Danny Fernandes Hits the Road for Haiti

R&B sensation Danny Fernandes is not only a hardworking singer with a rising career, but a philanthropist looking to make the world a better place. Joining Emily Osment, The New Cities, Jesse Labelle and Alyssa Reid, Danny is part of Much Music’s SodaPOP Tour, which is making its way through Canada with the hope of raising money for UNICEF’s relief efforts in Haiti. This tour, which kicked off in Vancouver at The Centre on Saturday, June 5th, isn’t exactly what Danny is used to (he is the only R&B singer), but when Youthink sat down with the young star before earlier in the day, it was clear he was very excited to be a part of what he calls an “awesome” event that also serves as a good cause.

YT: We know that the SodaPop Tour will be helping UNICEF with its Haiti relief efforts. What were your first thoughts when you heard about the devastating earthquakes in Haiti?
DF: I think devastated is the right word to use. It was sad, it was really, really sad, I didn’t know about it right off the bat. I had heard there had been something but I just didn’t know how bad it was until you actually see it for yourself you know? I have a bunch of Haitian friends out in Montreal and I know some of their families were missing and stuff like that so I called everyone I knew and made sure everything was alright. Thankfully they were all okay.

YT: How did you hear about this tour and how did you end up getting involved?
DF: One of my managers actually called me and asked me if I would want to do it and I was like “okay.” I already knew about it because Much Music told me about it and I didn’t know who they were going to put on the roster and what they were going to do so I said if you guys want I would be happy to do it! So then they called me about a month later and said they wanted me to do it so I ended up doing it!

YT: Why did you feel it was important for you to be a part of the SodaPop tour?
DF: It’s for a good cause. I mean UNICEF was nice enough to ask me to come out and do this and we actually recorded a song yesterday in Bryan Adams’ studio. It’s for UNICEF [and] it’s going to go on iTunes and all the money from all the downloads goes towards relief in Haiti.

YT: Why do you feel it’s important for celebrities, especially young ones such as yourself and the other artists on this tour, to be involved in these types of charitable events?
DF: I think it’s very important because we are in a position where we’re able to help. I mean, there are people who look up to us and stuff so I mean if I were to go on TV and tell my fans to go donate a dollar to somebody, they’ll do it. So yeah, I’m in a great position and I love helping people. I actually work with World Vision as well, so I have a couple children that I sponsor and we just did a 30-Hour Famine last month.

YT: With the tour kicking off tonight, in Vancouver, how are you feeling and what are you most excited for?
DF: I’m just excited to be in Vancouver, I love Vancouver! I got here and I’m very excited I saw a couple of fans outside who are coming so I’m very happy to be starting this tour in Vancouver. Actually I wish I was coming back to Vancouver!

YT: Other than Vancouver, which city are you most looking forward to performing in? Would it be your hometown of Toronto?
DF: Yes! Actually we’re doing a bunch of cities around Toronto too like Hamilton so anywhere near home is good, because I know I’ll be going home right after!

YT: Can you describe what the experience has been like getting to know the other artists on the tour? Have you worked with any of them in the past?
DF: I’ve never worked with any of them in the past and I just met them all yesterday; but now it feels like I’ve known them forever, they’re all so nice, Emily [Osment] is a great girl she’s so cool, Alyssa Reid is also really cool, Jesse Labelle, The New Cities, they’re all awesome, it’s like we were friends before, we’re getting along really well.

YT: How would you describe this concert to our teen readers?
DF: Awesome! It’s not really my style of concert. It doesn’t really make sense to me, it’s all rock, and then there’s me! I stand out I’m like the odd ball!

YT: What can fans expect from your performance?
DF: Anybody who’s seen me perform before will know it’s a great show. There’s going to be a lot of dancing, most of it’s dancing to be honest.

YT: I understand that at the end of each concert, all the artists will come together to perform a special song. Can you tell me more about that?
DF: Yes, that is the song that we recorded. It’s actually a song from the 80’s by Men Without Hats. It’s called Pop Goes the World so we just remade it, with all the same lyrics from the original song.

YT: What do you hope those in attendance will take away from the concert?
DF: A great experience. I mean there are a lot of us going out there on stage. There’s like five acts and we’re all different so it’s great!

YT: What will be up next for you once the SodaPop tour wraps up? What can your fans expect in the near future?
DF: I just finished my second album so I just wrapped that up, I have a single coming out next month featuring Belly from the new album. The song is called Automatic and we’re shooting the video for it after this tour. So what I did last year I’m going to do all over again! And I’ll probably be back in Vancouver soon!

So go to ITunes and download the SodaPOP Tour’s version of Pop Goes the World. With proceeds from all downloads going towards UNICEF’s Haiti relief efforts, it’s definitely a song you can feel good about jamming out to.