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Photo credit: Instagram.com/tuleshova_daneliya                

If you've watched popular shows like The Voice Kids, America's Got Talent, Eurovision or the World's Best, you may be familiar with Daneliya Tuleshova, the uber talented fourteen-year-old singer from Kazakhstan. Daneliya realized that she wanted to pursue singing professionally at ten years old and won The Voice Kids Ukraine in 2017. This year, Daneliya participated in America's Got Talent and is growing a fan base around the world. Girls' Life was lucky enough to talk with this rising star.

Girls' Life: In an early interview, you said that you had a night dream about going to the USA. Then it happened in real life. What was your impression of the United States?

Daneliya: My biggest dream was going to LA in the USA. Of course, I was so, so excited. The best thing about America is the people here. They're always happy and smiling.

GL: What's your favorite part about performing?

Daneliya: Even though I'm very nervous before I go on stage and while I'm performing, I just love everything about it—especially the connection with the audience and their desire to hear me. When I see a big audience, I have more energy and feedback. 

GL: What was your favorite music experience so far?

Daneliya: I've participated in a lot of competitions, but The Voice was the best experience of my life. I will always remember the people from The Voice, my songs and just everything! My Stone Cold performance was the beginning of me. 

    

GL: What was your reaction when the judges on The Voice Kids turned around so quickly?

Daneliya: I didn't expect that at all—I was so shocked! These artists that were judging me are very famous in Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine. I knew that I wanted to work with MONATIK, so the choice wasn't hard at all. He motivated me on every rehearsal and it was a really good experience to get to know him. Talking to him is like talking to a family member.

GL: What would you consider your *biggest* achievement so far?

Daneliya: America's Got Talent was a dream project. It was the hardest experience of my life and was really stressful because all the songs were difficult, and I was getting sick before the rounds. When I performed on the Finals, I didn't have a voice the day before I was singing. Now, I have more experience and I'm ready to be a real singer. I grew up as a singer, an artist, and as a person.

GL: Did performing with Ava Max on AGT make you feel less nervous than on other performances?

Daneliya: Yes, because I didn't sing the whole song, and it wasn't a competition song. We were just vibing together. Ava Max is really funny and talented. I'm so happy I had a chance to perform with her—we just had one hour to prepare! 

GL: Who is your dream person to collab with?

Daneliya: I love a lot of singers like Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and Melanie Martinez. Most of my covers are Billie Eilish songs. I also love Faouzia! 

GL: What was your reaction when you learned that Faouzia commented on your AGT cover of "Tears of Gold?"

Daneliya: I was super excited! It was in the morning, and I didn't have a lot of energy, but, after she texted me, I was like "What? Faouzia texted me?" I'm really happy that she liked my performance and the way I sang her song. I want to cover "Tears of Gold" one more time—the song is just brilliant!

GL: The song Fire is about believing in your own strength? Is that the message you want to give to teens? 

Daneliya: Sometimes, I'm really insecure, and I'm always not good enough for me, so the most important thing for all singers and people is to believe in themselves. People can tell you that you don't have a talent or you're stupid or you can't be a singer because you can't sing. People will believe in you if *you* believe in yourself. 

GL: Do you ever deal with cyberbullying?

Daneliya: I hate people that comment "you are not beautiful. Why are you confident? You're too fat or skinny or have too big of a nose or small lips." Those kinds of people really can destroy all the confidence that you have. One day, I just realized that I'm beautiful, and *everyone* is beautiful. I don't need to be insecure, and I don't need to change myself, so I just need to love myself. 

GL: What advice do you have for others who want to pursue music?

Daneliya: Practice more, and you need to feel the lyrics before you start singing the song. You may feel the song more after watching a film or reading a book about the experience in the song. I watched a movie with my mom before I sang a song about war on the Finals of The Voice. After I watched the film, it was easy to connect with the song.

GL: What are your plans for the future?

Daneliya: I want to be a singer. I want to be a model. I want to be a dancer. I want to be a makeup artist. I want to try *everything* in my life. But my most important goal is to be happy in my life and in the future.

GL: What gives you the most happiness now?

Daneliya: Cute moments with my family, my friends (I have two very close friends) and my pets (I have two dogs who *always* sleep, hamsters and cats!) I don't need something special to make my day great—just my friends and family.

GL: What's the most important part of friendship?

Daneliya: The most important thing is to enjoy spending time together. When I don't want to sing or study, I can just call my friend and talk to her. We have the same jokes and the same minds. We both can be funny, and I love it!

GL: You have a cool fashion sense. How would you describe your style and what inspires your look?

Daneliya: I love being myself and showing my personality. That's why I *love* fashion and all the styles. I can wear something really girly, something baggy or a totally black outfit. I'm inspired by random girls on TikTok or Instagram and also Rihanna and Hailey Bieber. Fashion is an interesting industry. In the future, I want to try myself in modeling. I really love a model's life and follow a lot of channels about girls who are in this industry.

GL: Now that many kids are studying online, what are your thoughts on virtual studying?

Daneliya: Online studying is the best thing because now I have more free time to sing, do my own stuff and rest more. It's a little bit easier than going to school every day and waking up really early. I love to sleep in! I skipped a whole month of school when I was in America, but now I've been studying really hard since I came back. I always make sure to do my best!

GL: In your free time, do you have any favorite TV shows you love to watch?

Daneliya: Emily in Paris (I watched it a couple days ago and love it!), Never Have I Ever and Gossip Girl. 

GL: What message do you have for others?

Daneliya: Always believe in yourself, even if others say that you aren't talented. All of us are talented when we work hard. 

Parts of this interview were edited and condensed for clarity. 

by Camille Campbell | 11/18/2020