2 Minutes With ... Dann Liebermann of The Elements Music

Dann Liebermann began her career as a singer-songwriter, working with a wide range of producers and artists. In 2006, she sang a cover of Peggy Lee's "Fever" to become the voice of the FIFA World Cup for Mastercard.

A decade later, she joined The Elements Music as EP, head of creative partnerships, guiding projects with global brands including TikTok, Nike, Audi and Samsung. She's passionate in her role as global ambassador for Women in Music and works closely with Create Not Hate, which helps underprivileged young people break into creative industries.

We spent two minutes with Dann to learn more about her background, her creative inspirations, and recent work she's admired.

Dann, tell us...

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

Born and bred in West London.

Your earliest musical memory.

Being about 4 years old in the bathtub hearing Nick Kamen's "I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me," thinking, "what is THIS, I love it." Still do!

Your favorite bands/musicians today.

Frank Ocean and Francis and the Lights. Everything I want in an artist.

One of your favorite projects you've ever worked on. 

During the pandemic, we produced an original soundtrack for creative work Made in Lockdown. We reached out to our friends at Create Not Hate, a program that helps underprivileged young people break into creative industries, asking their community what the pandemic felt like for them. Fifteen-year-old Jaiden Chang wrote an incredible poem that he went on to perform as a spoken word over the music we produced. It was one of those projects that's completely genuine and connects in every way. I'm extremely proud of it.

A recent project you're proud of. 

I love what happened with our #EveryKiss campaign for Kay Jewelers. It's recent in so much as the overwhelming success of the campaign meant the brand relaunched the track again this NYE at the ball drop in Times Square. Everything about this project was joyful and a great experience for all involved. The track was written and performed by artist, Leslie Powell, garnering huge love from audiences who engaged with the campaign. So much so, it topped the TikTok viral charts next to Shawn Mendes. What's so brilliant about platforms like TikTok, is the talent on them. Brands simply need to lean into an artist or creator and let them do their thing to genuinely connect with audiences. 

One thing about how the music world is evolving that you're excited about.

Oh my gosh if you know me, you'll know I get excited by everything that’s blowing up in our lane. But I'd have to say, right now, A.I. Polarizing, but pretty darn exciting. We're definitely seeing humans and robots collide. No precedent, no benchmark, no rules, so how we produce and collaborate with these tools is creativity in motion.   

Someone else's work, in music or beyond, that you admired lately.

My friend, Catie Ginsburg at Partisan sent me vinyl at Christmas. I’ve had NoSo "Stay Proud of Me" on repeat. 

A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring.

I watched Coda on my trip back from NYC recently. Probably my favorite song in the whole world is the hero moment of the film. I welled up at the bar in JFK when she started to sing Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now."

An artist you admire outside the world of music

The photographer Casey Moore. I love the large format scale of his prints and watching his process on his Instagram. He's also got killer taste in music and shoots cool artists on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood label.  

Your favorite fictional character.

Nick Carraway from The Great Gatsby. The observer, narrator of nuance. 

Someone worth following in social media.

@suonadivina—for all you audiophiles.

Your main strength as a marketer/creative.

Creative thinking 

Your biggest weakness.

Patience

Something people would find surprising about you.

I'm a trained holistic massage therapist!

One thing that always makes you happy.

Joni Mitchell

One thing that always makes you sad.

Joni Mitchell 

What you'd be doing if you weren't in the music business.

I've kinda got a side hustle in development. All things NN. Things I love. Things I make. Things to shop. Coming soon!