Daniel on Piano, Pressure, Simon Squibb & Playing Us Out | The Danifesto

In this episode of The Danifesto, I sit down with Daniel for a real conversation about where piano started for him, how his mind works, the pressure that comes with growth, and the way music has shaped his life.

We also get into the story of how Simon Squibb came into the picture, what that connection meant, and how moments like that can shift the way you see yourself and what’s possible.

It’s honest, personal, and reflective — and to close the episode, Daniel finishes by playing piano live, which makes the ending something special.

A proper conversation about music, focus, identity, and momentum.

Topics in this episode:
•Daniel’s early journey with piano
•Pressure, growth, and mindset
•ADHD, focus, and creativity
•Meeting Simon Squibb
•What he’s building now
•Live piano at the end

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Hi everyone, welcome back to the Dana Festo. Today I'm joined by a very special guest, Daniel. I wanted to get him on because there is a lot more to what it looks like on camera. You've got the music, you've got the focus, you've got the pressure, and also how someone like Simon Squibb came into his life. Hello Daniel, how are you?

SPEAKER_00 0:21

Hello, I'm good, not bad. Yeah, how's your day been? I'm very grateful, amazing.

SPEAKER_02 0:27

For anyone who doesn't know, yeah, who are you? What do you do?

SPEAKER_00 0:33

I'm uh I play piano. Yeah, and uh I compose as well, my piece. And uh I try sharing my uh music now for a lot of people in a public. Yeah. It's my dream is uh become a pianist. Yep, yeah, this is my big dream. I'm very happy as well because uh last year uh I meet Simus Q random. I don't organize uh for this meeting, and uh I tell a story. I can play in uh King Cross, Saturn Cross for uh public piano, and Simon Skib coming coming uh in the front with me and uh ask uh me what's your dream, Daniel. Me it's scary first because I don't recognize no Simus Kibb. And uh I tell uh I tell uh him my dream, and I tell uh my dream is uh going to Britain got talent. Wow, uh yeah, that's a big dream, but you know, yeah, and uh him is very happy for me, and I tell me, play, play some piece, piano, and me I start to play uh Intrastellar because it's uh no popular piece, but in my own style, and uh I show it him, Simon, like uh no, my piece, and uh playing uh this piece, and uh after I don't know uh six months, uh Simon uh public uh post yeah, post uh piece for Interstellar and uh tell my dream, no, in a video like that. Yeah, and uh the next uh part about my story. Simon Scubin one day invited me in uh central London and uh prepare for me a surprise and tell me Danny uh possible come today in London for this time for this address, and uh I tell yeah Simon, sure. And I come uh for this place, I arrive it and uh tell me Daniel. I prepare uh a big surprise for you. And I stay outside for a hotel, and uh I wait, I don't know, maybe two minutes, and coming uh coming outside uh Lang Lang, the best oh my word! Lang Lang Yes, I'm meeting in reality, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:03

How does that make you feel? Because you must look look up to Lang Lang because he's one of the best people, you know, yeah, he was very exactly very famous, very famous artist.

SPEAKER_00 3:13

Yeah, and uh I've seen that many. It's just show Joe Holmes and for me. And and uh in the next uh I'm meeting and I tell uh tell me some question. I tell uh my general country is Romania. I come uh now uh here in 2021 in pandemic here in UK, and uh at the moment I work in construction and I play a piano as well. And uh Simon uh tell me and Line Lang as well. It's not easy work in construction and play piano in the same time. It's uh double effort.

SPEAKER_02 3:51

Yeah, but it must be hard for you. So I've got so I've got I've got a question for you. So, where did piano even start for you? So, like, you know, did it start when you were younger? Did it start when you were older? You know, when did it start with piano? Yeah, yeah, when did it start?

SPEAKER_00 4:07

I start I started my age, and I tell you, I I show you, I I started my age, and oh sorry. No, it's okay, and uh and for first, like I know, like one, two, three, four, like step by step, no? Yeah, yeah. And uh every every day, yeah, uh I practice a lot. I don't know. For example, I started my age in uh for one year. I don't know, maybe play 50 minutes a day like that.

SPEAKER_02 4:36

Yeah, yeah, it's just good to just get get used to it. So, how old? How old were you when you started playing? How old?

SPEAKER_00 4:43

10, 10 my age. Tell my age. Exactly. I'm very passionate, uh, very my passion for piano like that. Yeah, and uh every every day, more progress. In the next uh many years, I know I play uh like two, three hours a day, practice a lot.

