Danielsen Studios - Danica Danielsen

For Danica Danielsen, the road to performing on stage was paved when she grabbed her red plastic microphone and belted out a version of the "Sailor Moon" theme song, jumping from couch to table. She was all of four years old, and people took notice.

"She always loved to entertain," said her stepfather, Steve Danielsen, with a laugh. "All I ever heard was, 'Look at me, papa!'"

In the years since, Danica has sung, danced, learned to play instruments and generally prepared for a career writing, performing and recording music.

Now 18, she recently graduated from Clayton Heights Secondary and is pumped to turn her attention to music - full time, all the time.

"That's really the focus now, to develop myself as an artist," said Danica, who turns heads with her low, raspy voice and magazine-cover looks.

"I can teach here, too, and keep that going."

The "here" is Danielsen Studios, a slick teaching and recording facility wired into what was once the family's garage.

It's the domain of Steve Danielsen, a veteran guitar player, teacher and, now, architect of his stepdaughter's emerging career in music.

He is a veteran of the Vancouver barband circuit of the late 1980s.

"When I was her age," he said, "I got into playing clubs six nights a week in Vancouver, but that's not so easy anymore. It was just play, play, play, back in the big-hair days, and it's different now. I don't want her to waste her youth away trying to get gigs all the time. Now it's about building her internet presence, social media, blogging, all those things that weren't around back then."

With Steve on guitar, Danica has focused on writing her own songs and learning some choice covers for corporate shows, special events and, in July, an appearance at the Sturgis North biker festival in Salmon Arm. Then there's the house gig the duo enjoys every Sunday evening at the Eighteen 27 restaurant in Fort Langley.

"It's pretty cool," Steve said, "because when I first met her, she had this plastic microphone in her hand. So 16 years later, I can look over and there she is, that same girl, still with a microphone in her hand, and I'm playing along with her."

The pair have found themselves in New York and Nashville on musicrelated adventures. More recently, they've found an audience with soldiers at The Royal Westminister regiment dinner and, also in May, at the Cloverdale Rodeo & Country Fair. The upcoming Cloverdale Blueberry Festival, held on Saturday, Aug. 6, will be another stage for the duo.

News and performance dates can be found online at danicadanielsen.com.

For Danica Danielsen booking information, please e-mail Steve Danielsen at steve@stevedanielsen.com