Daniel needed an outlet after Heather’s death on The Young and the Restless. He picked up a guitar and started playing again, thanks to Tessa. Michael Graziadei was uncertain about bringing his musical talents to the show. However, he now feels immense gratitude for having taken on the role.
Key Takeaways
- At first, Graziadei was hesitant to play guitar on the soap.
- He later enjoyed his alter ego’s journey into music.
- Graziadei is grateful for his role, especially now that Daniel’s interested in music.
The Guitar Man
Initially, Daniel wasn’t known as a musical talent. But when he returned in 2022, head writer and executive producer Joshua Griffith wanted to incorporate Graziadei’s talents into the show. At first, he was hesitant about the idea.
But then he allowed Daniel’s story to unfold. He was feeling lost after the death of his wife, Heather (Vail Bloom). So, he needed an outlet. That’s when he learned to play guitar thanks to Tessa (Cait Fairbanks).
Daniel started to develop feelings for Tessa, who is still married to Mariah (Camryn Grimes). For this storyline to work, the characters needed a common ground. It was music that brought them together. When Griffith shared the idea, Graziadei was in favor of it.
“I was like, ‘That’s actually kind of fun and kind of interesting, and it will be a challenge for me to sound like I suck at guitar,'” he joked to Soap Opera Digest. Daniel has gotten better over time. He’s become a musical man in his own right.
Feeling Grateful
Now, Graziadei is grateful to lend his musical talents to his character. He described the feeling as “rewarding,” especially when he gets to play guitar on the show. Graziadei used to hold back and not share his talents with the world.
“I’m getting to share it a little bit with people, and everybody’s interested,” he added. This very moment occurred at Y&R’s fan club luncheon. “That was everybody’s question: ‘You really play the guitar, don’t you?'” It made for a good icebreaker.
Graziadei has been playing the guitar since he was 13. It took him longer to get accustomed to it. Graziadei noted that “Daniel seemed to progress fairly quickly.” But it was even harder for him to act like he didn’t know how to play the guitar.
Graziadei and Fairbanks have been making beautiful music together, both on and off the screen. Fairbanks is dropping a new album in December. She decided to collaborate with her co-star from Y&R.
The actor shared a clip of himself in the recording studio with Fairbanks. It was a little treat for fans, who enjoyed them performing together. They recently sang together at Christine (Lauralee Bell) and Danny’s (Michael Damian) wedding.
