DANA

Born in 1997, Dana Burkhard grew up in a musical family, and according to her mother, she sang before she could even speak. Instead of toys, there were instruments, and little DANA began making music at an early age with her older brother Joël, who is still the bassist in her band today.

At the age of 11, she started taking singing lessons and soon taught herself her first chords on the guitar. The next time she wanted to write in her diary, she spontaneously picked up the guitar instead and experienced for the first time how healing it can be to process one’s own feelings through songwriting. To this day, DANA reveals herself in her lyrics with the same directness that gives listeners goosebumps. From personal trauma to feminist activism, from the absence of a father figure to chosen family, from attachment fears to new emotional worlds: her songs are a testament to radical honesty and a celebration of the strength inherent in vulnerability.

To finance her first EP, the then 16-year-old worked as a Sandwich Artist at Subway and played her first shows in and around Biel. After graduating from Gymnasium Kirchenfeld in Bern, DANA pursued studies in pop vocals, first in London and later in Zürich, where she still lives today. During that time, she worked as a backing vocalist for Rag’n’Bone Man, Stormzy, and Melanie C. As her solo career grew and a second EP was released in 2019, she wrote her debut album, stepped back from background engagements, and fully dedicated herself to her own music.

The release of her first album in 2022 brought DANA significant media attention in Switzerland and Germany, as well as the title SRF3 Best Talent. In the following years, her career continued to gain momentum: a Swiss Music Award nomination, extensive festival tours including performances at Zürich Openair Mainstage, Gurtenfestival, and as a crowning highlight at the Montreux Jazz Festival, as well as her first headline tour with the album release at Mühle Hunziken. She now looks forward to opening a new musical chapter in 2026.

All of DANA’s new songs are created in her favorite way: in collaboration with other musicians. For several years, the young artist has fully embraced co-writing and, besides her own music, has been involved in songwriting for other artists and projects. After writing the title track for the hit film Platzspitzbaby, DANA has also written songs with and for Remo Forrer, Anna Rossinelli, Linda Elys, Luca Hänni, Ritschi, Joya Marleen, Dodo, Teya, and many more.