meet Spine Candy
Spine Candy is the sound of what’s left behind: the ache, the awakening, the aftermath. Created by South Florida-based artist and singer-songwriter Danielle Brianne Smith, and producer/multi-instrumentalist Jesse Balber, the duo fuses dreamy alt-pop with bluesy grit and emotionally charged electronica. Their music isn’t just heard; it’s felt. Built during a time of isolation and rediscovery, Spine Candy is less about performance and more about presence. The sound is tender, cinematic, bruised but beautiful. They don’t just perform, they connect. This isn’t just a band. It’s a rebirth. This is Spine Candy.
Danielle – The Voice + Vision
Danielle is the emotional engine of Spine Candy, the voice you feel in your gut before you realize you’re crying. A lifelong creative, she has worn many hats: modeling for indie fashion brands, acting in short films, and working in the beauty industry as a skilled makeup artist. But nothing felt like home until she returned to music. She started writing songs at 14, during a time when being a young girl in Miami came with fear, harassment, and a deep need to process what she couldn’t say out loud. Since then, her path has been anything but straight. Danielle worked everywhere — crepe shops, bookstores, private homes, reception desks — all while surviving chronic illness, instability, and grief. She overcame kidney failure and, later, two late pregnancy losses that nearly broke her spirit. But the songs kept coming. Music became a lifeline, a way to grieve, remember, and reclaim herself. Her voice isn’t just beautiful. It’s visceral. It’s the sound of surviving something and standing back up. Danielle sings because it’s the only way she knows how to stay alive. "For me… music is the only way I can get through anything. It helps me process how I’m feeling and lets me know that I’m not alone." — Danielle
Jesse – The Architect of the Sound
Jesse Balber is the man behind the mix: a producer, multi-instrumentalist, and emotional translator. With over 15 years of experience engineering audio, Jesse doesn’t just build tracks. He builds atmospheres. He grew up surrounded by music and a loving family, but often found himself in the garage. He isolated, experimented with sound, and dodged the social chaos of being the quiet kid who didn’t quite fit in. Music became the place where things finally made sense. His production style is slow-burning, cinematic, and emotionally precise. He doesn’t care about clout. He cares about connection. Together with Danielle, he helps create sonic worlds that hold space for heartbreak, healing, and everything in between. Jesse in His Own Words Jesse’s not big on bios, so we just handed him the mic. Q: So, tell us a little about your life growing up. My life growing up was nice. My parents and my family were always around. But I also locked myself away in a garage most of the time to either play video games or make music. Eventually, it became more music. It’s kind of the only thing I really like doing outside of video games and hanging out with people I like… and my family. So that’s my life. Q: Did you experience any challenges or hardships? Yeah. Not so much with my family, but definitely with other people. I didn’t really get along with other kids that easily when I was younger. I felt like everything I did to try and fit in was just me pretending, like I was never really being me. And at some point, I just didn’t like anybody… except for a couple people. Q: You’ve told me before you were bullied. Want to share a bit about that? Yeah, absolutely. Like most kids who got bullied — and no, it doesn’t feel good. But you learn one of two things: either how to keep powering through it or how to stand up for yourself. And yeah, I know they say violence doesn’t solve everything, but sometimes a nice punch to the gut reminds somebody that it’s a bad idea to mess with people. Maybe you’ll get your ass beat for it today. Moving on... That wasn’t my whole childhood. I had some awesome friends too. It wasn’t all bad. Q: So what drove you to music? I don’t know. It just feels good. I’ve loved singing since I was a little kid. My parents always had music playing — 60s pop, blues, rock, 70s soul and R&B. Pretty much anything and everything that was good. That definitely had something to do with it. Q: How long have you been doing music — like, really doing it? I properly learned how to record when I was about 17. I’m 35 now and feeling alive. I guess I still feel the same as I always have, just more experienced. Q: What’s one thing you’d say about music’s impact on your life? I think music’s impact on my life is actually smaller than its impact on the rest of the world. People don’t realize how much music influences them, positively or negatively. It affects everyone. Including me. So just… be careful. Listen to stuff that isn’t gonna turn you into an asshole. "Listen to stuff that isn’t gonna turn you into an asshole." — Jesse