Music provides more than a safe place to escape, said Kansas City-based artist and entrepreneur Danny Soriano; it’s simultaneously the space between people, and a connection that can tie them together.
“It’s really important for my music to spark conversations — or create an atmosphere where people feel safe enough at my concerts to start their own — even if it’s just about feeling safe within their emotions while listening to my music,” he said.
Set to open Startland News’ Jan. 27 awards reception for Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2026, Soriano taps into his Latino roots while embracing the community that captured his heart the first time he ventured to First Fridays in the Crossroads, he said.
And as a creator, Soriano hopes to defy barriers that often silo genre-centric music, while still embracing his heritage, he said.
“Right now, I have a lot of indie alternative, some hip hop influences as well,” he continued, “but I’m transitioning into creating Latin music and diving into my roots right now, which is super needed.”
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Danny Soriano plays a DJ set during Startland News’ 2025 Startup Crawl; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
Growing up in an immigrant family on the border of California and Mexico, Soriano noted, music has always been an important part of his life with many of his family members playing mariachi music or singing.
“A lot of Latinos experience this,” he explained, “where music is a huge grounding point for the family, no matter what everyone’s feeling at any given time. If it’s a family gathering, we all just come together, put all our problems aside, and just have good music and great times.”
“Music is one of those super quick and easy things to pick up, to either distract yourself or sometimes feel a little bit more of what you’re needing, whether it’s happy music or sad music,” he continued.
In 2016, Soriano’s family moved to Dodge City, Kansas. He experienced culture shock, he said, later moving to Colorado in 2019 to finish up his film and media studies. In 2022, he made his way to Kansas City.
“Music just always found its way back to me in some way, shape, or form,” he added.
Danny Soriano sings during a February 2025 Unidos Rally for Immigrants and LGBTQIA+ Rights; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
Music at the epicenter of voice
During a pre-pandemic trip to Kansas City, he found himself at First Fridays in the Crossroads — a celebration of art and music — and he knew this was the place for him, he noted.
“Music, again, was the epicenter of everybody having a good time,” he explained. “It was just a huge block party, people having fun and just putting their problems aside, just to connect with other people.”
Danny Soriano shares a laugh with event-goers during his DJ set at Café Corazón during “A Night Without Borders”; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
That’s the kind of atmosphere he wants to create through his own music and the events he helps to organize — like last year’s A Night Without Borders for Hispanic Heritage Month at Cafe Corazon and a Dia de los Muertos celebration at Crossroads Hotel.
“I want to create spaces for people to feel welcome and to feel whatever it is that they’re going through in that moment,” he continued. “I’m a huge advocate for, if you’re feeling some type of way, you shouldn’t diminish that emotion. You should definitely try to work through it or feel through it. But having those spaces is always a huge help.”
Soriano also wants to make sure that his audiences see cultural representation in places that might not be typical, he said.
“I’m advocating for similar things that they might be too scared to speak up to or speak up for,” he explained. ”I think right now I’ve been super inspired by a lot of artists who are using their platforms to just raise awareness and speak out against misinformation and different things like that. I think it’s a really important thing to use your voice if you are able to.”
Danny Soriano, artist and owner of High Resolution Media; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
Catalyst into a new era
On top of his music, Soriano also runs his own digital media company, High Resolution Media, helping small businesses and nonprofits with videos, digital media ads, and event coverage.
“I’m a huge believer in, if you help someone in some way, shape, or form, it’s going to help you in the long run,” he said.
Soriano originally started his business so he could learn to market himself as an artist, he noted, but the media company was never meant to be a plan B.
“I feel like I’ve always known that I wanted to be a multi-faceted person,” he explained. “You see artists like Childish Gambino and Tyler The Creator, having production companies but also skincare products and shoes and fashion lines. And I take a lot of inspiration from that.”
“A big thing that I want people to see and feel is that we’re living in a modern day Renaissance era,” he added. “Scarcity was super prominent during COVID and now people are back out in the open, and they’re diving into these different mediums and excelling at them.”
Soriano said it’s cool to see his generation be the catalyst for creating that energy.
“Especially in Kansas City, there’s so many amazing creatives that are doing multiple different things,” he continued, “whether it’s fashion, digital media, painting. There’s so many different creatives out here who are doing the same thing. It’s super inspiring.”
“I’m hoping this modern day Renaissance era evolves into something beautiful,” Soriano added, “and it is already.”
