Daniel Powter

Biography

Daniel Richard Powter (; born February 25, 1971) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. His 2005 pop single "Bad Day×Bad Day2004 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Bad Day3:552Stupid Like This3:223Lost on the Stoop4:10" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks. He was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 49th Grammy Awards for "Bad Day" and won the Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year in 2006.
Powter's subsequent work never reached the same success as "Bad Day", with Billboard dubbing him the top "one-hit wonder" of the 2000s.

Early life

Powter grew up in Coldstream, outside of Vernon, in the Okanagan Valley region of British Columbia. Powter started playing the violin at four years old. He changed to piano at 16 years old due to bullying.
Powter studied at MacEwan University but dropped out—partially due to his dyslexia—to pursue music full time.

Career

Powter started a pop rock band in Victoria, British Columbia. The band won an award, which allowed them to produce a CD. Powter also worked as a keyboardist on The Chris Isaak Show.
In his late twenties, Powter met producer Jeff Dawson in Vancouver. With Dawson producing, Powter released his debut album I'm Your Betty×I'm Your Betty2000 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1More Than I4:542Condition4:113Guys Unknown4:014Negative Condition4:185Legs Hang Down4:476Still Nothing5:147Breeding The Highway4:388Who's Getting Through To You3:379Ellis Dee5:1210I'm Your Betty4:49 on June 21, 2000 through indie label Outside Music. A few songs on the album appeared on the Canadian television show Higher Ground.

"Bad Day" and self-titled album (2005–2007)

Powter wrote the hook to "Bad Day×Bad Day2004 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Bad Day3:552Stupid Like This3:223Lost on the Stoop4:10" while on a ferry ride between Victoria and Vancouver. Powter wrote the song with a negative connotation to avoid sounding cheesy and chose "bad day" because it sang well. Powter recorded a demo for "Bad Day" with producer Jeff Dawson and fielded inquiries with several music labels. After acquiring a music manager in Los Angeles, he signed with Warner Bros. Music and recorded his 2005 self titled album with Mitchell Froom co-producing.
Powter's first single, "Bad Day", was first released in Europe in mid-2005, in advance of his second album, Daniel Powter. Warner Bros. Records submitted the single for commercials, and it was subsequently chosen by Coca-Cola as the theme song for an ad campaign in Europe. The song achieved heavy airplay in most European countries, peaking at number three on the overall European airplay chart. It reached number one on national airplay in Germany, number one on the singles charts in the Republic of Ireland and Italy, number two in the United Kingdom—where it stayed in the top ten for thirteen weeks—and number three in Australia.
In the United States, "Bad Day" was used extensively on the television series American Idol in its fifth season. Powter sang the song live at the end of the final show of that season on May 23, 2006. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts, making Powter the first solo Canadian male artist to top the Hot 100 since Bryan Adams in 1995 (with "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?"). The song also reached number one in Powter's homeland, Canada.
On May 31, 2005, Powter released his first extended play known as "Free Loop."
On July 2, 2005, Powter performed at the Berlin installment of Live 8, a simultaneous group of concerts in nine countries intended to raise awareness of poverty in Africa.
"Bad Day" came in fifth in the British Record of the Year 2005. In 2006, Powter won in the New Artist of the Year category at the Canadian Juno Awards, and was nominated for Best International Breakthrough Act at the BRIT Awards. "Bad Day" was nominated at the 2006 Billboard Music Awards for Hot 100 Single of the Year, and was named Billboard magazine's song of the year in 2006. At the 2007 Grammy Awards, Powter received a Best Male Pop Vocal Performance nomination for the song.
The subsequent singles from Daniel Powter – "Jimmy Gets High×Jimmy Gets High16 August 2005 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Jimmy Gets High3:402Bad Day (acoustic) [Recorded for NRJ]3:36", "Free Loop×Free Loop31 May 2005 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Free Loop3:482Lie to Me3:253Song 63:304Bad Day3:54", and "Lie to Me×Lie to Me17 April 2006 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Lie to Me3:252Styrofoam (Live at La Cigale, Paris)3:493Free Loop (Live at La Cigale, Paris)4:054Lie to Me3:27" – were released in different parts of the world, each failing to match the success of "Bad Day". "Free Loop" was deemed chart ineligible in the UK (as the release included a version of "Bad Day" as a B-side whilst "Bad Day" was still in the chart, hence breaking chart rules) and failed to chart in the U.S., though it reached the top forty on the Adult Contemporary chart. Following the release of "Lie to Me", "Jimmy Gets High" was to be the fourth single from the album in the UK, but its release was cancelled. A new track called "Love You Lately×Love You Lately19 September 2006 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Love You Lately3:01" was released as the next U.S. single, preceding a re-release of the album Daniel Powter that was also cancelled.
On January 29, 2007, Powter released his first compilation album B-Sides×B-Sides29 January 2007 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Bad Day (acoustic version)3:372Styrofoam (Live at La Cigale, Paris)3:463Free Loop (Live at La Cigale, Paris)4:034Song 6 (Live in Vienna)2:455Bad Day (Live in Vienna)3:326Stupid Like This3:22.

