The Cairns singer with something serious to say

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As a kid, Danielle Davis used to sing her favourite early 2000s rock songs using a hairbrush as a pretend microphone.

Her life-long love of singing took Danielle to a career in music, writing songs and performing in her hometown Cairns.

Now, Danielle makes her recording debut, with the four-track EP Hard Conversations, and Howl, a song she hopes will shine light on a serious problem in Far North Queensland.

Domestic violence.

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“I really had something to say about domestic violence, and it wasn't about me. It wasn't about how I felt about it.

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"Helping them to be able to change their lives in what can be chaotic and seemingly hopeless situations.”

Danielle saw plenty of domestic violence during her time as a Cairns street chaplain, helping people in the CBD on Friday and Saturday nights.

“They patrol the nightclub district of Cairns, they’re a Good Samaritan service, handing out cups of water.

“They’re making sure people are getting home safely and just there to be the in-between between security and ambulance service,” Danielle told Tropic.

“I lost count of the times that I saw domestic violence spilling onto the quiet streets of Cairns nightlife.

“It was just so terribly heartbreaking.

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“It was just an incredible experience where you could be that shoulder to cry on or helping someone in a dangerous situation get home and know that they're going to be okay and that they're going to be safe.”

Danielle served as a street chaplain for three years, a period full of challenges and inspiration.

She says the experience showed her there’s a need to raise awareness about domestic violence, and music can help people absorb the message.

“Music speaks differently to every person, whether you listen to the lyrics or the music itself, it carries a lot of emotion.

“Sometimes it can just touch us in the right place at the right time. It can say the right thing.

“It can just stop us dead in our tracks and wake us up to what's really going on.

“I believe that with domestic violence, communication is key.

“If more of us are aware of the signs of it, the patterns, then we're more able to do something about it, whether it's for us personally or our loved ones, including our friends and our family.

“I just have such a heart for those suffering because of domestic violence.

“It's my goal that, even on a global scale, this issue can be raised and that through the medium of music that more people can be reached.

“My plan is to keep writing, keep releasing, keep trying to reach out to those people and provide resources for them so they can take action where they need to, without putting themselves in danger.”