With ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ shooting up the charts globally, Daya the 18-year-old featured artist started to gain great attention. Now, with the single ‘Sit. Still. Look. Pretty’ and the album of the same name blasting up the charts we chatted to the rising pop star on her music, influences and craziest fan encounters.
With the global success of Don’t Let Me Down were you nervous about releasing solo music after it or did it make you even more excited?
I think it made me more excited to release solo music because I never really wanted to be just a feature, and while that song was amazing for my success and it really got my foot in the door and introduced me to a new audience, I think it just fuelled me even more to want to create my own music.
‘Sit. Still. Look. Pretty’ what’s the meaning behind the album name?
The album name is very important to me. It’s stated really well in ‘Sit Still Look Pretty’ the title song. It’s about just being a girl, and not being an accessory for a guy, and not having to depend on a guy for happiness and finding that within yourself instead. Working hard and knowing that you can do anything that guys can.
I read that you met the president and the First Lady? How was that?
I did! They’re awesome! Michelle Obama is the coolest person ever, Michelle Obama for president! She’s amazing, she was wearing these really cool high tops with leggings, just super fashionable, super nice, and chill. She’s awesome. Obama was great too, he sparked conversation with my Dad, because they obviously have two girls and I have four sisters so they bonded over that.
You’ve already worked with some incredible artists and producers such as The Chainsmokers, Jonas Jerberg and Lukas Loules, who else is on the list you’d love to work with?
So many people! I think Max Martin at some point would be cool. But honestly these people are incredible. Jonas and Lukas were great additions to the album. I’m just looking forward to collaborating with anyone. Louis The Child would be cool too in the future.
As an artist/songwriter/performer who are your inspirations?
I really look up to Sia as a songwriter, I think that she’s incredible. And as a performer, there’s so many! Rihanna, Beyonce…
The UK houses many great artists’, are there any you’re really feeling at the moment?
I feel like all the great artists come from the UK! Adele was a huge inspiration vocally early on, I probably covered every single song from 19. Coldplay are super inspiring, James Bay, U2 – that was one of the first concerts that I ever went to when I was younger.
Album of the year at the Grammy’s is already being heavily talked about as a competitive field. So which album do you think should win Album of the Year, Lemonade, ANTI, Life of Pablo, 25 or Purpose?
That’s a hard question! I really love ANTI. It’s so good. I love the rawness of it, I think Rihanna finally found her – I mean she’s obviously played with a lot of different sounds, but I feel this is the most Rihanna, this is the most unique to her. In ‘Higher’ she just freaking wails, and she kills it. So I think that rawness and empowering soulfulness is great.
Stranger Things is one of the biggest shows of this year, so we were wondering what’s one of the strangest things a fan has done?
There haven’t been too many weird things. I remember one time when I was first starting up I was at SXSW and I wasn’t really known, no one would recognise me on the streets or anything. I was at Charli XCX’s show standing in the crowd and a fan came up to me, and they were like ‘Oh my god, you’re Daya!’ And then he pulls out a picture of the two of us from a radio visit from months before that. It was just the two of us in this picture, and he had a couple of pictures in his pocket and I was like this is kind of weird… I didn’t have a big show at SXSW or anything, I was just doing showcases, so I didn’t know that people would know I was there, so that was definitely a weird moment. And he was older too, so it was kind of creepy!
What’s been your favourite country to visit and why?
I just came back from two weeks in Japan and that was incredible. I love the culture there, everyone’s so respectful, so peaceful. And the fashion is absolutely incredible, so was the food!
Radio 1 Live Lounge is a huge deal over here in the UK, if you had a chance to do it, what song would you like to cover?
It depends… I do a couple of covers. I do Valerie by Amy Winehouse. It’s a great song, I love her.
Lastly, what advice would you give to someone who’s looking to break into the industry?
I would say to work hard and definitely believe in your craft. Don’t let other people mould you into someone else, someone that you’re not. I think it’s the most important to stay authentic. It’s hard when you’re exposed to so many people and you’re playing a part that’s not really you, so I would just say to be the most you that you can be.
Download ‘Sit. Still. Look. Pretty’ here.
Feature image source
