Q1: How did the nickname “Kings of Karaoke” begin?
Rhett Daneka: We were constantly performing around Houston and built a following over time.

Q2: What made those karaoke nights special?
Rhett Daneka: The energy. Every night felt different, and the crowds became like family.

Q3: What did Johnny teach you most?
Rhett Daneka: Song choice and confidence. He really understood performance.

Q4: Were you performing almost every night?
Rhett Daneka: Pretty much. Sometimes six nights a week and multiple clubs a night.

Q5: Looking back, what stands out most?
Rhett Daneka: The friendships and the passion people had for music.

About Daneka Nation:
Texas native Rhett Daneka began his career as a professional pilot and air ambulance pilot before unexpectedly discovering a passion for music in 2004 through Houston’s karaoke scene. Mentored by an 84-year-old quartet singer, Rhett developed his voice and became locally known as one of Houston’s “Kings of Karaoke.” After years of performing, he founded the country/rock band Daneka Nation, which has now surpassed 9 million listeners across major platforms. The band is currently preparing the release of their breakout single and music video, How Much Love.

Long before streaming numbers and studio sessions, Rhett Daneka was part of Houston’s karaoke circuit, building a reputation night after night. That grassroots foundation still echoes in How Much Love, where performance energy and crowd connection remain front and center.

Texas native Rhett Daneka never thought he’d have a career in music. In fact, the possibility never crossed his mind until 2004. After graduating from Robert E. Lee High School in 1986 (Baytown, TX), his path was to be a professional pilot. In less than four years, he achieved his goal of earning an Airline Transport Pilot License. In 1990, he worked for the largest flight school in Houston, eventually adding “Gold Seal Flight Instructor” to his resume.

In the early 90s, he took a job as an air ambulance pilot in South Texas. He would fly planes that rescued premature babies in small Texas towns and transport them to the best baby hospital in Corpus Christi. He helped save many lives.

In 2004, the music bug bit him. He was dating a woman who loved to sing at karaoke bars, and after a few weeks, he decided to give it a try. “I was as bad as anybody there,” he says. He kept going and started getting better.

Then, a chance meeting with a new friend changed everything. He met an 84-year-old quartet singer. “He was 80% blind, and I couldn’t sing. It turned out to be a match made in heaven.” For over two years, Rhett would drive to and from karaoke bars in Houston while Johnny mentored him along the way, helping him understand which songs suited his voice—and which did not.

From that point on, they went viral on the Houston karaoke scene, often going out six nights a week and performing at three clubs a night. They built a loyal following across the Houston area and were eventually dubbed the “Kings of Karaoke.”

After the passing of his best friend, Daneka kept going, eventually stepping into the recording studio. He became the lead singer and founder of the country/rock band Daneka Nation. To date, Daneka Nation has released seven songs and has amassed over 9 million listeners across major platforms. They are now putting the finishing touches on their breakout single and music video, “How Much Love.”

@danekanation

British Armenian songwriter and visionary creator Richard Simonian steps forward with a deeply moving new single titled Somewhere in the Heavens. The track carries an emotional weight that immediately reaches the listener, built around beautiful piano lines, warm atmospheric pads, and a massive uplifting chorus shaped by rich gospel inspired vocals. The performance is tender, melodic, and full of goose bump moments that transmit real human feeling, love, loss, and the fragile beauty of life.

Somewhere in the Heavens serves as a song of remembrance. Released during the Christmas season, it reflects the soft ache that arrives when memories of loved ones feel strongest. Simonian captures the sensation of speaking to those who have passed, honouring their presence, and keeping their light alive. The blend of emotional vocals and cinematic instrumentation creates a universal portrait of missing someone during the holidays. The song offers comfort and hope by reminding listeners that love continues in ways that reach beyond the physical world.

Simonian has built a reputation as a storyteller who writes with emotional depth and spiritual reflection. Drawing on Armenian ancestry, lived experience, and a deep connection to memory, he creates music that speaks to loss, love, identity, and the unseen threads that bind people together. His recent rise on radio and streaming platforms reflects how strongly listeners connect with his sincere approach to songwriting. Somewhere in the Heavens arrives at a time when many listeners will feel its message in a very personal way.

His second new single, This Love Is My Homeland (Ays Ser Im Yerkire), takes a powerful step into heritage and cultural truth. The track opens with guitar and vocals that set a warm rhythmic scene before drums lift the rhythm into a bouncy pop infused flow. Melodic vocals carry a chorus that feels worldly and heartfelt with traditional influences woven throughout the arrangement. The result is a song that feels organic, folky, sweet, and anchored in the sound of community and togetherness.

