the spotlight: daniela rolon

Daniela Rolon made the conscious decision during her sophomore year to change the trajectory of her college career. Leaving behind her major in digital media, she decided to do something most are terrified of: following their dreams. The decision to switch to a commercial music degree wasn’t rooted in a life-altering epiphany, but rather a gradual trust in where the Lord was leading her.

Growing up in Puerto Rico with a musical family in church, she always felt deeply inspired by the craft of song creation from start to finish. Her stage fright always kept her from considering a viable career in music, so she tucked that passion away. By coming to America at age 14 before attending school at Liberty University, a newfound radical desire to step outside her comfort zone was brought forth.

“Some people get a clear calling of what they should do, that’s true…but some people, God gives them a choice,” Rolon said. “And I think I’m one of those people. Because… I have seen Him open so many doors that I have no idea how I could’ve done that myself. And this desire… came out of nowhere….and I prayed endlessly.”

Whenever she struggles with the stress that comes with discovering her future calling, she always reflects on how the past few years of discovering music has been a type of spiritual experience in relinquishing control and leaning into the gifts God has given her.

Rolon has learned to praise Him for the open and closed doors, knowing that each day she takes a step closer to accomplishing the work that He has placed before her. Repeatedly, His faithfulness has shown up in her times of weakness. Whenever she feels insecure or discouraged in the studio, she is reminded that He is always near to her creative process — even if she doesn’t feel it in the moment.

“Whenever He does show up, whether it’s I wrote a song at my lowest point…and I thought it was some crappy project that I worked on…but then I share it with someone and they’re like ‘Daniela, you have no idea how I related to that, you have no idea how good that was, you have no idea how God can use that’... many times, I don’t see it,” Rolon said. “But when I see how it might affect other people, that’s where I actually see it.”

Whenever she asks the Lord to take control, she finds even more freedom in her creative process. Especially having entered the music program much later than her peers, reliance on the Lord has been a lifeline in her journey as she has caught up with her studies.

While her songwriting is greatly inspired by both her roots in Latin music and her faith, Rolon finds herself especially moved by authenticity over all. Her aim is to show her faith through honesty in songwriting, resisting the urge of placing the term “Christian music” in a box. To her, Christian music shouldn’t be a genre, but a heart posture in telling personal testimonies and stories that connect spiritually with an audience.

“Sometimes… as Christians, we feel like we can’t be too open in our art because it kind of shows the imperfections that we have because we’re human…,” Rolon said. “It doesn’t matter how controversial it might seem at first, but you’re basically revealing who you are, how imperfect you are and showing God, ‘here I am: all imperfect and messed up, but I want you to restore me’.”

This sentiment shows up in her belief that music is a universal language and has the power to connect all people due to its intrinsic spiritual nature. Because of this, Rolon finds great importance in being a positive influence in the secular music industry, as it gives her the opportunity to be strong in her convictions and unashamed of her background.

“I just want to be a light and say, ‘I’m not going to judge you’,” Rolon said. “But I will say ‘I don’t follow that and this is why. I’m not like this and this is why. See the way I live, see who it is that has made me who I am, and just ponder on that.’ I feel like that can make a difference.”

Although a lot of the work within her area of study deals with the technicality behind the scenes, she does not undermine the importance of songwriting. Being connected with that aspect helps producers be the vessel in which they can communicate another’s honest story, whether or not that story is inspired by the Gospel directly.

“Yes, the Church needs to hear the Gospel, they have to be reminded of it,” Rolon said. “However, the people outside of the Church, many of them probably haven’t even heard the Gospel ever, at all…sometimes I feel like people in the secular industry haven’t had a good image or person who represents what a real Christian is.”

As she continues to discover her strengths and weaknesses in her craft, she sees each opportunity as a way to glorify the Lord in the journey that He has brought her on thus far. And looking ahead to her next chapter post-grad, she is learning how to exchange imposter syndrome for rest in the promise that the Lord will continue to sustain her inside and outside of the studio.