Daniel Baron’s Latest Album is Finally Here

posted on

June 19, 2017

2009 Top 10 Idols SA finalist, Daniel Baron has made quite the career for himself. Despite not winning the singing competition, Baron has gone on to release numerous singles and albums and has become more successful than most of the Idols SA winners. I was fortunate enough to attend the Weekend of Mass Destruction album launch and man… what an experience.

The Launch

I’ve been a fan of Daniel’s since 2009 so of course, I jumped at the opportunity to be one of the first to preview his new album. The event was held at the luxurious penthouse suite of the Da Vinci Hotel in the heart of Sandton. Guests were invited to indulge in signature cocktails and canapes as the sun set over Sandton CBD. Like most South Africans, I have such an appreciation for our sunsets, and this event was the absolute perfect way to view it.

Da Vinci Penthouse Sunset — View of the sun setting over Sandton as seen from the penthouse suite of the Da Vinci Hotel.

Model Sculpture

The interior of the suite was decorated with electric pink, gold and black making for a strikingly edgy and elegant setting. In addition, there were live-sculptures wearing daring outfits displayed throughout the venue. These ladies didn’t only look like pieces of art but they stayed frozen for about 2 hours until Daniel’s performance began when they then came to life and danced amoungst the crowd.

The event was pretty intimate with a guest list of no more than 80 people. This made for a wonderful social setting where it was easy to meet and get to know other guests. The conversation was accompanied by smooth saxophone music and it was lit.✨ No, but for real, for certain songs, the musician had fireworks spraying from her sax!

Saxophone with Sparks

Shortly after the sun had set, Daniel made his entrance. To my surprise, he didn’t go straight to the stage but instead took his time to walk around and greet every single person there and take the opportunity to introduce himself if they hadn’t met before. He wasn’t in a rush but rather stayed chatting for a couple of minutes before moving on to the next group of people. I thought this was particularly refreshing given his success and talent.

After he made the rounds, he took to the stage to give us a taste of his latest masterpiece.

The Album

Daniel Baron is no stranger to pushing the boundaries and Weekend of Mass Destruction is without a doubt the most experimental he’s been. While the album is classified as pop, Baron uses African deep house beats and cinematic strings to create unique tracks that push the envelope of the pop genre while staying true to his sound. Elements of EDM and rock are used to convey the overarching theme of celebrating love and destroying hate.

The songs are both catchy and masterfully produced. Before the album was even launched, two of the featured tracks (Children of the Sun and Beautiful Noise) were local chart toppers, giving fans much to be excited about. The craftsmanship that went into producing this album is undoubtedly evident. Daniel and his team worked tirelessly to make this the best of his albums yet.

“I have never been as proud of anything in my life as I am of this album. I have never worked this hard. I’ve put everything behind this project, and I have all faith in it.” – Daniel Baron

Not only did I get to hear some of the songs live (and get a sneak-peak of an unreleased music video!) but I’ve got the album and have been listening to it on repeat since last week.

Weekend of Mass Destruction released on 16 June 2017 and is available on Apple Music and iTunes, with 1 000 limited edition autographed physical CDs up for order.

I am constantly amazed at the calibre of local talent we have in South Africa, and Daniel Baron is without a doubt one of the leading pop artists truly shaping his craft while producing world-class hits at the same time. Do yourself a favour and give Weekend of Mass Destruction a listen and show your support for local talent by following Daniel Baron on social media.