All was quiet in the middle of the night in Jermyn when Basil Kleha suddenly awoke, asking his wife, Debbie, if she heard something.
As Debbie rubbed her eyes, she and Basil sat up, listening to melodic sounds he described as “angelic.”
They pulled themselves out of bed and scurried into their 5-year-old daughter Dani-elle’s room, and found her tucked under the covers tight — eyes closed, sound asleep — belting out music, but no particular song.
“It was extremely high, sort of operatic,” Debbie said. “It’s just melodies. It could be something from somewhere but nothing I ever recognized. It was a music coming from her — very, very high and in tune.”
The Klehas didn’t think their little girl was possessed and in need of an emergency exorcism. Singing in tune was nothing new for her.
Dani-elle (she goes only by that given first name, with the hyphen) had been singing since before she could walk or talk, literally, and performing live since well before she could read. When she played in her crib as a baby, she’d constantly hum, and she took the stage for the first time at age 3.
“She wasn’t even walking or talking and the ‘la-la-las’ were coming out,” Debbie said. “She says she has a radio in her head.”
Now 13, that radio still hasn’t worn out, although the power button might be stuck. Dani-elle still sings whether she’s sleeping or awake. “When she sings in her sleep she is unbelievable,” Debbie said. “We really should tape it sometime.”
In addition to her bedtime serenades, Dani-elle is constantly recording and performing. She started out with Broadway show tunes before moving onto oldies. Country, however, complete with hats and boots, is her first love.
She just released the album “A Dani-elle Christmas,” which features classic holiday favorites. She studies voice, guitar and piano locally and also takes twice-monthly singing lessons via speakerphone with Renee Grant Williams, a renowned voice teacher based in Nashville, Tenn., whose client list ranges from Christina Aguilera to Tim McGraw to Bob Weir.
Dani-elle makes frequent trips to Nashville and has recorded at the historic Ryman Auditorium. She was accepted as a member of the Country Music Association and will attend the CMA Awards in November.
Earlier this month she produced her first show, a parents’ club fundraiser at her small private school, Saint Rose Academy in Mayfield. The show featured her performance, as well as Rich Wilson. Dani-elle handled all the booking, promotion and even the timing of the event. She also regularly sings at benefits for the United States Military, UNICO, Little Leagues and the American Red Cross Ball.
13 Going on 43
Her mother and friends joke that Dani-elle was born at 30. Although she’s an eighth grader and bares a resemblance to Miley Cyrus, the songstress prefers to croon oldies from the likes of Connie Francis or Patsy Cline instead of taking the stage and launching into a stunning rendition of “Poker Face.”
“I just like the stories that they tell,” Dani-elle said of the oldies.
Still, while she’s “always been called an old soul,” she has nothing against the new stuff, as she’ll sing songs by Taylor Swift, Martina McBride, and of course, “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. It’s all about finding a personal connection to the material.
“Companies that I’ve worked with have presented different songs to me, and if I can’t get into it, and it doesn’t really mean something to me, I just can’t do it,” Dani-elle said.
Her maturity is obvious not only in the songs she prefers to sing but also in the sound of her voice and offstage demeanor. As she sat in her mother’s floral shop, Debbie’s Flowers, her cover songs playing in the background, she exemplified the poise and confidence of a seasoned professional, not the giggling school girl many of today’s celebrities twice her age might be perceived as.
Her own feelings
At age 9 Dani-elle made her first foray into songwriting as she sat on the couch, strummed on her guitar and was struck with inspiration. “It was just a line,” she said. “And I was like, ‘I could take this somewhere farther,’ and I started writing, and ever since, I loved it.”
Her favorite original song is “You’re Everything to Me,” which like all of her writing, is drawn from real life. Right now, the quest to become signed continues. The next steps involve assembling a band, finding talented songwriters to collaborate with and recording an album of original songs.
And of course continuing to “Dream Big,” which is how she signs her autographs. “My parents tell me all the time when it stops being fun, you don’t do it anymore,” Dani-elle said.
She doesn’t even give her vocal chords a break in her sleep, so it’s doubtful that’ll happen anytime soon.
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“A Dani-elle Christmas” CD-release party,
Saturday, Oct. 31, (doors 5:30 p.m., buffet 6-7 p.m., music 7-11 p.m.) at Halloween Oldies Blast From The Past w/ The Poets, Genetti’s (1505 Main St., Dickson City). $35 for buffet, show, dancing. Reservations: 570.383.0306. Info, CD purchases: dani-ellesings.com.
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