Post "Bad Day" and hiatus (2008–2011)

In March 2008, a song by Japanese singer Haru featuring Powter, "Find My Way×FIND MY WAY12 March 2008 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1FIND MY WAY4:312FIND MY WAY (instrumental)4:31", was released. In September, Powter released his third album, Under the Radar×Under the Radar15 August 2008 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Best of Me4:002Not Coming Back4:013Whole World Around4:274Next Plane Home3:115Am I Still the One?4:166Negative Fashion3:277Don't Give Up on Me3:328Fly Away3:369Beauty Queen3:3710My So Called Life3:4411Love You Lately3:03. Love you Lately was also rerecorded and released on December 9, 2008 as a new single. This was the same year in which he embarked on the Wolfbaggin' Tour, joining the likes of Alphabeat and Lil Chris.
Powter also performed piano on tracks for what was scheduled to be Marcy Playground frontman John Wozniak's solo album, Leaving Wonderland... in a Fit of Rage, but the album was released under the band's name. Powter was still given credit for his contributions to the song "Gin and Money".
Under The Radar was also given an exclusive CD and DVD release for the Asia Market known as the Asia Tour Edition. It was released on February 14, 2009.
On March 16, 2009, Powter performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival then in December 2009, Powter was named as the decade's top One-Hit Wonder by Billboard. The magazine describes one-hit wonders as acts whose second hit did not reach the top 25; they only included acts from 2000 to 2007. In Powter's case, "Bad Day×Bad Day2004 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Bad Day3:552Stupid Like This3:223Lost on the Stoop4:10" is his only Hot 100 hit.
On January 1, 2010, he performed O Canada at the NHL Winter Classic. In that same year, he released his greatest hits album, Best of Me×Best of Me2008 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Best of Me (radio edit)3:422Best of Me3:57, and with it, recorded three new songs and a new version of the title track to go along with 'Bad Day', 'Jimmy Gets High×Jimmy Gets High16 August 2005 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Jimmy Gets High3:402Bad Day (acoustic) [Recorded for NRJ]3:36', 'Next Plane Home×Next Plane Home8 September 2008 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Next Plane Home3:112Best of Me (demo version)3:07' and his other singles. Only one was released as a single: 'Lose To Win', on November 10, 2010.
On December 1, 2010, Powter made a tribute to English singer and songwriter John Lennon with his cover version of Happy Xmas (War Is Over). This single was released in Europe, the UK and Japan.
Powter took a hiatus in 2011 to focus on his family life.

Later career (2012–present)

On April 10, 2012, Powter's single "Cupid×Cupid10 April 2012 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Cupid3:43" was released to US and Canadian iTunes stores. The single was written after his divorce. Powter's album, Turn On the Lights×Turn on the Lights12 June 2012 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Cupid3:422The Day We Never Met3:453Crazy4:254Come Back Home3:485Best of Me3:466Selfish3:327If Only I Could Cry3:218Except the Blue3:479Birthday Suits2:5410What I Meant to Say3:4011Tell Them Who You Are3:46, was released in July 2012.
On September 10, 2012, he released "Crazy All My Life". The song peaked at number 23 on the Canadian Hot 100 and became his biggest hit in Russia, where it reached number 12 on the radio chart and has over 1.4 million lifetime plays.
On December 5, 2012, Powter was featured in a song with Japanese singer May J. titled "Back To Your Heart". On the 18 he released the single "Christmas Cupid", which is a Christmas version of his song "Cupid".

