VENUS BEMUS releases debut single, "storms"
By Cassie Whitt
Introducing venus bemus, a young bedroom pop singer-songwriter with the power to truly captivate and beguile not only with her riveting honesty, but also with the tragic backstory that ultimately lead to her becoming Venus.
venus bemus, known also as Danielle Bemus, until recently, was in a state of extended mourning following the suicide of her first professional music collaborator, Jack Dean of Greenhouse 27. Though music had always been her passion, she simply could not muster the will to create for five entire years following his passing.
There were several creatives in her hometown, Cleveland, however, who had not stopped championing her through it all. It just so happened that one such champion was producer Jim Wirt (Jack's Mannequin, The Rocket Summer, Incubus). Along with Bemus' former vocal coach Tim Moon, Wirt was eventually able to gently coax her back to the studio, starting with vocal lessons, then, eventually, with the recording of her debut original songs.
Going by the moniker “venus bemus,” Danielle created an entire persona with her rebirth as an artist based on her namesake Venus, the mythical goddess. She draws inspiration from the natural world and has created something of an etherial, dryad-esque aesthetic.
Having gone through what she did, she has developed perspicacity that well-exceeds her years. Her lyrics are painfully diary-esque, and she jokingly calls her music “sad girl pop.”
Her debut single “storms” demonstrates a desperate intensity that harkens to ‘90s alt powerhouses like Sinéad O’Connor, Dolores O’Riordan and Tracy Chapman.
ARTIST QUOTES:
"This song is about two people holding onto the threads of their lost love. "Storms" reference the wreckage of the relationship. This song details the realization that what they have isn’t really there anymore and the only way out is to leave it all behind and start new. The storm is the cause of the chaos, but the house in question is the groundwork of their relationship unfolding. They want to fight for each other, but the damage is done and what they had is gone.
"Releasing my first ever single has brought up a lot of feelings about who I am and what I’ve written. Reflecting back on where I’ve been and what I’ve lost and gained. Before anyone listens to it. I just have to say to whoever does, you are listening to my heart and my pain in every lyric. The little girl behind my eyes daydreamed way too often about being a singer, so this is a very special moment in my life, and I am so scared and excited to release it out into the world. Thank you to everyone and anyone who wants to support little ol me."
Single Cover: Devon Keller
ABOUT VENUS BEMUS
Venus Bemus’ story begins early, with a child finding a love for art and singing—skills she honed so voraciously that by the time she graduated, professional musicians wanted to take her under their wings as a muse. Venus, then known by her birth name Danielle Marie Bemus, met creative partner Jack Dean in 2014, when he placed her at the helm of a grunge project, allowing her voice to realize his vision. However, Dean’s mental health began to decline, and later that year, he took his own life, leaving a wound where Bemus’ heart once swelled with a love for singing.
She retreated in mourning for nearly five years, not knowing then that many others had faith in her talent and would eventually help her regain her voice. From 2019 to 2021, with the help of trusted vocal coach Tim Moon and producer Jim Wirt (Jack’s Mannequin, Incubus), Bemus began reclaiming herself.
Much like in Botticelli’s The Birth Of Venus, our modern Venus rises anew, carried ashore after having remained dormant, submerged below fathoms of uncertainty. However, you shouldn’t picture Bemus as windswept and helpless. Picture her with claws and ready to fell the walls grief had built around her.
Bemus’ resilience yields lyrical perspicacity beyond her years, recalling, sonically, the power of alternative vocal predecessors Dolores O'Riordan, Sinéad O’Connor and Tracy Chapman, underlined by music she playfully calls “Sad Girl Pop.”