Voice Over, Artist, Actress, Singer
& Celebrity Activist
By Dina Morrone
We’ve all heard E.G. Daily’s award-winning vocal talents. She is one of the top voice-over artists in the world, having animated characters on award-winning feature films and television shows. She was the voice of Babe, the adorable piglet in the movie Babe, Baby Mumble in Happy Feet, Froggy in The Little Rascals, Butter Cup in Power Puff Girls, and Tommy Pickles on Rugrats, to name only a select few.
As a singer/vocalist, she competed on season five of The Voice, winning a spot on Team Blake (Shelton). In the 80’s she had a major record deal with A&M Records. Three of her hits reached the top 10, including Say It, Say It, which Jelly Bean Benitez produced. It became a number one dance hit all over the world on the Billboard dance charts.
She produced, composed, and sang on over 30 classic film soundtracks, including Scarface, The Breakfast Club, The County Bears, Babe, and Rugrats.
As an actress, Daily starred in blockbusters like Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, where she played Pee Wee’s girlfriend, in Valley Girl, opposite Nicholas Cage, in My Sisters Keeper with Cameron Diaz, as well as the hit television series Friends where she played Phoebe’s ex-song writing partner in the iconic smelly cat episode.
When Daily is not using her golden voice to sing to us or do voice over, she uses it loud and clear as an animal rights activist to defend not only their safety and well-being but, in some cases, their right to live.
Daily’s latest single is a song entitled Don’t Worry About Me. All proceeds from sales will benefit LCA (Last Chance for Animals) and Tobies Small Dog Rescue.
Who was E.G. Daily as a young child growing up in L.A.?
I had a pretty normal upbringing. We lived in a normal little neighborhood, where we played capture the flag on the lawns. We would run over to our neighbors Roz Goldstien’s, for Mac n Cheese. Nothing seemed pretentious. I had a large family, five kids and all sorts of animals and lots of music playing all the time!
Tell us about your very first pet. What are your memories of this relationship?
BooBoo was my first dog. Pure LOVE was how I felt about my first pet and every one after. We also had a basset hound named Duke. My family had a Ranch that we would stay at every weekend. We had lots of cows, goats, chickens, and horses. I felt super content and happy around all of them.
What was the turning point in your life when you decided to become Vegan? And what do you do to promote a Vegan diet?
I have been Vegan many different times in my life and for various reasons. One of the reasons I was a Vegan in the past was because it grossed me out to eat meat since I had such a strong connection to animals. Sometimes it was because of cholesterol or other health factors. Today, I prefer to be Vegan. However, I do eat fish once in a while, and if I feel my body needs meat once in a very blue moon, I listen to my body and do what it tells me. The one thing I do not eat is dairy.
Was there an incident that convinced you that making animals the main focus of your life was the right thing to do?
Back in 2019, you and many other celebrities, including Kim Basinger and Priscilla Presley, went to extreme measures during a protest against the dog meat trade in China and South Korea by holding an actual deceased dog in public. How can our readers get involved in helping to stop this horrible action?
There is no question that if everyone saw even just a small clip of the horrific treatment of dogs /animals in Korea, or anywhere else where brutal practices happen, their knees would buckle. It’s so painful to see an innocent animal or beautiful creature of God, with feelings and compassion being tortured. I encourage everyone to check out the Last Chance for Animals website to see the fantastic work they have been doing globally with their fight against all kinds of animal abuse and exploitation. The website gives an in-depth look into what really goes on. It gives people awareness, which can help with funding, donations, press, and getting petitions signed so that we can hopefully stop the torture and abuse. Also, it is imperative to educate everyone to only treat animals with kindness.
As a recording artist, you recently released your new single, Don’t Worry About Me, with proceeds benefiting LCA (Last Chance for Animals) and Tobies Small Dog Rescue. Please tell us about LCA and Tobies Small Dog Rescue.
Chris DeRose is this amazing man who started Last Chance for Animals. He was shot trying to fight to protect animals. He has built up Last Chance to do the most incredible work to stop animal abuse. I have been protesting and doing fundraisers for them for decades, and my feelings only get stronger on this mission. Last Chance for Animals is a smaller organization that I began fostering years ago, and I continue to foster abused, neglected, and rescue tiny dogs for them. It’s my way of doing very hands-on work in my own home. I will get a dog from Tee, the founder of Tobies. She will say, “I have a tiny dog that was thrown from a moving car window with head trauma.” I will take that dog and nurse it, hold it, and love it back to where it trusts again, its spirit comes back, and it is healthy enough to place in an amazing, forever, loving home. I want to add that my beautiful daughters join me in this process as well.
