Finding Harmony
The first thing Mollie remembers about music isn’t a performance or a lesson, it’s a feeling. A melody drifting through a crowded house. The instinct to stop, listen, and try to recreate what she was hearing before the moment slipped away.
“I love music,” Mollie says. “I love how it makes me feel and the things that we can express and share through it. It’s such a collaborative effort, and music has been a place of community for me.”
That instinct has guided Mollie through every stage of her life. It has shifted forms, added instruments, and expanded into new roles, but it has always been a place of belonging, expression, and healing.
When Molly began writing songs in Australia, it was just the beginning. She started exploring it more seriously once she moved back to Texas and knew from then on that she wanted to pursue performing and share her songs.
A Childhood Shaped by Sound
Mollie’s musical journey began early, shaped by parents who noticed her excitement and encouraged it. She started piano lessons at around age nine, with a neighbor who played piano next door.
As she grew, her relationship with music deepened. Influences arrived in fleeting but powerful moments that felt like snapshots. One of the most vivid memories occurred during a Christmas party her parents hosted. Passing through the kitchen, she heard a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “River,” and the melody stuck in her mind.
“I spent the rest of the night trying to mimic it,” she recalls.
That moment planted a seed. So did later discoveries of artists like Bonnie Raitt, Mavis Staples, Sarah Vaughn, John Prine, Susan Tedeschi, and Holly Arrowsmith.
Classical Roots
Mollie’s formal training leaned heavily toward classical at first. Traditional piano lessons naturally led to school band programs, where she found a sense of community that would stay with her long after graduation. “Music became a safe place to express myself and belong,” she says.
From middle school through her first year of college, Mollie immersed herself in classical music, adding the flute to her repertoire, an instrument she still plays today. Inspired by influential music teachers, she enrolled at Texas Christian University with plans to pursue music education.
“I wanted to give back to music communities because of what was given to me,” Mollie shares. I worked as a music teacher for about four years while I was finishing my undergraduate degree and was beginning to perform around the area. I don't currently work as a music teacher, but my love and passion for teaching remain.”
Finding Her Voice Abroad
After taking a gap semester during undergrad, she joined a nonprofit and spent three years living and working in Toowoomba, Australia. It was during this season that her relationship with music shifted profoundly.
For the first time, Mollie encountered artists using music as a tool for personal storytelling. “I saw a side of music I hadn’t seen before,” she says. Around the age of 20, she began singing seriously, picked up a guitar, and started writing her own songs.
Songwriting unlocked something unexpected. It allowed Mollie to merge her love of writing with music, creating space for reflection, honesty, and emotional processing.
When Mollie returned to the U.S. in 2020 during the pandemic, she completed her undergraduate degree, carrying with her a new creative identity rooted in songwriting.
Melody First: Inside the Creative Process
Mollie’s songwriting process is distinctly melodic, reflecting her instrumental background. “The melody usually comes first,” she explains. From there, lyrics and structure fall into place, shaped by whatever emotion or question she’s working through at the time.
For Mollie, songwriting is a way to make sense of the world. It’s a space to unravel experiences that don’t yet have clear answers, to sit with complicated emotions and give them somewhere to land.
Based in Fort Worth, Mollie draws energy from the city’s vibrant creative community. Collaboration plays a central role in her work, and she values the shared language that emerges when artists come together to create something larger than themselves.
Sunshine Girl
Recently, Mollie released her EP Sunshine Girl on Bandcamp, a milestone that marked both creative fulfillment and practical growth. The project gave her firsthand experience with digital distribution and the business side of releasing music. She has also produced physical CDs and is planning to release alternative versions of the songs in the coming year.
With the EP complete, Mollie is excited to carry these songs beyond her home base. She has spent the past few years performing locally and will perform at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, with plans to tour several cities across the country.
Traveling with these songs, she says, feels like the natural next chapter.
Where Music and Mental Health Meet
Alongside her artistic work, Mollie is pursuing a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling and working toward becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor. Her interest in counseling grew out of her desire to help people navigate life’s complexities with care and compassion.
In the future, she hopes to work specifically with musicians and performers, people who understand the vulnerability of being on stage and the emotional weight that often comes with creative work. “I go through it too,” Mollie says. “I’m always collecting data points, trying to find equilibrium.”
For Mollie, music and mental health are deeply connected; both are tools for understanding, healing, and connection.
A Hopeful Soundtrack
When asked how she hopes listeners feel when they hear her music, Mollie doesn’t hesitate. “Hopeful,” she says.
Through melody-driven songwriting and unflinching honesty, Mollie offers more than music; she provides a place to land. Her songs welcome emotion, invite curiosity, and remind listeners that harmony isn’t something we arrive at once, but something we return to again and again, even when life remains unresolved.
Make sure to stay up to date with Mollie at www.molliedanel.com, and follow her on Instagram at @MollieDanel.
Photoshoot Credits:
Singer-Songwriter: Mollie Danel
Wardrobe: Studio 74 Vintage
Styling: Studio 74 Vintage
Beauty: House of Tesla | Halley Hamer
Hair: Studio 74 Vintage
Florals: Camellia Farm Flora
Set Design: Macka Photography | Brooke Macko
Photography: Macka Photography | Brooke Macko