SoCal's own DannyLux performing at Coachella

Danny Balderrama’s rise from the dusty roads of Coachella Valley to the bright lights of Los Angeles reads like a Hollywood script. 

The singer’s first guitar was given to him by his dad, a sanitation worker, who rescues it from the trash left behind at the Coachella Festival. 

FOX 11 spoke to the young star in person, the day before his second appearance at the iconic Coachella Festival, the same night as Bad Bunny. At his home in Desert Hot Springs, a now 19-year-old Danny, who goes by DannyLux, told me he vividly remembers the day his dad brought home the discarded guitar and presented it to his 7-year-old son. 

"I fell in love with the guitar and begged my mom for guitar lessons," he said. 

Young Danny would go on to study guitar and receive vocal direction from his church choir. 

As Danny tells it, "My life was music and soccer." 

But if music came easily, school did not. He said his grades were so poor that he was kicked off the soccer team. He felt lost. 

"I was so sad I didn’t get good grades. I didn’t do soccer anymore," he said. 

When the pandemic lockdown hit, he picked up his guitar again and began posting music he wrote and performed. 

His TikTok followers exploded into the millions. And soon after, music companies took notice of the Gen-Z’er. He began traveling the world sharing his unique style of moody ballads referred to as sad sierreno. 

 And that brings us back to a hot afternoon in April where we sit in the Balderrama living room. Danny is here. Also here are his bandmate-cousin, mom, dad and publicist. 

We interview dad first about the guitar he plucked from the garbage. He said he was just trying to bring a toy home to his young son. But the guitar has turned out to be transformative in Danny’s life. 

Last week, Danny’s record label put up a billboard on the way to Coachella.

"My last time at Coachella I was picking up the trash, now I’m back to see my son perform this Friday. Te amo DannyLux tu Papa," the billboard read.

Both Oscar Balderrama and son Danny were brought to tears upon seeing the sign for the first time. Mr. Balderrama said " Everything you can dream of, you can make it true, if you work hard and honestly." 

 And that dream is bringing along the whole family. Eight members of Danny’s family will be at Coachella Friday April 21 to watch Danny perform live. The young man who worried that he would be a disappointment to his family, will take the stage and play passionately, like he’s in his own backyard. And in a way — he is.