Poet & Musician Daniel Ma'ani

Daniel Ma'ani

Musician & Poet

Growing up on the North Coast, Daniel is a poet and musician whose work is deeply influenced by his roots, travels, and a lifelong connection to the natural world. Now based in Abingdon, he blends spoken word with music in his collaborative project You Talk Too Much alongside Markus Reyhani.

In the quiet town of Abingdon, just ten minutes from Oxford, Daniel has found more than just a place to live – he’s found a creative home. Formerly based in Paris, Daniel relocated when his wife landed a job with Oxfam, whose very name is rooted in Oxford.

Although she has since moved on from the organization, the couple chose to stay, drawn by the town’s vibrant cultural atmosphere steeped in music and poetry. Daniel’s creative journey, however, didn’t begin in Abingdon. It has been a lifelong pursuit, marked by movement and reinvention. From his early childhood in Greece, to adolescence in Ireland, and then stints in Malta and Paris, Daniel has continually grappled with the idea of belonging and self-expression.

Frequently, these transitions left him feeling like a fish out of water – navigating new languages and relationships. Whether adjusting to life in Greece as a child or growing up in Ireland as a teenager, Daniel was often caught in a liminal space. This recurring sense of displacement seeped into his creative work, fuelling a deeper introspection and sensitivity to the nuances of identity and place, while still being underpinned by his close family relationships.

Perhaps his biggest transition was made when he uprooted once again, this time to Paris to be closer to his partner, now his wife of 8 years. However, Daniel found his time in Paris created a sense of personal invisibility.

Witnessing homelessness at levels and in forms he had never encountered before, all while surrounded by the opulence of the French capital, the result was a period of creative dormancy that only very gradually began to lift.

He recalls writing prolifically on the Paris Metro, where hours underground gave him the time to utilise his voice. From this emerged a unique idea: what if a poem could become a Hollywood blockbuster? Drawing inspiration from epic narratives like Beowulf and the rhythms of Greek literature, Daniel began crafting longer, self-aware poems – “As long as I make it a little bit silly and self-aware then it suddenly becomes totally worthwhile”

Daniel continues to publish poetry on his substack which has garnered hundreds of followers and recently passed the 1 year milestone. But Daniel’s artistry doesn’t stop with the written word. Music has long been a part of his identity, dating back to school bands and guitar-driven folk songs.

It recently culminated in 2020, while living in Abingdon – a lockdown encounter with a composer neighbour named Markus, who shared Daniel’s curiosity and gentle demeanour, it led to an enduring creative partnership.

They formed the band You Talk Too Much, blending Daniel’s spoken word poetry with Marcus’ compositions. Their work dances on the edge of sentimentality, infused with the melody of Daniel’s voice and the rich sonic landscape of Markus’ music.

One of their standout pieces, “Cormorant Conversation”, was inspired by local wildlife and the nuances of meaningful dialogue. “It mirrors our personal relationship,” Daniel says. “We both give each other space to share ideas.”

The theme of belonging runs deeply through Daniel’s work. He recounts the story of his father, who emigrated from Iran to Northern Ireland in the 1970s, experiencing educational discrimination both in Iran as part of the Baha’i community and again in London as a migrant, he was directed to Northern Ireland in the midst of the troubles.

“Immigrant mentality is about hope,” Daniel explains. “Young people don’t have a lot, but they’re full of hope and trying to find their way.”

This sense of generational identity – shaped by conflict and cultural evolution – is a common thread in Daniel’s writing. A local radio host once noted that conflict, especially in places like Northern Ireland, forces people to question their place in the world. Daniel agrees. “I thought my feelings of not belonging came from being part-’somewhere else’, but i was born in Ballymena, and I think it’s actually a feeling shared by a lot of people my age from Northern Ireland”

The natural world is another recurring motif in his poetry. Inspired by gardens in England and his coastal upbringing in Northern Ireland and Greece, nature often provides a peaceful counterbalance to the complexities of urban life.

“I always felt smaller than the natural world,” he says. “It was stronger, forever.”

“I think the people around me are very much lovers of the natural world – and I’m a bit of a watcher and observer. Living here I saw people who loved their gardens, took care of their plants, and I always wanted to find a deeper meaning in it”

This reflection has led to Daniel’s upcoming collection of poetry, Plant Pot Poems, which continues his engagement with themes of nature and observation. The collection is set to offer new work that builds on his interest in the relationship between people and the natural world, particularly through the lens of gardening and plant life.

When asked about current inspirations, Daniel mentions Joshua Burnside having released a new album, he enthuses how on the pulse he finds his music. However, he makes a modest comparison, full of humour, between his own talent and that of Burnside, again reflecting the introspective and thoughtful nature throughout Daniel’s work. “This is what I could have been! If I had his talent and stuff…”

He then turns to local performers at open mic nights – individuals who create for the sheer love of it.

One such influence is Mandy Woods, a songwriter of over 35 years whose craftsmanship Daniel studies closely. “These people are the real inspiration,” he says. “They keep going without reward, without recognition. That’s the purest kind of artistry.”

“I think that’s our most powerful resource, these people and their will to create.”