With numerous roles on the small screen and an Emmy to her name Tontz has got a head start on a lot of other artists twice her age. Sharing her time between acting and her music she is a very busy young lady.
Her music is an addictive blend of playful lyrics and catchy pop melodies that are nearly impossible to avoid dancing to.
I decided to let my daughter Cassidy Inman take the reins in this interview; where she talked to Denyse Tontz about her music, acting and what lies ahead.
CI: Do you enjoy acting or singing Better?
DT: Although I love both acting and singing very much, songwriting was actually my first love. I've always felt the need to express myself through writing, so it was something that just came along naturally. Acting was something I didn't know I loved until I did it. Really, if you think about it though, they actually go hand in hand. The acting chops were necessary to sell my lyrics, and the lyrics act as a script of sorts for the singer. Ideally, though, I'd love to be able to find success in both fields.
CI: What musicians inspire you the most?
DT: I love musicians that are clever. I really respect people like Alanis Morissette, Lily Allen, Marina and the Diamonds, Gwen Stefani, Sara Bareilles, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, etc.
CI: Where do you get ideas for your songs?
DT: Most things I write about are based off some event or situation in my life. Boys, most often. Ha! If not that, then I tend to write observational songs. One of my favorite things to do is poke fun. :)
CI: You speak both Spanish and English do you find one language easier to sing in?
DT: Obviously English is my primary language, so it's a million times more natural for me to sing in English than any other language. However, I do love the way the Spanish language sounds sung. It's so beautiful. I really want to learn more languages and be able to sing in those as well.
CI: From your song “Use It,” have you found more motivation from positive or negative influences?
DT: I'd say it's about fifty-fifty. Positive reinforcement is of course one of the best forms of motivation, but sometimes you don't always get that. Over the years I've learned to take negative energy from other people and adopt a different attitude toward it. Instead of letting it affect me, I try to use it as an incentive to prove that person wrong. Don't they say the best form of revenge is success?
CI: You’ve been a model since you were 10 how did you get your start in music?
DT: My parents put me in piano lessons as a kid, and though I hated it half the time, I'm really grateful they did. I sort of developed an ear for melody from playing, and eventually started mimicking pop songs I really liked. I would replace the lyrics with ones I'd made up, and later on I started experimenting with my own ideas. By middle school it became sort of an outlet for me. It was almost therapeutic.
CI: Do you have any albums coming out soon?
DT: I am planning on releasing a steady stream of singles (starting with "Use It", clearly,) and I'm hoping to release each one with a video as well. The next one in line is a song called "Mr. Hipster".
CI: How did you and your manager meet?
DT: I met my producer when I was fifteen, and he's been developing me since then. It's been almost a year and a half since we've been with my manager, Danny Goldberg. Danny had heard our stuff through a mutual friend, and so we set up meeting, ended up clicking, and the rest is history. It's truly a privilege to be able to work with someone with such an amazing track record in this industry.
CI: What’s it like hearing your song used in a TV show?
DT: It's kind of surreal. You don't realize it at the time you're writing it, but once it's airing and the song starts to play, it kinda starts to sink in. I'm really lucky to have been able to write for All My Children, and it was an enormous surprise when I found out my song had been nominated for an Emmy. I definitely owe everyone at Prospect Park one for trusting in me not to write a crappy song. LOL!
CI: What are some artists are you currently listening to?
DT: Ooooh. That's a toughie. I like everyone from Arctic Monkeys to Bob Marley. To list each one would be a pretty long task. Ha!
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