Former public defender Danielle Ponder channels grief and injustice into new album
Danielle Ponder left her work as a public defender in Rochester shortly before turning 40 to pursue music, and quickly found success as a singer and songwriter. But while her career took off, bereavement, her father’s dementia, a miscarriage and a difficult relationship left her struggling with grief and anxiety, shaping her new album, *Everything Has Changed*.
Ponder became a lawyer after her brother received a 20-year prison sentence when she was 16. Her work exposed her to cases she saw as rooted in poverty and injustice, including people imprisoned for minor offences and families losing access to children because of poverty. Her 2022 debut, *Some of Us Are Brave*, was well received; she later wrote and performed the theme for *Manhunt*. The new record includes “Blues”, about layered grief, and “God of You”, which confronts a painful relationship.
- Danielle Ponder moved from public defence to a successful music career.
- Personal losses and anxiety shaped her new album.
- Her songs draw on grief, relationships and injustice.
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Danielle Ponder trained as a lawyer after her brother received a lengthy prison sentence when she was a teenager. Working as a public defender in Rochester, she encountered cases rooted in poverty and injustice, exposing her to people imprisoned for minor offences and families torn apart by economic hardship.
Ponder left her work as a public defender shortly before turning 40 to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter. She achieved notable success, releasing her debut album "Some of Us Are Brave" in 2022 and writing and performing the theme for the television series "Manhunt".
In recent years, Ponder has experienced significant personal grief, including bereavement, her father's declining health, a miscarriage and a troubled relationship. These experiences have shaped her artistic work, influencing how she processes and expresses both her own struggles and the injustices she witnessed during her legal career.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “‘Men are a scam!’ The trials of Danielle Ponder, the lawyer turned singer rooting for a better world”.