Daniel Ray Hilsinger is bringing a deeply personal story to his latest release, “Wake Me Up,” a cover of Avicii’s beloved song created alongside a children’s choir he encountered while touring in Sweden.
For Hilsinger, the music carries a meaning that goes far beyond simply performing a familiar song. His journey with guitar began during a difficult period in his life, when he started learning the instrument while in hospital as a way to pass the time. What began as something to do for fun eventually developed into a professional musical path.
Years later, while touring in Sweden, Hilsinger met a children’s choir who invited him to perform Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” with them. The encounter eventually led to this collaborative cover, bringing together his own musical journey and the voices of young singers.
The result is presented as a celebration of hope and the ability of music to bring people together. The song takes on an added emotional dimension through the story behind its creation, connecting Hilsinger’s early experience of discovering guitar with an unexpected musical collaboration years later.
“Wake Me Up” has long been associated with themes of searching, movement, and finding your way forward, making it a fitting choice for a project rooted in Hilsinger’s own journey. His version offers listeners another way to experience the familiar song, this time through the connection between a professional musician and a children’s choir.
The collaboration also highlights the unexpected paths that music can create. A guitar picked up in a hospital eventually became part of Hilsinger’s professional life, leading him to stages around the world and ultimately to a spontaneous meeting with young singers in Sweden.
With “Wake Me Up,” Daniel Ray Hilsinger turns a well-known song into something personal, using the cover to celebrate the journey that brought him to music and the people he has encountered along the way.
More than a cover, the release represents Hilsinger’s belief in music as a source of connection, hope, and healing, while inviting listeners to experience the song through a story that is uniquely his own.
