Charting the Globe: Daniel Loveless and the Journey of “What Yuh Know?”
When thinking of street interviews in Trinidad and Tobago, there is only one name that truly resonates, that name is Daniel Loveless. For most, if not all of us, Daniel can be seen as a beacon of entrepreneurial spirit and creative vigour. Starting from humble beginnings, Daniel harnessed his confidence and charisma to catapult his wildly popular series into the minds of Trinbagonians and individuals worldwide.
”What Yuh Know?” is a series where he engages individuals in impromptu quizzes, testing their knowledge with a blend of humour and mental agility. If you’ve ever seen an episode, you surely know how hilarious they are, thanks in no small part to the guests whose responses often take the show to the next level. Their participation not only adds to the entertainment value but also highlights Daniel’s ability to connect and draw out the best in people.
In this exclusive interview, we delve into Daniel’s upbringing and journey, the origins of his series, and his venture into the world of Soca. Join us as we uncover the man behind the mic, his aspirations, and his commitment to education through entertainment.
Daniel, thank you for agreeing to do this interview. As we delve into the roots of the What Yuh Know?” series, let’s rewind a bit. How do you think your upbringing and early life experiences contributed to the person you are today, both in front of the camera, and behind the scenes in your personal life?
Daniel: You are most welcome, it is a pleasure to have the roles reversed and answer some questions myself. I am truly humbled by the opportunity to be featured in this article and I hope to inspire at least one person throughout this interview via my responses. I firstly would like to recognise my mother, Lilly, who played an instrumental role in my success and the person I am today. I credit her for many of my traits that has led me to astronomical levels of success.
From the moment I was able to speak and think on my own, my mother instilled in me the value of working diligently to achieve things you desire in life. In front of the camera, I am brave and outspoken as I was taught to be and behind the scenes, I am determined and insistent in accomplishing what I set my mind to achieve. Through piecing together all the life lessons I’ve learnt, I am fortunate to have created a product (What Yuh Know) that resonates with audiences globally, an audience that spans over a million persons.
During your time as a student, what experience do you believe played a pivotal role in who you are today?
Daniel: During my time as a primary and secondary school student, I was not the popular option at school. Rather, I was called names by my peers such as “annoying,” “sickening,” “talkative” amongst a plethora of words that demoted to the least popular in the popularity contest. As such, I learnt early on that you will not always be favoured in all environments.
Similarly, through my career as an entertainer, I was not always favoured by all. Despite this, I still built an audience who accepted and respected me for my comedic contributions to the world through What Yuh Know.
What exactly was the driving force or inspiration behind starting the series? Can you take us back to the moment when you felt compelled to launch the show?
Daniel: Eight years ago while attending church in my local community, I participated in many youth activities and through this my exuberant personality shined brightly. I would always be ecstatic to participate in activities that involved me entertaining my fellow youth peers. One day a senior member of the church suggested I consider doing a show of my own since I had a huge personality.
It so happened that the church member, Noel, filled the role of videographer for the church which would go on to work in my favour. Noel jokingly said we should go out on the streets and ask persons questions about Trinidad and Tobago and I jokingly responded by saying “we’ll call it What You Know.”
From there, the name What You know stuck but I changed it to What Yuh Know to better align with the way we speak in the Caribbean.
Considering the grassroots beginnings of “What Yuh Know,” I’m curious about the tech side of things. When you started the series, what kind of equipment and software did you initially use?
Daniel: Initially, Noel assisted in recording the show and gave the footage to a friend of his to edit. If my memory serves me right, we used a beginner level Canon camera along with a handheld Shure microphone.
When did you first realise that your videos had the potential to generate income? Can you recall the moment where you thought, “I can turn this into a business?” Additionally, as you ventured into procuring sponsors for the series, could you share some insights into your approach?
Daniel: I first realised that my videos had the potential to generate an income when a company reached out to me requesting to do a giveaway within my show. I remember being really excited about giving away something within one of my episodes, so excited that I accepted a cellphone to do as the giveaway without thinking about any compensation for myself. It was only after that I thought it would be a good idea to accept some sort of monetary compensation but I had already agreed to just do the phone giveaway.
From that moment on, I created a package where sponsors would pay $1000 in cash compensation and $1000 in goods/services/cash to give away in each episode. I started at this cost and kept raising the cost as my audience grew and the quality of the show increased.
