Chart-topping R&B artist Danny Fernandes is singing a happy song following the arrival of his beautiful baby daughter with fiancée Jenn Joyce. The first-time parents welcomed Olivia Rylee on Sept. 7, 2016, and they’ve quickly settled into their new roles.
“I never knew I could love anyone as much as I love Olivia,” the star behind hits like “Automatic” and “Private Dancer” tells Hello! Canada. “She lights up my world and gives me a reason to be the best father and person I can be.”
After wrapping up his tour of Asia and releasing the hit “Dear Life” earlier this year, Danny, 31, returned home to be with his love Jenn, 29, a respiratory therapist and niece of Tim Hortons' co-founder Ron Joyce, and prepare for fatherhood. “I wanted to take time off to enjoy every moment with my beautiful family,” he tells us.
Here, the happy couple open up to Hello! about life with Olivia, lullabies and how their newborn daughter has put the brakes on wedding planning – for now.
Congratulations! Is parenthood everything you expected it to be? Danny: Yeah. A lot of diapers...Jenn: It’s more than I could have ever expected. It’s a feeling that you can’t really put into words. The love that I have for this little bean, it’s incredible.
How is it seeing each other with Olivia? I knew Daniel was going to be a great dad. I couldn’t be more proud of how he’s handling fatherhood. Seeing the way he looks at her melts my heart. She really has become his whole world.Danny: Seeing how Jenn cares for Olivia puts so much joy in my heart.
Jenn, do you have a favourite time of day with her? Bath time is one of Olivia’s favourite times of the day, which in turn makes it one of mine. She can go from being fussy to the happiest baby as soon as her toes touch the water. She becomes so alert and fascinated with her surroundings. It’s so much fun!
Which traits do you hope your daughter inherits? Danny: Well, I hope she inherits Jenn’s brains – because she is very smart!Jenn: Daniel is very talented, so I’m hoping she gets some of that, but also he’s just a very kind person, very kind and caring, so I hope she gets those attributes as well.
Danny, do you sing Olivia lullabies? Yes. I love holding her and singing to her until she falls asleep. Every night I sing her favourite songs like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “The Itsy, Bitsy Spider.”Jenn: He actually did a cover of [Justin Bieber’s song] “Purpose,” and I used to play it all the time when she was still in my belly. We play it now and it puts her right to sleep!
With a new baby, do you have time to plan your wedding? Jenn: The planning has been put on hold for now just because it’s a lot of work with a new baby, but we’re enjoying every minute of it.Danny: We’re thinking about doing it when she turns one.Jenn: She’ll definitely have a big role in our wedding. We’re thinking she’ll be our flower girl.