On June 5, 2013, Powter announced on Twitter that he was working on an album with Jeff Dawson, who co-produced most of his songs in the past, and John Fields, who was a co-writer on "Crazy All My Life". He also said:I'm writing like I did during the first record. I'm not focusing on singles. Otherwise I would try too hard and end up with garbage sort of like Bad Day. I never thought in my wildest dreams that it was a single. I think that's what writing from your heart is. Just like anything else. When you try too hard, it really isn't worthy of anything... So I stay open and just let the songs write themselves.
On July 15, 2013, Powter performed at the National Association of Drug Court Professionals performing "Bad Day×Bad Day2004 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Bad Day3:552Stupid Like This3:223Lost on the Stoop4:10" and "Whole World Around." Matthew Perry also attended the event.
On August 9, 2013, he performed at the Festival of Friends.
On September 5, 2013, Powter later released 4 songs as bonus tracks for his album Turn on the Lights called Ur My Radio, Doesn't Matter, Cheers To Us and Goodbye. These tracks only appeared as part of a re-release for the Japanese market on March 17, 2014.
On November 27, 2016, Powter performed at The 39th Jazz Goes To Campus Festival performing Bad Day.
On January 6, 2017, Powter released a single called "Delicious×Delicious6 January 2017 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Delicious2:26" featuring Australian singer Vanessa Amorosi. The music video was uploaded to his official YouTube channel on March 14, 2017.
On December 10, 2017, Powter performed at the President's Star Charity event in Singapore singing Bad Day and joined Sandra Riley Tang in a duet performing her band's song "Save Myself."
On April 6, 2018, Powter released a single called "Perfect For Me." On April 13, he released his fourth extended play known as Daniel Powter. There are 4 songs in this album: a remastered remix of Bad Day, Tell Them Who You Are in an acoustic version, his 2017 single "Delicious" and his 2018 single "Perfect For Me."
On September 21, 2018, Powter released a single known as "Do You Wanna Get Lucky" It was followed by another called "Survivor" released on October 26 and Perfect for Me was later re-recorded and released on November 23 for the Asia market.
He released an album called Giants×Giants10 December 2018 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Perfect for Me2:562Do You Wanna Get Lucky3:463Survivor2:434Delicious2:255Bad Day (re‐recorded)3:576Free Loop (re‐recorded)3:537Tell Them Who You Are (re‐recorded)3:228Do You Wanna Get Lucky (holiday version)3:38 on December 14 where songs in the album include the re-recording of "Perfect For Me", "Survivor", "Delicious", re-recordings of "Bad Day", "Free Loop×Free Loop31 May 2005 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Free Loop3:482Lie to Me3:253Song 63:304Bad Day3:54" and "Tell Them Who You Are" (from the EP). A remixed version of "Do You Wanna Get Lucky" is also included known as the Holiday version.
Powter went on to feature with The Untamed Boys, a Chinese pop group, in January 2020, where they released the song "Just Isn't Me." and performed it alongside "Bad Day" while touring in Bangkok, Thailand. Powter also collaborated with other artists in the MOSHIMO Project in May 2020.
On February 3, 2021, Powter was featured in a song called "Save Your Life×Save Your Life3 February 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Save Your Life5:21" with Japanese pop singer Ayaka Hirahara.
In 2024, Powter performed "Bad Day" during his audition on the fourth season of Canada's Got Talent, making his first Canadian television performance.
In August 2025, Powter announced on Instagram that his new song "City of Angels×City of Angels12 September 2025 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1City of Angels3:142City of Angels (instrumental)3:14" will be released on September 12, 2025. Following this, he released a new song on October 17, 2025 called "Celebrate the Holidays×Celebrate the Holidays17 October 2025 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Celebrate the Holidays2:22." It is Powter's first ever original holiday song.

Personal life

Powter moved to Los Angeles in 2005. As of 2024, Powter resides with his wife Christina in Portland, Oregon. He has three children: two daughters and one son.

Powter disclosed in July 2013 that he was sexually abused by a female babysitter for three years starting from the age of seven and turned to drugs and alcohol to get over his guilt and shame. He said in an interview:I thought that (addiction) was my problem. But it wasn't. That was my solution. It wasn't until I started digging in, taking a look at myself, saying I gotta work on some stuff (that) I don't want to look at (that I figured it out). My parents didn't know and I was too scared to tell them.
Powter was addicted to alcohol and cocaine. He became sober in 2010.
Powter is a fan of the NHL. As a child, he was a fan of the Edmonton Oilers and is now a Los Angeles Kings fan.

Musical influences

Powter spoken of his musical influences growing up:

My favourite is Nick Drake. I still absolutely adore his music. You know it's still old band music inspired by Elton John's old stuff, you know the Beatles and Fleetwood Mac and David Bowie and the things that my parents gave me when I was a kid. I still listen to those records, because I think for me, what it is that I relate to, is how the structure of the songs are for them, you know, like verses, and choruses, and bridges. And so sometimes the modern music that I hear these days doesn't really have that and I don't relate to it. So I still listen to the old stuff.