SPEAKER_02 4:57

Wow, wow, that that's like that's a lot of hours like that.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

And uh yeah, and uh last year, last year I have uh I don't know, I make a decision like that myself, and uh I believe in myself as well. And uh I try that I need uh practice more for two or three, four hours. Yeah, because it's self-self-belief, yeah. Exactly, successfully, exactly. And uh this year uh I composed four composition my own like one one year ago. Yeah, I started uh sharing my uh sharing my melody, sharing my piece.

SPEAKER_02 5:34

Yeah, yeah, that that that that's what I mean. You know, like um go from 10 to then going to London and then you know sharing your piece and sharing you and and that but um also I wanted to tell the people up there like how I met you because it was a bit weird, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_00 5:53

Yeah, so um yeah, like it like a lot of people uh telling me Daniel, you're very talented, you need uh more than like that, you need to continue. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Encourage, yeah, encourage you uh with meet, I don't know, some girl, some people coming hug me like that, like uh like it uh yeah, my talent.

SPEAKER_02 6:15

Yeah, yeah. So um so I was in London filming a podcast, and this is gonna come out I think maybe earlier, but if not on the same day as the podcast. So go and check that out. Um I'll be everywhere on social media, on my social media. So go check out the podcast. Yeah, nice. Definitely after this one. Amazing.

SPEAKER_00 6:37

But how we met and uh yeah, and uh I don't know. Uh two days ago, two days now? Yeah, I'm meeting you, I'm meeting you in uh Easter script. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you can my god your Daniel!

SPEAKER_02 6:51

Yeah, you recognize the remember so so so yeah, so I was in London yesterday it was. It was, it was it was yesterday, Tuesday, yeah. Yeah, yesterday, yeah, and um and so so I I was in London filming a podcast, and um so it was time to go back. So I was coming to Houston, and we still had about 40 minutes till the train left. So we were just you know walking around Houston and that there's like an escalator and there's a piano underneath. So um so so I heard playing, and I'm like, wow, you know, that's really really good. But I remember because about like about like I think it was like six months ago or something, something like that, the um Simon Squibb, who I'm a big fan of, posted a video and it was of you. Yeah, and um exactly, yeah, he posted a video of you, and um so I I looked at the piano and I thought I wonder is that Dan from TikTok? So I quickly I quickly so I quickly got on my phone and I was scrolling up and down. We were like, Is it is it is it Dan from the TikTok? So I'm thinking look looking at you, looking at the phone, so I think it is, you know. So when when when Dan or you know when you finish your next piece, I went up to you and said, Isn't this you? And you went, Yeah, yeah, it is. And I went, oh my word, you know, I know you're from Simon Squib, you know, you know, because we we already exchanged like like a few emojis or something, didn't we went, you know, like a happy face or something. And that's bonkers, because I'm I I live in Liverpool and you live in London, you know, back by London. So it's just mad that I came down and just recognized you. So yeah, that's proper mad.

SPEAKER_00 8:34

Yeah, and after uh and after meeting uh the guy Sylvie, a bitcher, yeah uh send it, send it for Simon Skibe.

SPEAKER_02 8:43

Yeah, did she reply?

SPEAKER_00 8:46

Yeah, and Simon Squib responded me today. Yeah, what did he say? Uh but but quick, but quick, because tell me it's a busy like that. Uh let me ask, uh, how are you, Simon? How are you, man? And uh tell me I'm busy, man. Uh all good. How uh how is your day? Like that, and uh after that uh respond me. Yeah, because it's a business. It's uh sorry, it's a busy, it's a business a lot. Yeah, it's very busy. And uh I applied for Britain quite talent. Did you apply? Uh uh yeah, yeah, yeah. Application is submitted.

SPEAKER_02 9:19

Well, congratulations!

SPEAKER_00 9:21

A way to wait to uh contact me stuff, like going to audition.

SPEAKER_02 9:26

Yeah, you'll have to tell me when you're doing it, I'll have to come and watch you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, we'll we'll play after. We'll play it, we'll play after. I'll we'll we'll I'll pull it online. We'll do it, we'll do it at the end. Okay, we'll do it at the end. You can do a piano piece and a guitar at the end. So, yeah, if there's gonna be a show after, so stay tuned. So, was it so was the Simon Squib help you grow, like grow big?

SPEAKER_00 9:47

Yes, Simon Squib, yeah, help me. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 9:50

So it's so good how he can have an audience and he can just like throw it onto like people like you, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 9:58

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:59

It's really good. So um so did you feel excited when you you were on Salmon Squibb and because after Salmon Squibb, you must have got a lot of followers.

