Video: My Favorite Song | Danielle Mckinney

My name is Danielle Mckinney. I’m a visual artist, and my favorite song is “Kiss of Life” by Sade. [TRANQUIL MUSIC] What I love about Sade is that she’s a very private person. You don’t hear about her in the news. She comes out with a big, loud voice, a powerful female voice, and then she goes back in herself. And that’s something I respect about her. It’s something that I also carry through in my paintings. They are these strong, beautiful Black females, but then they go back into their spaces, you know? Sade got me through moving here from the South to New York and not knowing a soul. I turned her on in the subways. Sade was the first sound of music for me as a child when I was eight years old. Saturday mornings, my mom would let me sleep in, but she would always have the music on. And so I would wake up always because the radio station in Alabama played the same songs. So “Kiss of Life” was my first understanding of music and sound. When I’m in my studio, and I’m stuck with ideas, and I don’t know what to paint, I turn her on and close my eyes and go back to this soothing moment of home. It’s like the paintings need that sound to kind of move the paint. Sade got me through the birth of my first child. I remember being in the hospital, and I was so nervous. And all I needed was something to just calm me down. And I looked at my husband. I said, “Turn on Sade.” I immediately calmed down. And within 30 minutes, the baby was there. But I needed the voice. I needed the sound of Sade just to soothe me, to bring me back home. So I hope she hears this because I love her. [SADE, “KISS OF LIFE”]: “The color of love.” [CHUCKLES]: I know. I love her. I love her so much.