Daniel, your videos have not only resonated locally but have also reached audiences in various countries. What has it been like to see your content transcend borders, allowing you to connect with people from different walks of life and to explore the unique aspects of multiple cultures.
Daniel: It has been nothing short of an amazing, thrilling, yet humbling experience to have my content resonate with viewers worldwide. After all, What Yuh Know was simply a social experiment that I started in Trinidad for fun. The intention at the time was never really to become a household name around the Caribbean.
All of these achievements still shock me to this day and I pray and thank God each day for his bestowed blessings onto my life. I am fortunate enough to have gained a massive level of popularity in multiple destinations around the world and also had the opportunity to visit 30 of them. Seeing the faces of these global supporters each time I visit a new destination makes my heart smile!
You‘ve recently expanded your creative endeavours into the music industry with the release of your song “Feteing Commissioner.” Can you share the thought process behind this decision to venture into music? What inspired you to explore this new dimension to your brand? Also, how do you see this musical venture aligning with or complementing the broader scope of “What Yuh Know” and your creative pursuits?
Daniel: The thought process behind my first ever Soca release was born through a deep desire to one day sing a song of my own. Although I lacked any professional singing or songwriting experience, I love music and I love to sing. This deep desire led me to reaching out to a group of talented writers from a company called Jonesy Music who wrote this song for me and it was produced by Kyle Philips of Badjohn Republic.
This music venture does not necessarily align/complement the broader scope of What Yuh Know, it was more a goal that I wanted to accomplish out of passion and also an opportunity to contribute to the musical art form of my country.
The music video for your song features many high-profile cameos like Desert Garcia and Trinidad and Tobago’s former police commissioner Gary Griffith. How did you go about securing such notable collaborations and what was the experience like working with Director Josiah Persad to execute your vision for the music video?
Daniel: Bringing everyone together was honestly an easy feat as I utilised my popularity within Trinidad to make the necessary connections. I made contact with Mr. Griffith via social media and he was excited to be a part of the project. Josiah Persad, the director of the video, was able to secure Destra Garcia’s cameo appearance. Both Destra and Mr. Griffith were very humble and kind souls to work with despite their level of popularity.
Working with Josiah was a dream come through as I always aspired to have him do something for me and the stars aligned in such a way that it happened. He was very professional and made the entire process very simple. We remain great friends and will continue to work on projects together.
As we eagerly anticipate more from you and the “What Yuh Know” brand, what can your fans and viewers look forward to soon? Are there any upcoming performances, exciting new videos, or perhaps plans to explore and showcase different countries? Can you give us a sneak peek into what’s next on the horizon for you and your brand?
Daniel: As I continue to traverse the entertainment space, I recently rebranded What Yuh Know due to a deep desire to have a positive impact on the world. As such, I have completely changed the way I create What Yuh Know content. I now follow a format where each person I interview practically leads their own interview.
I don’t ask any trivia questions or apply any pressure like I did in the previous format, I simply allow that person to be authentic and 100% themselves. I ask questions based on what they say so that the interview is centred around them. This made me realise that the best moments are centred around authenticity.
At first I was hesitant to make this drastic change but after praying about it and soliciting advice from my loving mother, I made the deicision to finalise the change. I was hesitant because I didn’t know if this would affect business or even reduce viewership of the show. Despite my doubts, viewership has skyrocketed and I was able to secure multiple tourism partnerships with Caribbean tourism boards through using this new format.
My immediate goal is to travel to one Caribbean destination per month with the ultimate goal of deeply connecting with Caribbean people and learning more about Caribbean culture. I aspire to continue sharing Caribbean culture with the world and help put the Caribbean on the map in a meaningful way with the help of those who are already doing so.
For 2024, I’ve travelled to Grenada, Belize, Antigua and I’m schedule for Guyana next in April.
As we conclude our interview with Daniel Loveless, we are reminded of one of the core missions at Preshaa. Our team is dedicated to highlighting human achievement and inspiring our audience to believe that anything is possible when you follow your heart. Daniel ‘s story exemplifies this principle. We hope that his journey encourages our readers to pursue their passions and make the most of every moment. Life is short, but with the right mindset and determination, the possibilities are endless.