You are one of the top voiceover artists in the country. When did you discover you had this extraordinary ability to use your voice as an instrument and create character voices?
When I was a little girl, I used to do baby voices. I always liked to imitate sounds and accents. I also did that with singers.
I could do similar tones and qualities. I think I created the voice for Tommy Pickles (Rug Rats) when I was that little girl. When the audition for Rug Rats came up, I had already done that voice and character. That voice had been living in me for
so long. I walked into the audition and booked Rug Rats, my very first cartoon voiceover audition ever!
Along with being on The Voice, you also appeared on Saturday Night Live as a musical guest, among many other shows and appearances. Share with us a little bit about your experience on these two mega television shows.
It was awesome to be on both Saturday Night Live and The Voice. I was in very different places in my life with each.
My song Say It was number one on the dance charts. I had been touring all over the world with it. And like a whirlwind, Saturday Night Live came so quickly. It wasn’t until after I was on it that I realized how monumental that was. It was like, ‘Oh wow, that was me on that show!’
The Voice was a different experience. It was decades later.
I was a mom with my own amazing daughters and a body of work I felt really proud of. But, The Voice was like getting a second wind into singing at a time where I had started to buy into the idea that you couldn’t make music or sing past a certain age. The Voice changed all that thinking for me and reminded me never to stop doing what I love, and now I don’t. I continue to put out music and music videos with even more love and passion.
A few years back, I saw your One-Woman Autobiographical Musical show, Listen Closely, in an L.A. theater. It was a tour-de-force performance. Are you planning on mounting the show again, or are you working on any new solo theatrical shows?
Oh wow, so cool, thank you! And so cool you got a chance to see Listen Closely. That was one of my favorite passion projects ever.
I probably wouldn’t re-do that show today, though, because I did it at the right time, I was meant to do it. To try to re-create it now wouldn’t be the same. The great news is, it was filmed before we closed the show. So, it’s available on my website.
egdaily.com
That show is all about listening to your inner voice. It tapped into my life journey, music, and personal issues. It’s both funny and super painful, and it’s all true. I will do another project at some point that ties into my journey now.
Where is the first place you’d like to travel to once the world goes back to normal? And why?
I’d like to go to Europe. Explore beautiful places like Ireland or the tiny islands of Italy. It’s hard to say precisely where, as there are so many beautiful places to see.
During this pandemic, is there something you learned about yourself that surprised you?
I learned that I liked the feeling that I could just B.E. That feeling that I always have to hustle or grind and do something, I learned that it’s not necessary. I learned to be in the moment and to enjoy the day just as it.
What is the secret to your longevity in the entertainment industry?
I keep listening to what I want to do next, and I try not to recycle what’s done or what I already did. That is a hard thing to do because when you feel like you did something successful, it’s easy to want to try to re-create it, but it has to be new. It can’t be just a replication of something you have already done. I also try not to force myself to do something until I feel really excited about doing it. I have to have an excitement in my body, a ‘hell yes’ feeling that I have to do it!
Also, I keep learning. I’m not too prideful to grow or to be teachable. I love continuing to grow my voice, grow my soul, grow my passion for things that matter. Grow my humility.
And I just keep getting desires to try new things, and I follow it.
Was there ever a moment you looked at yourself in the mirror and realized you were on the right life path, doing what you were born to do?
Everyday! Especially when I see my daughters, Hunter and Tyson, and what amazing people they are. I know that Mothering was something I was born to do.
Also, when I connect with all the fans, the beautiful, sweet people on Tic Tok, and hear what they say to me about my work. That reminds me that I am reaching them and also able to inspire them about kindness to animals. I know I’m on the right track.
Do you practice any form of meditation or fitness routine?
Yes. I have found so many awesome stretch and yoga classes on YouTube during Covid. My daughters and I do lots of beautiful walks and hikes. Training Mate training classes!
I love those, and Equinox has been my gym for a long time. I can’t wait to be able to get back to those..
Is there a favorite place, quiet or not, you like to go to that energizes you and makes you feel empowered or at peace?
I recently moved to the beach. Taking walks on the beach at sundown or when the sun comes up is amazing!
What is a typical day in the life of E.G. Daily?
I wake up and do a little meditation. I love Chopra. I feed my small dogs, make breakfast, have some coffee, and journal a little. Then either do a voiceover session, answer emails, and make business calls. And I might head to the beach for a walk. Or head out to do a bunch of other random things. The rest of the day is always so different. I try to stay open and allow the day to tell me which direction the magic is.
Any parting words for our readers that you’d like to share?
Thank you for allowing me to share with you a little of me.
Special Thanks to Photographers:
Dean Foreman & Amber Melody
Comments