Interview: Danny Veras Talks Multicultural Roots, Rock Influences, and His New Album

Exposed Vocals is proud to spotlight Danny Veras, a seasoned rock artist whose life and music span continents. Born in Brazil and raised in France and Spain, Danny’s multicultural upbringing laid the foundation for a sound that blends classic rock roots with global influences. His journey is a testament to perseverance, evolving through different countries, languages, and eras of music, all while staying true to his artistic vision.

From humble beginnings—singing Elvis covers in Spanish bars—to fronting bands like The Griffters and Paranoia, Danny carved out a path that merges nostalgic hard rock with fresh perspective. Along the way, he’s worked with influential musicians and continued developing his craft, embracing both the analog grit of 4-track recordings and the digital tools of today. His passion is palpable, his stories compelling, and his tone refreshingly honest.

In this exclusive interview with Exposed Vocals, Danny opens up about his early influences, band life, cultural identity, and what fans can expect from his upcoming album. Let’s dive in.

Exposed Vocals: You’ve lived in Brazil, France, and Spain — how has your multicultural upbringing shaped your sound and identity as a rock artist?

Danny Veras:
I really just spent a few years in Brazil as I was just born there, but mainly grew up in France and Spain, but everything started in Spain musically, that’s where I started playing guitar and started listening to music in deep… Even though France have a very wide variety of good music and was probably very influential as well, I remember listening to the Scorpions and Def Leppard at a very early age then “Europe” and “Bon Jovi” were always playing on TV and radio, while living in France.

Exposed Vocals: Can you take us back to that moment when your sister gave you the Elvis tape? What was it about his music that lit the spark for your dream?

Danny Veras:
I would say Elvis songs and the tone of his voice was very unique and as a kid I didn’t know a wide variety of music but I got hooked on his songs, and very catchy and well produced!! My favorite! I learned to play a lot of the hits later on which became part of my repertoire, singing in bars and hotels of my hometown in Spain… I can also say the voice of Elvis besides his beautiful tone, was also very natural, a lot of the singers these days are trying to sing higher notes to the point that they sound unnatural, or making their voices sound like cookie monsters lol.

Exposed Vocals: You picked up the guitar at age 11 and started forming bands not long after. What do you remember most about those early jam sessions?

Danny Veras:
Yes, one of the kids who lived in my community, his parents bought him an electric guitar and an amp and he let me try it, and showed me to play a couple things, I liked it and that became my new thing, I had to get me one too… Meanwhile there was a Spanish guitar at home that belonged to my sister and that I really started to mess with, until I was able to buy an electric one after working at my aunt’s store in Madrid during summer!! Another kid from the area I lived got a drum set from his parents and that’s how we started playin’ we even wrote a couple songs and called our band “Distortion” we didn’t have much experience but the ambition was there, the drummer ended up selling his drums to me as his parents couldn’t deal with the noise… My family decided to move to another town far from there, a new beginning started for me.

Exposed Vocals: “The Griffters” had an American hard rock sound — what were your main influences at the time, and how did you develop your style within that genre?

Danny Veras:
The Griffters was a band that was already established in Barcelona, they had a singer already before me, they were looking for a new singer and I was friends with the drummer, so I tried out and took the job, their style was hard rock/ Sleaze, I did put my own vibe to the songs though without changing much of the compositions, I’m still good friends with them, and after the breakup we still recorded demos in different projects and some of the songs have been used on some of my albums as well.

Exposed Vocals: After “The Griffters” and “Paranoia,” how did you keep pushing forward creatively despite the setbacks and band breakups?

Danny Veras:
I kept on writing songs on my own, and moved to Barcelona for a while where we formed another band “Speed Silver” with Victor Conde the same drummer (he lives in Sweden now and has a band with his wife “Floating Nest”), all new original music, but was also matter of time until I found myself leaving the band to start a new life in Switzerland…

Exposed Vocals: As someone who started recording music in the ’90s with a 4-track recorder, how do you feel about the evolution of music production today?

Danny Veras:
I love the evolution of recording options that we have today and I can see why there is so many kids recording on their own without having to hustle like we did back then to get things done, and AI is basically doing everything now… So yes it is easier and sounds pretty good now, but does it have the same sentimental value? Absolutely not!! Can’t never be the same…

Exposed Vocals: What role does language and culture play in your songwriting — do you write in English, Portuguese, Spanish, or a mix of all three?

Danny Veras:
I mainly write in English and many times I had help co-writing songs too, I do have a lot of songs in Spanish from back in the day with Joan Casanovas who was also part of “The Griffters” we did 3 demos with songs in Spanish and English… Nothing recorded in Portuguese or French so far but it’s always been in consideration…

Exposed Vocals: How do your Spanish and Brazilian roots influence your melodies, lyrics, or the emotion behind your music?

Danny Veras:
Probably composing on a Spanish guitar is the most Spanish influence I have, but my influencers are way far from being Spanish or Portuguese. I grew up in an environment of American music and English music even Bands from Europe that listened were singing in English and they still do like the “Scorpions” like “Accept” or even “Golden Earring” or “Europe” and of course I listened to a few of the Spanish Rock bands from my era, but those were a minority. Now there is a lot of Spanish bands that are kicking ass, but remember we have a different type of technology now and it’s easier to come up with stuff.

Exposed Vocals: Are there any unreleased songs or recordings from your early bands that you’d love to revisit or rework in the future?

Danny Veras:
Absolutely there is a few demos from back in the day that I would love to redo even the ones in Spanish I thought they were great and even some ideas I had from different projects that I still have in my computer!!

Exposed Vocals: Looking ahead, what’s next for you musically? Any new projects, live shows, or collaborations in the works?

Danny Veras:
I am currently working on a new album with Producer Paul Sabu and we’re almost there. We’re trying to finish the record which includes Nick Marino who plays keyboards and sings for Yngwie Malmsteen, Jeff Thal drummer best known for being the brother of guitar player Bumblefoot, Nilver Perez-keys (Revlin), Niko Delgado (Handful of Rain), Pablo Soler (Tren Loco), Al Edwards (Southern Guns).

About the live shows, I will keep doing what I’m doing playing in restaurants and hotels until I get a good deal so I can put a band on the road, other than that I will keep recording albums and put music out there for people to enjoy…

Stay connected with Danny Veras
Website: www.dannyveras.com