In honor of Black History Month, Atwood Magazine has invited artists to participate in a series of essays reflecting on identity, music, culture, inclusion, and more.

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Today, rising singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Danny Singh shares his essay, ‘Embracing Creativity and Shaping PUNKNB as a Guyanese Kid from Queens,’ as a part of Atwood Magazine’s Black History Month series!

Danny Singh’s musical journey began before the age of ten, mastering piano, bass, and saxophone. By thirteen, he was producing his own recordings, using music as his primary means of communication and keeping himself and his brothers focused. Growing up in Ozone Park, Queens, Danny’s Guyanese heritage shaped his sound, while his upbringing in church, with his mother as a lead vocalist and his father as a multi-instrumentalist, instilled in him a strong work ethic. As a teenager, he formed a band that won AfroPunk’s “Battle of the Bands,” channeling the vibrant and diverse sounds of his neighborhood into his music. Danny continues to cultivate his sound with a new genre he is coining “Punk n B,” a unique fusion of punk rock and R&B music. Today, he creates powerful works influenced by his childhood, blending augmented sound and virtual reality for an immersive experience. With inspirations like André 3000, Sa-Ra, JPEGMAFIA, and Frank Ocean, Danny has become a pioneer, shaping a new market of alternative creativity.

Read Danny’s Black History Month essay below!

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EMBRACING CREATIVITY AND SHAPING PUNKNB

as a Guyanese Kid from Queens

by Danny Singh

I discovered my love for music playing instruments with my brothers in church, refined my style at art school, created my unique sound, PUNKNB, as Danny Singh, and aim to be remembered as someone who pushes boundaries in music, fashion, and design while staying true to the voice of an underground Guyanese kid from Queens who just loves making art

Being a “city boy” from 2014 to 2017 was an interesting time for music. It seemed like ASAP Mob & Chicago Drill was dominating the scene from my scope.

At the same time, it felt like men’s fashion was becoming the glare of publicity, thanks to people like Ian Connor and Luka Sabbat. I was hella inspired by them, and so I started doing shoots with streetwear brands in Soho and LES with my homie Indigo Bill. That led to meeting my friend Frank, from Poland, who started the brand Homies Wonderland (@hswld), which became the chill spot for a minute at 15 Essex. Everybody came through, from Kehlani to Poster Boy, and other artists and creatives.

I met a lot of dope people during this time, they would help sneak me into bars and put me on to lowkey thrifts carrying designer brands. This was before 2nd Street existed in NYC, back when people wore Supreme to flex. Now we wear Balenciaga. It’s crazy how times have changed. Because of those adventures, I got signed to Red Models at 17, got signed as a producer with New Lane, plus my band at the time, #RAAA, had just won Battle of the Bands at Afropunk.

I met Alton Mason, Danny Brown, and SZA with the orange hair. I saw Erykah Badu, The Internet, and Miguel live, all in the span of a year! It might sound corny, but that’s when I knew I was meant to be a rockstar. I was hitting milestones in this video game we call life.

Now, we’re here in 2025. A quote that’s stuck with me to this day is: “It’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times in which we live.” – Nina Simone. I hate going back to old songs to “clean up the mix.” There’s something magical about the present that can never be replicated. So, I like to capture the essence in an MP3 or WAV.

In a way, I’m like a news reporter. I pay close attention to the weather, the social climate, the trends, the underground. Stock charts and sustainability solutions. And through it all, I try my best to be honest. You really gotta love someone to be 100% honest with them, or even with yourself.

Life is good, God is great, and I can’t wait for y’all to hear the new vibes I’ve been cheffing up with my friends. – F3V3RDR3AM

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