem (When Whitney Hit the High Note) and was the precursor to my fandom of Smith, the storyteller. I remember exactly how I found this article.
We were entering February 2020 and Black History month. In Google fashion, the company dropped an ad acknowledging Black History month and it went viral. It included a montage of “most searched” on their platform which showcased Black past and present history makers. Most searched tennis player, most searched guitar solo, female poet, dunk, gymnast (Simone Biles, duh!?), most searched movement. . . And guess who’s Star Spangled Banner was the most searched? Surprise, surprise. Whitney Houston.
So the ad prompted me to google Whitney’s anthem and at the top of the search results (in 2020) was none other than Danyel Smith’s ESPN article. And that’s how I discovered & fell in love with her writing.
You have to understand. You have to remember. This is 1991. Before six people died in the World Trade Center bombing. Before 168 died in Oklahoma City. This is before 111 individuals were injured by a bomb made of nails and screws at the Atlanta Olympics. Before backpacks stuffed with pressure cookers and ball bearings blew limbs from people at the Boston Marathon. Think back. - Danyel Smith ESPN Excerpt
After reading it, I instantly recognized the author as a Woman In Music ‘Bout It. She breaks down the chain of events that led to the greatest national anthem ever sung with such passion, followed swiftly with facts. Not just facts but FUN facts. Like why Whitney’s rendition was historical and a musical innovation for the books. Or why the heck did she decide on wearing the track suit?
I can hear Smith’s voice clearly. Powerful as it sometimes shakes. But that’s how Danyel writes. She makes it personal. The transparency of her being in her feelings lends a higher level of truth to the work. Our Whitney Houston, a story and moment of triumph, immortalized in words by someone that cared enough to go deeper. Past the pop star. Past the gossip. Unframing her public storyline and reconnecting it back to the world she was living in with us. Smith shines a light on a Black woman, contemporary music artist and human who dealt with heavy, human things in superhuman ways.
The Google ad illustrates what Smith does best with her own work which is to back it up with DATA. Data does not lie! Data like dates, sales, times, budgets, etc. And in the High Note article, Smith takes all related info with curiosity and glee to break it down in an almost surgical manner.
HOUSTON WAS 27 when she sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV. She was already the first artist in history to have seven consecutive singles go to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 pop chart. This Whitney data, of course, does not yet include the zeniths and descents of the second half of her recording career. It doesn't include the impact she made on-screen in (and on the soundtracks of) 1992's The Bodyguard, 1995's Waiting to Exhaleand 1996's The Preacher's Wife. It doesn't quantify, because there is no quantifying,[...] - Danyel Smith ESPN Excerpt
This is Smith's writing in general. She casually weaves seemingly unsyncopated subjects into a smooth jazz blend of music, innovation, history, politics and personal human story. Thrilled, entertained, educated, appreciated. All and more of these feelings were felt while reading it. Every article written on this subject since then has referenced Smith’s takes, whether they credit her or not.
Danyel is more than her articles
Shortly after the ESPN article discovery, I did a quick, obsessed dig on the author and found out Smith was in the process of completing a book called Shine Bright. A book that touts her laser-focused mission of highlighting the barely heard and untold stories of pivotal Black women in pop music history. I squealed in F Major. If Whitney Hits the High Note was a preview of what the book would be, I was ready to get hit with the whole songbook!
Storytelling in a different format
In the interim of her Shine Bright book release, Smith created supplemental content in the form of the Black Girl Songbook podcast. In Smith’s own words, she describes it as the “book’s cousin”. I call it a gift to her audience excited about Shine Bright.
Whatever the reason, it made the wait for the book less painful. Also, hearing her by ear really cements her writing voice. It’s one and the same! She writes like she speaks and it’s unapologetic. Something that is a prerequisite for handling data and facts.
The podcast format, itself, was innovative with the sharing of music as a feature on platforms like Spotify. In between her storytelling, Danyel was able to insert full songs throughout the conversation, creating a more seamless story.
One of my fave episodes is "Aaliyah: Truly One in a Million I Chapter 15".
The format goes from Smith’s own introductory segment where she sets the stage and tone for the artist and the questions she attempts to answer. In the Aaliyah episode, she moves to reframe Aaliyah’s life from the tragedy to the amazing presence she had while alive and the legacy living after.
Smith inserts a song she feels represents Aaliyah best, this episode’s namesake One In A Million. Then the episode glides into an interview Smith has with THEE Fatima, legendary choreographer to R&B and rap legends. A nice insight granted to the audience as we get a chance to peer into another more intimate space and time with the late beloved artist. Fatima helps color in the iconic music video she choreographed for Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody?” Get into this episode!
Reading is essential
Shine Bright was published in 2022 and I had the luck to go to one of the in-bookstore appearances! It was great to see her in person and hear her talk a little about the process. She gave us a little insight on the process of naming the book.
I couldn’t even get through the first couple pages without tearing up with all the feels. I had to stop. I wanted to give my full attention, all or nothing. About 2 years later, and I still haven’t read it or any other new book on my shelf. I'm ashamed after all my fanfare! Sadly, I realize that I’ve become a book collector instead of a reader. There are many reasons why but instead of going down that rabbit hole we'll settle on doom scrolling and rent due capitalism.
So to rectify this, we have a glitchez Summer Reading List! with Shine Bright at the top of it. The summer reading schedule includes a handful of other books that need the same reverence and time to absorb on a subconscious but present level. With the awesome slate of artists she talks about in her book, I’m looking forward to the naturally built-in playlist I can listen along to with Smith’s guidance.
Sidenote, Pop Con 2024 happened on the USC campus which I only found out about through Danyel Smith's Instagram. She hosted the opening keynote panel with the always funky George Clinton. This 3-day event was an a-ha moment and one of the reasons I pushed forward with the glitchez platform and its direction. A recap on some of the panels the glitchez attended is in the works.
So thank you, Danyel “Word” Smith! For shining your light on worthy subjects through the art of storytelling and human record. The glitchez platform is definitely taking notes and can’t wait to get into this book, this summer.
Other select media:
Library of Congress Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop with Danyel Smith/
The Roots panel Danyel Smith Discusses Her Time Leading VIBE Magazine
Jemele Hill: Uncomfortable Relationship with Black Artists in Pop, "It's a bit of Brainwashing"
Washington Post: ‘Listen to Black women’: A playlist by music journalist Danyel Smith
Pitchfork An Interview with Danyel Smith, Author of Shine Bright, the Best Music Book of the Year
New York Times SZA’s Ruination Brought Her Everything - The New York Times
Curated Tidal Playlist: Danyel Smith: peace.joy.gratitude on TIDAL