“Friday Night” – The soundtrack to summer nights, bonfires, and memories that never fade.
Danny Drouin is a rising force in the Prince Edward Island music scene, known for his versatile sound and heartfelt storytelling. A multi-instrumentalist and two-time CBC Searchlight Top 100 artist, he recently won the ECCMA Rising Star competition.
As he prepares to release his third solo album, Danny drops “Friday Night”—a nostalgic anthem celebrating carefree summer nights. Set to appear on his upcoming EP, 5 O’Clock Shadow, the single captures the joy of bonfires, friendship, and unforgettable weekends.
First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Danny Drouin. I’m from Prince Edward Island and I been around music all my life. Both my Dad and brother played music, and I started when I was about 14 or 15 and decided to keep at it. I always wrote songs, but I got a little more serious about it in 2017. In between I have always been in bar bands since I was about 16 but it’s only been in the last 7 years, I’ve been playing my originals in my shows.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
Friday Nights was a thought that came across my mind when I was coming home from work one night. It was late and I had noticed all the younger fellas all lined up talking and chit-chatting with each other. It took me right back to when my friends and I did exactly the same thing when I was their age. We’d gather up and hang out and talk from car to car or truck to truck it seems these days.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
The songwriting process. I never usually have a process. Songs can come to me either on a drive, early in the morning, at work, or even just watching a show on tv. I’ve written songs without any instruments around and some songs come from a riff I’ll play on my guitar, and sometimes it just comes out when I pick up my old hummingbird to change the strings, and out comes another song about something I may have seen that day. So, I don’t really have a process of any kind. But one thing I really try to do is to tell a story with my songs and hopefully, the listener will connect with the story I’m telling and that they can really picture the song and let it play out in their minds like a 3-and-a-half-minute movie.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
In June, I am planning a joint album release with a great friend of mine named Rick Sparkes. He’s a great writer. I’m hoping to get a video out soon for this release and the next release. I’m always putting up content so people can catch everything on my website and all my socials. My EP is almost finished, and I’ll be working on the next one right away.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
I’ve had some pretty great memories and moments in my small career. I’ve opened for many great artists including Brett Kissel, The Road Hammers, Kim Mitchell, Jason McCoy, and many more. One thing that really comes to mind though is that I have two of my songs hit the top 100 in the CBC Searchlight competition. That to me was a good nod to me that I am heading in the right direction with my writing. Also, just last year I had the chance to compete in the inaugural East Coast Country Music Association Rising Star Competition where I took home the grand prize.
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
Well, Rick Sparkes and the Enablers deserve this shout-out as a local Islander. He’s got a great Laurel Canyon Sound going on and his lyrics are great as well. I also want to mention, as a guitar nerd, Cardinal Black. They are from the UK, and I started watching their guitar player, Chris Buck, on his YouTube channel and was blown away by his playing and then that got me into his band.