The boy-band-gone-solo pipeline is one of our favorites — and most recently, Daniel Seavey of boy band Why Don’t We did just that with his debut single “Can We Pretend That We’re Good?” on September 30, 2022. Keep reading to uncover everything we know about Daniel and his time in Why Don’t We.

Who is Daniel Seavey?

Daniel was born in Vancouver, Washington, but grew up in Portland, Oregon, on April 2, 1999 (an Aries!). He’s incredibly musically talented, as he has perfect pitch and can play over 20 instruments just by ear — growing up, his father would take him to do street performances on the city’s art walks. Additionally, he competed on season 14 of American Idol and finished in ninth place!

In 2016, Daniel formed Why Don’t We with Jack AveryJonah Marais, Zach Herron and Corbyn Besson after they met in Los Angeles. The group has gone on to release two albums, six extended plays and has gone on tour a total of four times. However, the group announced a hiatus in July 2022 amid a legal battle with their former management company, Signature Entertainment.

Daniel Seavey’s New Song ‘Can We Pretend That We’re Good?’

“Can We Pretend” is Daniel’s first official single, though he released “Bleed on Me” over the summer as well as a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” — the very song that he auditioned with on American Idol.

As Why Don’t We’s main producer, Daniel has revealed that the transition from writing for a band to just himself has been super exciting.  “When I was writing for the band, I was writing for all five of us, which was great for its own reasons,” Daniel told Rolling Stone in September 2022. “There’s a whole new wave of inspiration and excitement now that I’m digging into who I truly am.”

“‘Can We Pretend That We’re Good?’ defines me,” Daniel said of his new song. “From the sound to the lyrics, it felt like the best representation of who I am and where I am going as my own artist.”

“My goal in every song is to make something nobody has ever heard. That may be cliché, but the music can speak for itself,” he says. “I have been writing and producing the majority of my work completely on my own, in my house.”

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