ELLISVILLE- He’s the first Jones College Music Industry & Recording Arts major to release a Contemporary Christian single and the first to debut the song to an international audience. Twenty-year-old Magee resident, Daniel Baldwin released his first single, “Instantaneous,” on June 15, 2024. It was recorded at the college’s music studio and on the college’s record label, Free State Records.
“I wrote it last summer in July and it’s about God’s forgiveness for us and how if we repent of our sins, the Lord is steadfast and insightful to forgive us instantaneously,” explained Baldwin. “I was always a perfectionist, so I always saw all the little things I did wrong, and it was harder for me to forgive myself, but I knew the Lord was steadfast to forgive us, even if we don’t forgive ourselves.”
The Meridian native wrote the song in July 2023, but he didn’t record it until March 2024. During a class with his Music Industry instructor, Matt McGuffie, he was called on to show off his piano skills. Shortly after, he shared the song, “Instantaneous” and recorded it in one-take before his entire class.
“He started playing and singing and myself, and the entire class were like, Wow! That’s really good and that was my first introduction to Daniel’s music,” said McGuffie. “I added an electric guitar part to add a little meat to the song, but he did all the rest; he wrote the song, performed it and did all the tracking of the voices, harmony, piano, and violin.”
But that was not the first time Baldwin performed his song, “Instantaneous” which is growing in popularity on Spotify with nearly 2,000 downloads and listeners. Shortly after writing it in 2023, Baldwin was in Poland on a mission trip and had the opportunity to perform the song before a live audience. Their response to his new song, dumbfounded him.
“They just started crying because they are craving Christianity, a different type of denomination than what they are familiar with and they were so happy that the younger people are passionately chasing the Lord,” said Baldwin.
Since he began piano lessons as a six-year-old, his musical and singing career has flourished exponentially. In June, his mission trip to Oaxaca, Mexico offered him a unique opportunity to not only share his music there, but with the entire Mexican Radio audience and Facebook Live. The Mexican missionary family his church, Audubon Drive Bible Church in Laurel supports, also owns a Christian Radio Station which invited him to perform.
Additionally, the rising singer/songwriter’s first major performance was on the piano before 19,000 people in Disney World for the Beta Convention as one of the State Talent Show winners in 2017 when he was 13 years old. At the time, it was Baldwin’s dream to be a concert pianist. Besides piano competitions and leading worship in area churches, his next big live performance was for his cousin’s wedding last October, before 500 guests in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C.
From the beginning, his grandparents, Don Nobles, a band director and Mamie Nobles, a church organist, supported his musical talent in numerous ways. However, Baldwin’s true talents may not have been discovered and cultivated if it wasn’t for his Ellisville teachers.
“I was about eight years old when we moved to Magee and started taking piano lessons from Ellen Gunn. That’s when I really fell in love with music and realized I had an ear for it. She was the first one to tell me that she thought I had a talent in music, which meant a lot to me,” shared Baldwin. “At Jones, Mr. McGuffie helped me really cultivate my passion in music and helped me make my dreams kind of come to life. He showed me how to do this in a wise way. Knowing the technical and the business side of the music industry is vital to the success of any music career.”
With Baldwin’s song, “Instantaneous” being available on every streaming platform and another single expected to be released later this fall, Baldwin’s future plans are not final.
“I’m definitely going to pursue the music industry, but I may go to Belmont University. It is one of my top options or I may just go straight into the music industry. I’m just not 100 percent sure at this point,” Baldwin shared. “Whatever direction I go, I want to thank the Lord for this opportunity because without Him, it would not be possible.”
Baldwin will return to Jones College in the fall to finish his sophomore year with plans to continue writing and performing on campus and wherever he finds an opportunity. Click on the link to listen to Daniel Baldwin’s first single: Instantaneous by Daniel Baldwin