SPEAKER_00 10:12

Yes, I'm very, very a lot excited, yeah. Yeah, so like in one day, in one day invited me in uh studio, no? Studio Simon, I'm going to Central London and uh yeah, show show me uh uh your stuff, no? Like uh make a video, yeah. Um it's very nice, very nice studio. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:43

So yeah, so um so yeah, so I'm gonna go on about the you know the Simon Squib bit because I really you know because I really wanna talk about Simon Squibb because that's such a random but interesting crossover. And how how did that happen? You know, can you go over the story on how it happened and like um you know how we met you and where were you? What what words did he exactly say and everything?

SPEAKER_00 11:11

Uh last year, 2025, in uh like uh I know uh September like that, yeah. A place uh City Pancras, King Cross, King's Cross St.

SPEAKER_02 11:25

King's Cross. So did you already know him? Did you recognize him?

SPEAKER_00 11:29

Or did you just no for first no for first I don't recognize you didn't recognize these guys?

SPEAKER_02 11:35

So he came up to you and said, What's your dream? And where you wait so at first, were you a bit like freaked out? Like, who are you? You know what I mean? What are you doing?

SPEAKER_00 11:44

Yeah, I'm very scary for first now because I don't recognize and uh tell me I'm a big uh I don't know uh fan or like that, yeah. I I I know and uh after filming me, yeah, and letting me play uh piano, some piece, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:04

Because you you played Interstellar, didn't you?

SPEAKER_00 12:08

Yes, I played Interstellar. And after uh play it, a lot of people watching me and uh too many clap to finish my you know a show, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:18

That was good. So so with Simon Squibb like coming into him, like so you haven't heard of him before. So for somebody who doesn't know him, it must be really, really scary for like someone to just come up to him and go, Hello, you know, like he has a little mic, doesn't he? Like, like what's your dream, you know? Must be a bit scary.

SPEAKER_00 12:42

What's your dream, man?

SPEAKER_02 12:45

Yeah, it's good though, because the the stuff you do with Simon artists are amazing. I would love to have him on my podcast one day, it would be great, you know. Yeah, but yeah, um, but yeah, so so what was going through your head when it happened? Like, what were you thinking? Because there must be a lot that was going through your head at the time when you met Simon.

SPEAKER_00 13:05

Um, in my head, um I don't know, I don't believe it, yeah. I don't believe it like uh meat for these guys because you know, it's uh millionaire, no, and uh have 19 businesses, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:20

I know it's just it's so cool, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 13:22

That you know you met you yeah, very cool, amazing, wonderful, really, really good uh yeah, for this uh big stuff, no?

SPEAKER_02 13:32

Yeah, yeah. So so so yeah, so um so did Simon Squibb say anything to you that's stuck in your head after?

SPEAKER_00 13:41

Yes, uh say me, Daniel. I want to help you, no, like uh uh coming your dream in reality, like uh become a pianist.

SPEAKER_02 13:51

Wow, be because because with that as well, it must be like because because to have to have send me a link uh for help bank now.

SPEAKER_00 14:03

Yeah, it's a foundation, like help uh no too many people like uh yeah because make a business like that, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:13

Yeah, I yeah, because I went to a help bank event and I won like a little if uh well not little a 500 pound. Like that's that's not really little, but like I won 500 pounds and I I was chuffed. I really really was because all the stuff they do is amazing. It's really it's really really good, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 14:30

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:32

Yeah. So have you had any experience with help bank? Have they helped you in any way, shape, or form?

SPEAKER_00 14:38

No, no, yes.

SPEAKER_02 14:40

Are you are you on the help bank like on the on the social media?

SPEAKER_00 14:47

Uh no, no yet.

SPEAKER_02 14:50

You'll have to get on. It's really good, you just post and um everyone can see ya. It's really, really good. Really. I love going on help bank and just posting it and all that. Right, do you want to give us a little performance then? Yeah, go on then. Right, now we're gonna now we are gonna see Daniel perform. Are you ready, Daniel? Yes, go on, take it away.

SPEAKER_00 16:58

Um yeah, it's a noise, no?

SPEAKER_02 17:03

And um yeah, well, draw that was that was really good though.

SPEAKER_00 17:07

Um try uh should I do one more composition? My composition.

SPEAKER_01 17:13

Go on, uh let's say it takes already done.

SPEAKER_02 18:48

Wow, that's so cool, man. No more round of applause. That is so good. Anyway, I I think that's everything. Do you got anything to say?

SPEAKER_00 19:02

Uh I'm happy. Like uh make a podcast, no, with you today. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:07

And uh see you in the next uh podcast. I see you in the next podcast. Amazing. Yeah, bye bye everyone. Bye bye.