From the Internet to the stage, John Daigle, biology junior from Thibodaux, has become a crowd favorite with his talent as a musician.
Armed with just a microphone and his L’Benito acoustic guitar, Daigle is a regular performer in places around Thibodaux such as The Foundry, Grady V’s and WoW Wingery. He has also played gigs in Baton Rouge.
Although his preferred instrument is the guitar, Daigle also plays piano, harmonica and ukulele.
“I started playing the piano when I was young and then later picked up the guitar,” he said. “I started performing at different places about a year ago.”
Aside from his live performances, Daigle has also become a hit on YouTube. His channel, johnjd555, has 18 videos with 149 subscribers and over 59,000 total views. His most popular video is an acoustic version of “No Sleep” by Wiz Khalifa. That video alone has over 28,000 views.
Daigle has made acoustic versions of songs from several different genres and artists including Cee Lo Green, Gavin DeGraw, The Verve, John Mayer, The Black Keys, Matchbox 20 and others.
“I like to play all types of music,” Daigle said. “I really enjoy taking different songs from rap, country, pop or rock and putting my own acoustic twist on them.”
Daigle said that although he plays covers for his live shows and his YouTube videos, he enjoys writing his own music in his spare time.
In one of his videos, Daigle went to Houston and visited Sunrise Sound Studios, a studio that has played host for artists such as Lenny Kravitz, Beyonce, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.
“I had a good friend that I went to high school with, and he went to school in the Houston area and got to use the studio,” Daigle said. “He invited me to go record some songs this past summer. It was a really cool experience, and I learned a lot about the techniques and efforts that go into making a good track.”
Daigle said that he hopes to continue playing music for the rest of his life, but he sees it mostly as just a hobby in the future.
“I still keep my options open for different music opportunities,” he said. “I would like to keep learning new instruments and writing songs.”
Daigle recently participated in an online tournament on topblip.com for a chance to open a show for musician Andy Grammer at the House of Blues in Dallas on Feb. 18. Although he came up short from winning the competition, Daigle made it to the second round of voting with the support of his family, friends and fans.
“John Daigle is the ultimate guy,” Ryan Jennings, general studies senior from Thibodaux, said. “He is one of the greatest musicians I have heard in a while.”
Daigle said that he feels very fortunate to have great friends and family that go out to see him play.
“I have received many compliments and feedback about my music from my YouTube and Facebook pages,” he said. “I really enjoy playing for people, and it is very gratifying to see people singing along and having a good time.”
