"I was on my own, when suddenly there's you..." | Exploring Danielle Allard on Twitch.

With the current state of affairs happening world-wide, it is of no surprise that people are in need of a distraction, or escapism. It can be at these times where music lovers (such as myself) seek solace in the likes of Spotify and more recently Twitch. Twitch has seen a staggering increase of music-streamers entering the fold, having perhaps lost their main source of income from touring and gigs. It is undeniably a tough time for musicians everywhere, so it is refreshing to see "new" talent appearing on Twitch.

One musician who springs to mind is Danielle Allard, who can be found here: https://www.twitch.tv/danielleallard. I was recommended by another streamer to check out Danielle's channel as she was new to Twitch, but was already an established musician in her native Canada. Twitch delivers this fantastic opportunity to discover musicians, whom you may not have the opportunity to see live. As with every new music streamer, I was intrigued, so decided to check her out.

Danielle had only begun streaming on Twitch, although she already had an audience on other platforms. Using her mobile to broadcast her stream to her Twitch audience, I was drawn in by her warmth and friendliness which appears to be a common trait among Canadian streamers, with the likes of Charlie A'Court and Melissa Lamm coming to mind. Danielle has created a lovely rapport with her audience, so much so that it creates an intimate space where stories can be told, laughs shared, and people can chat about their day. The chat intertwines with the soothing music, a mixture of jazz, blues, pop and folk.

While Danielle has amassed 52 songs on her song-list, it was her eleven originals that really stood out for me, demonstrating her talent as a singer-songwriter. One of the very first songs she sang while I visited her stream was her original, albeit non-conventional love song called Java. While it began describing a meeting with someone, whom she "will love until the end of time", the lyrics progress from verse to verse into confusion as to the identity of this mysterious being. I will not spoil it for you, you will have to check it out yourself. It is a very sweet love song, but Danielle has admitted that her favourite moment is when people realise mid-song, to whom she is referring. What stood out for me the most, however, was her performance of her song Shipwreck. While listening to Danielle performing this song acoustically in her stream, I could imagine being transported to a live venue and hearing a pin-drop as the song and the delicateness of Danielle's voice tugs on the heartstrings, realising that all-to-familiar feeling of being "a shipwreck on a bar-stool".

Danielle's Twitch streams introduced me to her Spotify page where her albums Chameleon (2015) and Passing Notes (2018) are available. Two of my favourite songs, Shipwreck and All your Answers, feature from her album, Chameleon. While All your Answers has an upbeat tempo, Shipwreck immediately follows it, where the mixture of mournful piano with glorious harmonies leaves you completely in tears after every listen. Furthermore, Danielle does a very haunting cover of Careless Whisper, which is so impressive and well worth checking out.

So make sure to visit Danielle Allard on Twitch, with streams on Thursdays and Sundays. As with lots of music streamers on Twitch, the music community is so welcoming and in no time you will feel at home. The warmth and friendliness of this musician will draw you in, but her amazing voice accompanied by her wonderful soothing guitar will make you want to stay.

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