Danielle Ponder, the Rochester-raised, Atlanta-rooted vocalist with one of the most commanding voices in music, has signed to Dead Oceans in partnership with Phoebe Bridgers. To mark the occasion and honour Juneteenth, Ponder returns with ‘Power’, her first new music since 2023 and the opening statement of a bold new chapter. LISTEN HERE + WATCH HERE.

Dead Oceans – home to Mitski, Japanese Breakfast, and Phoebe Bridgers herself – marks a significant new home for an artist whose ambitions have always outpaced her surroundings. The signing represents a meeting of kindred spirits: a label known for championing singular voices, and an artist who has one of the most singular voices in music.

‘Power’ was born from a life-changing trip Ponder took to Dakar, Senegal at seventeen. Over twenty years later, she returned to film the visual there with director Fede Kortez. The result is an arresting portrait of the city’s people, culture, and spirit, and a song about reclaiming what was always yours.

In Ponder’s own words: “In Dakar I found a brightness in the eyes of the people and an absence of heaviness in their songs. Here, power and leadership all came in the colour Black and I began to piece together the source of my own. This song is a love note to the girl I was at seventeen, who crossed an ocean to find a place where she could be. It’s a love note to the Black diaspora: may we always remember that we are people who can fly.”

A once-in-a-generation talent, Danielle Ponder’s soulful and genre-defying sound and unique backstory are self-evident.  Infused with a myriad of influences, from the gospel she grew up listening to, to trip-hop, blues, pop, R&B and alt-rock, Ponder brings them together organically, effortlessly and powerfully.

At the tender age of 39, Ponder gave up a successful and rewarding career as a public defender in her hometown of Rochester, NY to focus purely on her music, which up until then had been a passion on the back burner.  By 2022, she signed her first record deal, and became a trailblazer on her own unusual path to worldwide renown, developing the distinct style centered around her commanding voice.

Ponder’s debut album, Some Of Us Are Brave, almost immediately garnered critical praise, as well as dozens of major sync placements including the latest Apple campaign for the iPhone 16 Pro. Her live performances have included four major TV appearances, and sold out shows across North America and Europe including festival appearances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Afropunk and the Montreux Jazz Festival.