A singer/songwriter with a rustic touch that traverses adult alternative and Americana, Daniel Ahearn was originally based in Brooklyn, New York. There, he and his partner, Melanie Moser, were members of bands including Men and Burakumin. The latter released an album, Early Mourning, on the Scientific label in 2000. Ahearn and Moser then relocated to Los Angeles, where they formed the duo Ill Lit, which combined country-folk and electronic elements. Ahearn wrote 11 of the 12 songs on the group's debut album, WACMusic, released by Badman in September 2002. It was followed by I Need You, released in February 2004, and Tom Cruise, which Ill Lit self-released in 2006. In 2007, Ahearn began recording as a solo artist, resulting in his debut EP, Pray for Me by Name, released by Riparian Records on June 17, 2008. His full-length debut under his own name, Long Way Home, arrived on the same label in 2010. It featured the song "I Will Let You Go," which was used in the 2011 Ivan Reitman romantic comedy No Strings Attached. He teamed up with Mindy Jones for 2013's Sirens, released as DA & the Jones. The title track was featured in the 2015 documentary Hot Girls Wanted, which Ahearn co-scored with Tyler Strickland. The film also included a duet between Ahearn and Rashida Jones ("Wanted to Be Love"). In the meantime, he began acting in short films, leading up to a major role in the feature-length Inheritance, released in 2017. ~ William Ruhlmann & Marcy Donelson