Denton Arnell, 32, has always used music as his safe space. The Chicago native started playing the piano at four years old, sang in the church his entire life and directed his college church choir. Like most talented singer/songwriters, he used his music as a form of catharsis. But unlike his musical peers, he didn’t seek stardom or share his work with others.
“My colleague at the time accidentally heard me singing one of my songs and convinced me that I should audition for The Voice,” said Denton. After some encouragement, he decided to submit an audition video to the hit television talent competition. The next day, he got the call.
“I couldn’t believe that it was that easy,” he said. “I always hear about how tough it is to make it through to the top rounds of these types of things, so I was blown away by the opportunity.”
He wasn’t the only one that was blown away. Denton was a hit with the judges and even earned the support of one of the show’s musical mentors, John Legend.
The viewers and producers deemed him a hit. The showrunners even went as far as to allow him to use the show as a platform to propose to his longtime girlfriend on air.
“They asked me if I wanted to do it and I said yes immediately,” he said. “I couldn’t wait to ask my best friend to share the rest of my life with her in front of everyone that she loved.”
But the proposal didn’t go as planned.
“When going down on one knee, she also bent over and our foreheads collided in a head bump that was heard around the world,” he said.
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The moment immediately went viral and before Denton knew it, he was the butt of many jokes. Luckily, he was in on them.
“I didn’t care about that,” he said. “I had a new fiance and a great start to a career in music.”
Although Denton had a great run on The Voice, he was eventually eliminated and sent home, which posed some challenges for him.
“It seemed like things started happening all at once,” he said. “Issues with family, my career among other things.”
But he found solace in his music.
“My music was a great form of therapy for me.”
Scientists agree.
According to the Berklee College of Music, different forms of making music can direct attention away from pain or anxiety and have been proven to help individuals focus on positive thoughts and feelings and to celebrate life.
"We've found compelling evidence that musical interventions can play a health-care role in settings ranging from operating rooms to family clinics," says Daniel J. Levitin, Ph.D., who studies the neuroscience of music at McGill University in Montreal.
The analysis also points to just how music influences health. The researchers found that listening to and playing music increase the body's production of the antibody immunoglobulin A and natural killer cells — the cells that attack invading viruses and boost the immune system's effectiveness. Music also reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Now back in Chicago, Denton does all he can to spread the healing power of music through his songs and mentorship.
“At one point, I was sitting in a family member’s basement and I was so, so low,” he said. “Then and there, I wrote my song ‘Today’ because I wanted to instantly change my life and I didn’t want anybody else to feel the way I was feeling.”
Currently, he teaches music theory to elementary and high school children in his hometown. But he’s also keeping his dream of being a singer alive. He recently performed at the famed Elbo Room in Chicago and released a new R & B Soul project entitled Collision Volume I.
“My music saved me...and I’ll continue to use it to save others.”
To find out more about Denton Arnell, follow him at @DentonArnell on Twitter and Instagram.
Jasmine Browley holds an MA in journalism from Columbia College Chicago, and has contributed to Ebony, Jet and MADE Magazine among others. So, clearly, she knows some stuff. Follow her digital journey @JasmineBrowley.
