Danielle Ponder took a risk a week before her 40th birthday when she decided to leave her work as a public defense to follow her dream of being a full-time singer. She has liked singing since she was a child. Growing up, her pastor father would gather the family around an old yellow piano to play.
Because her father frowned on secular music, her music was heavily influenced by gospel songs. Ponder’s main musical influences were blues vocalists Koko Taylor and Big Mama Thornton, as well as jazz musician Nina Simone.
Ponder’s family formed a band with her as the lead singer when she was 16 years old. However, she chose to leave home and the family band in order to pursue a law degree at Northeastern University in Boston. She decided to become a lawyer when one of her brothers, Dwayne Ponder, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for stealing a pub.
Ponder became a public defender after being inspired by her brother’s unfair sentence. Her determination to fight the state’s statutory minimum criteria drove her determination to effect change.
However, the year 2021 was a watershed event for Ponder. In December, a week before her 40th birthday, she made a life-changing decision: she resigned from her position as a dedicated public defender. This daring decision symbolized her steadfast dedication to her true passion – music.
However, this was hardly a hasty decision. She briefly left her legal work in 2018 to pursue a music career, but returned when her expectations were not met. Ponder intends to give a different weight of commitment to a similar option now.