Alum Daniel Emmet reflects on genre-defying career

Chapman alumnus Daniel Emmet graduated in 2015 with a degree in vocal performance. Although his was originally trained as an opera singer, he has made a debut in “pop crossover” music. SAM ANDRUS Staff Photographer

Daniel Emmet caused a national stir with his 2018 audition on season 13 of America’s Got Talent. Though he began the audition performing his original song “Amante,” he was cut off by Simon Cowell who instead tasked Emmet with learning Il Divo’s “Passera” — a foreign language song the singer had never heard — in an hour. The performance ushered Emmet into the next round of the competition, and though he didn’t win, the song kick started his career in the “classical crossover” world.

Emmet, who graduated from Chapman in 2015 with a degree in vocal performance, went on to perform at Caesars Palace, the Staples Center and Angels Stadium. Most recently, he returned to his alma mater March 6 to perform as a guest vocalist with The Chapman Orchestra. Before the concert, he sat down with The Panther to reflect on his journey.

Q: Why did you decide to audition for America’s Got Talent?

A: I picked A.G.T. over some of the other shows because they love an artist who is left of center. They aren’t looking for the next pop idol. For my type of artist, someone who isn’t a mainstream top 40 singer, that was the perfect fit. In 2018 I felt that I had developed as a singer and I knew who I wanted to be as an artist and it was time to start making strides. I still don’t know how on earth I made it to the finale, but proved to me that there is a place for my music and that the world is excited about it. It was a huge validating moment.

Q: What was it like to sing “Passera” on TV with just an hour of preparation?

A: They asked me if I knew this song. I said, “No, I do not” and they said “Well it’s in Italian, and you have one hour to go learn it and then come back and sing it in front of Simon Cowell and 10 million people on national television.” It was a combination of determination, adrenaline and a little bit of divine intervention that got me through that hour. Without having the training, I wouldn’t have known I could take on the song. Having the background in Italian, which was my cluster here at Chapman, enabled me to go into that challenge with belief it could be possible.

Q: A lot of people say the moment was staged, what do you say to that?

A: I promise you on my mother’s life there was no staged part of that thing. I’m not that good of an actor, first of all. I had never heard that song and there’s probably some residual stress from that moment I still carry in my shoulders. I only remember brief flashes from that hour because of how intense it was. Right as I was about to walk back out on stage, I walked past Tyra Banks and she grabbed me by the shoulders, looked me in the face and said “Are you ready?” and I was like “I don’t know!” and she goes, “Well, you’re on,” and she threw me out on stage. It was terrifying, but it was worth it in the end.

Q: “Passera” has become your signature song, is it weird looking back on the moment when you first sang it?

A: It really is. It was one of those completely out of the blue moments where things just happen for a reason. It’s incredible to me that that song they made me learn in an hour I got to release as my first single and it ended up debuting at number two on the iTunes classical chart. I never would have found it without Simon bringing it up to me. It’s just one of those moments that can change your life in an instant.

Q: Are you thinking about putting out new music?

A: There is new music coming out this year. I can’t say when or how many, but it will be a combination of original songs and covers.

Q: You can sing in seven languages: English, French, German, Italian, Latin, Russian, and Spanish. Do you have a favorite?

A: I do speak Italian and I speak enough in all those languages to ask where the bathroom is and say “Hello, how are you?’ but at Chapman I got to learn how to correctly pronounce all the words and to sing them like a native. Every language has different vowel sounds and phrasing and consonants. Speaking and singing a language is different as well. I would say if I had to pick one it would be Italian because that’s the first foreign language I sang in and it’s the one that falls out of my face the best.

Q: How did you get interested in opera?

A: I started singing when I was 16, so I came to this a little later than a lot of people. I always had a passion for multilingual singing and I fell in love with crossover artists like Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion. It wasn’t until I was accepted into the vocal performance department at Chapman that I explored the more operatic style and the power behind that. My teacher here, Carol Neblett, really opened my eyes to how classical training and operatic power will enable you to sing anything under the sun.

Q: Why did you choose to come to Chapman?

A: Carol Neblett was a huge star in her own right and the first time I met her was before I applied. I did a trial voice lesson with her and we clicked immediately. She was the teacher and the artistic influence I needed at the time and I stayed with her for seven years until she passed away. She was the foremost reason that Chapman was the right fit for me. Chapman’s openness allowed me to explore all the different kinds of music that I sing now. I could learn the classical and still learn a cappella and participate in what is now called Chapman Celebrates. We got to do a little bit of musical theater and explore so many disciplines. It felt right.

Q: What is it like working in a niche genre?

A: I was trained in opera, but since graduating I’ve been more in the pop-crossover world. It’s kind of the no man’s land between pop, opera, rock and roll and theater. Classical crossover would be the best way to describe it. There really isn’t a word for the genre that I sing in right now. It’s something really new and it’s being discovered and developed. I’m passionate about classical music and opera was something that I got to be exposed to here at Chapman, but prior to that I didn’t have any experience with it. Vegas calls me the “gateway drug to classical music” and that’s what my goal is. Somebody might not seek out a symphony, but maybe they’ll come to one of my shows first and go “Oh, OK I’m in to that,” and then they’ll get interested in classical music. I hope to be able to give back to the art form that inspired me.

Q: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome?

A: I would have to say it’s where the music industry is right now. You’ll get a lot of doors shut in your face and you’ll get a lot of “no’s.” It may sound stereotypical to say, “You’ll get a million no’s before the yes,” but I’m on my 999,999th “no” so I’m hoping that the one “yes” comes. Whether it does or not, I’m still the luckiest guy in the world because I’ve only ever had one job and that job is to sing. I get to do what I love and what I trained for at school every day and not a lot of people can say that, especially in the arts.

Q: What would that one “yes” be?

A: It’s hard to define. I think part of it comes down to the drive as an artist. I don’t think that one “yes” really exists. I think it’s when you feel like you’ve achieved everything that you can do and I know I still have a long way to go. It’s not a record deal or a show. That’s not the “yes.” The “yes” is “OK, I’ve done everything I can do, now I can pass it onto the next generation.” And I’m only 26 so I have time.