This Love Is My Homeland (Ays Ser Im Yerkire) stands as a musical testimony to the people of Artsakh, known internationally as Nagorno Karabakh. Simonian uses the song to highlight the quiet and systematic erasure faced by Armenians in the region. While the subject matter is serious, the music remains uplifting and warm, carrying its message through soulful melodies, storytelling lyrics, and expressive instrumentation. It is both a lament and a call for justice that shines light on history through the human spirit of music.

The single is the flagship piece from Simonian’s Artsakh album and represents the emotional core of the project. It speaks to the loss of ancestral homeland and the painful reality of a world that looked away while displacement took place. Simonian crafted the song with a melodic and accessible sound, ensuring that its message could reach listeners outside the Armenian community and resonate with a wider audience.

Both Somewhere in the Heavens and This Love Is My Homeland are now featured as a special double powerplay at 12:30 PM Pacific USA time for the next month and appear on the A List World Playlist. These two works reveal an artist with a powerful voice, a message that matters, and a gift for turning human experience into captivating music.

Online

Somewhere in the Heavens
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EajxoGblhN4

This Love Is My Homeland (Ays Ser Im Yerkire)
Video: https://youtu.be/2JVzAhZlGo8?si=btebZi9nUhigINBl

DJ K-Wale has released his latest single “What Have You Done For Me”, a track that opens with a mysterious and cinematic intro accompanied by soft female vocals before building into a powerful beat that demands attention. The song flows through melodic and layered vocal sections, blending high and low tones, vocal chops, and trip-hop-inspired rhythms. With its epic, filmic atmosphere and captivating production, the track carries an otherworldly yet infectious energy. It’s both pop and experimental, offering a sound that feels fresh and distinctive. Now featured on the A-List Playlist, it will also receive a special daily POWERPLAY at 3:30 PM Pacific USA time for the next month.

DJ K-Wale is a London-based artist with West African roots, known for producing hip-hop and dubstep music. He is a founding member of EBI Records, an organisation dedicated to supporting and developing independent artists within the local community. Music runs in his blood—his father, also a DJ, has been a central influence on his creative journey.

Beyond his solo work, DJ K-Wale has collaborated with major gaming company Ubisoft, contributing music to Watch Dogs: Legion and Beyond Good and Evil 2. Passionate about artist empowerment, he actively advocates for creative independence and collaboration within the industry. Following the release of his debut album in November 2024, he continues to refine his craft and prepare for an upcoming tour.

Listen to “What Have You Done For Me”
🎵 Artist: DJ K-Wale
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Independent Music Blogs, Music Promotion and self music publishing is on the rise in the music industry with Indie artists and record Labels demanding 100% creative control combined with professional music publishing and music editorial services.

WHAT IS SELF-PUBLISHING MUSIC ?

Self-publishing music means that you are not signed to a major company or music publisher and operate as an Independent artist, record label or music agency.

When you self-publish your music you still own all of the rights to you own music and so get all of the royalties. You own 100% of the rights to your music and the right to license it to generate income or promotion.

Being an Independent artist or musician and self-publishing comes with full control of the creative process and full self-ownership of the sound recording and song writing copyright.

Self-publishing music also includes releasing your final musical product onto all major digital music retailers and getting the word out about your release with an official press release and generating professional music reviews.

Being fully Independent also entails taking care of your music promotion and press release distribution requirements.

We live in a fast moving instant world of global self-publishing on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Tik Tok.

Having an established music brand or professional music review service talk about or review you is key in developing new potential audiences, fans and sales for your music brand.

Having an established music blog or professional music promotion service talk about or review you is effective and can be used at point of sale at digital music retailers (eg: Spotify profile ) and on artwork, merchandise, posters, adverts, your website, social media profiles and your Press Release.

An Editorial Music Review is a professional reviewer’s opinion of your music release you can use an excerpt of or as a quote.

Independent music Blog publisher Discover Media Digital provides a 100% Independent Music News network where Independent artists, bands or labels can publish and get the official word out about their music in a fast and effective manner to globally announce their music releases, events, products or services.

With a global reach of 200,000 music blog readers and 372342 worldwide Radio listeners to date, Discover Media Digital are a leading innovative digital force in the new music blog revolution of 2020 as the music industry changes in the aftermath of the digital music streaming revolution and Covid-19 Pandemic.

Discover Media Digital have also re-invented the Indie Music Cover Star bringing a professional publishing experience to Independents and already established acts and leading to one of their brands Top Hitz rated as Top 40 in the UK on Feedspot.

Find out more about Self-Music publishing and read the hottest global Independent Music News here.

Fancy your chances at getting Radio Airplay on londonfm.digital ? Submit here. 

Promote Your Music or Get your music reviewed here.