Time to read: 7 minutes
Today we introduce you to Dana McKeon – a Music Artist and Life Coach, who brings together the worlds of creative empowerment, masterful self-expression and purposeful connection.
Hailing from the island of Malta, Dana makes waves in the world through her unique music and approach to personal development. She is a pioneering Beatbox Champion, ranked in the Female Top 5 at the World Beatbox Championships. As a versatile touring artist, Dana has performed at high-profile events for the British Royal Family and large-scale concerts such as MTV Music Week, The London Paralympics, Lovebox Festival and The O2 London. Dana has songwriting, performance and production credits on countless global TV spots, short films and Netflix shows, and has notably collaborated and shared the stage with renowned artists including Bruno Mars, Rudimental, John Newman, James Arthur and Stormzy.
We are very excited that Dana will be joining us at Discovia with her spell-binding vibrations to inspire us to dream big and think outside the (beat)box. We cannot wait to hear her singing and try out our skills at her beatboxing workshop!
Describe what you do in your own words? What is unique about the way you do it that makes you stand out?
I’m a Music Artist, Songwriter, Beatboxer and Life Coach.
My signature blend of simultaneous singing, guitar-playing, and vocal percussion is how I push the boundaries of the human voice, organic sound exploration, and our imagination. Being a top-ranked female beatboxer on the world stage, I love playfully surprising people who have either never heard of this art form or who wouldn’t expect “someone like me” to be a beatbox champion.
I’ve seen how breaking down preconceptions of “what is possible” can truly move people, and inspire them to dream bigger and think outside the (beat)box. This follows through into my coaching where I get to share the empowerment that comes from merging the worlds of creativity and personal development – it’s an incredibly unique and profound experience.
What inspired you to go and do it? How did it all start?
I’ve always loved music, rhythms and sharing them with people as a form of inspiring connection. I remember going through challenging times as a teen and discovering messages through songs that were just what I needed to hear at the time. The deep connection I felt with those pieces of music shifted my whole perspective on how everything is connected. What I had thought was “my challenge to battle alone” suddenly transformed into a “universal, shared experience”, and I set an intention to one day create the song that someone else needs to hear.
I started channeling my feelings into writing poetry and playing guitar, and eventually started to write songs and experiment more freely with my artistic expression by teaching myself how to beatbox. Songwriting and performing gave me a feeling like nothing I’d ever felt before. That’s when I knew that music would play a big part in my life and that it was a gift I could nourish to make an impact in the world.
At 22 I had just started working as a physiotherapist in Malta when I decided to follow my intuition, drop everything and move to London in pursuit of a career in music. That leap of faith kickstarted a wild adventure that eventually led me to the beautiful crossover between creativity and personal development.
Describe a moment of huge inspiring breakthrough in your personal-professional evolution.
One of the most pivotal moments of my life was representing Malta at the Beatbox World Championships and ranking as one of the Top 5 female beatboxers worldwide. Within 1 year, I went from accidentally discovering a new form of artistic self-expression in my bedroom, to pioneering the art form across music spheres in my home country, to making waves on a global stage. It was scary, completely unorthodox and an absolute breakthrough moment for me, as it lit up a fire inside that to this day keeps me consistently asking myself “what if I dared to dream bigger?”
What is your current Mount Everest? What are you in the process of creating in the world? Your ultimate vision and dream?
There’s a common thread in my various passions and creations. The best way I can describe it is “transforming whispers into waves that move people”. It’s how I connect with my vision: to empower people to express themselves fully and feel connected to a meaningful purpose that they’re inspired to fulfil. I’ve come to learn that the more I develop these elements within myself and shift my own reality, the more of an impact I can create in the world around me – it’s a sort of ripple effect.
I make sure to take at least one action a day that’s aligned with that vision, and I know it’s bringing me closer to my ultimate dream of impacting as many people as possible around the world – be it through public speaking, singing a song I wrote or listening deeply as I hold space for someone else’s inner voice to sing.
What do iDiscover and its community mean to you?
iDiscover represents the start of my deep dive into the world of personal development. It opened my mind and heart to important questions for enhancing my self-awareness and new perspectives with which to approach life. It has been a source of great inspiration and growth, not least becoming a life coach and connecting with incredible people from different walks of life – some of whom have since become very dear friends of mine!
What is your daily/weekly/monthly ritual or performance hack that really works for you?
Listening to music (through quality headphones) is my favourite form of daily meditation. It creates a space where I slow down to reflect on my WHY and the connectedness of things – that’s where my biggest moments of clarity occur and inspiration flows through me. Every now and then I’ll stay up till the early hours, just to listen to a playlist that I’m vibing with at that particular time. There’s something spiritual about being awake while the city’s asleep and losing myself in some awe-inspiring music that gives me so much energy.
Best travel tip or secret location to share with us?
The Blue Lagoon in Comino (Malta).
What is your favourite quote or a question you want to leave us with?
I feel that music speaks louder than words, so here’s a song that means a lot to me!
Travel with the magic of Dana’s Music