Singer-Songwriter Dani Jack Releases New EP “Dear John”

Singer-songwriter Dani Jack has released her new EP, Dear John, a personal project dedicated to her late friend and co-writer John Cirillo.

There may not be a song called “Dear John” on the EP, but the title sums up what the project means to Jack. A “Dear John” is traditionally a goodbye letter, and these are the final songs Jack will ever release that she wrote with Cirillo. For her, the EP is also a thank you to a friend who believed in her and played an important role in her music.

LISTEN TO “DEAR JOHN” HERE. 

“Dear John is usually a goodbye letter, and in a sense, this EP is a goodbye letter since they are the last songs I’ll ever release that I wrote with my dear friend, John Cirillo,” Jack shares. “It’s also a thank you to him for believing in me, for writing with me, and for being an amazing example to me.”

One of those songs is “Break the Silence,” the last song Jack and Cirillo wrote together.

Cirillo first sent Jack unfinished lyrics for the song before he was diagnosed with brain cancer. He told her he wanted the two of them to finish it together because he knew about Jack’s passion for at-risk youth, abuse and mental health.

“John had sent me unfinished lyrics to it before he was diagnosed with brain cancer and said he wanted to write this song with me because he knew I had a passion for at-risk youth, abuse, and mental health,” Jack says. “When he was diagnosed, I was scared we wouldn’t find the time to get it done.”

When Cirillo later had a period where he was feeling better and able to write in spurts, Jack and Cirillo scheduled a writing session with their friend and co-writer Sarah Spencer.

“We finished the song in about an hour, just as John was getting too tired to continue,” Jack shares.

The subject behind “Break the Silence” was also important to Cirillo personally. His wife shared that while he never suffered from physical abuse as a child, he did suffer emotionally. Later, while the couple lived in Santa Cruz, Cirillo served on several boards focused on at-risk youth.

“John always realized how vulnerable young people are when they find themselves in an abusive situation or family,” she shares. “He realized early on how important it is to have adults understand these situations and be the voice for these young people.”

The artwork for Dear John also has a connection to the music. The stained-glass-inspired cover comes from imagery found in another track on the EP, “Heart Into.”

DEAR JOHN TRACK LISTING

1. “Take Two”
2. “Heart Into”
3. “Lying Together”
4. “Runaway”
5. “Break the Silence”

For Jack, the imagery felt fitting for an EP that brings together the final songs she and Cirillo created together. With Dear John, Jack is saying goodbye while also celebrating the friendship, songs, and memories she shared with Cirillo. The EP gives listeners a chance to hear the final pieces of a songwriting relationship that meant so much to her, and the messages the two wanted to share with the world.

For more information about Dani Jack, you can visit www.danijack.com.