It was so much fun to work with the cast on 'School of Rock'. I was a little nervous because it was my first acting gig, but it was such a great experience.
— Daya
Stay humble, be fearless, and work, work, work, work, work, work.
My dad was the one who took me to concerts and introduced me to new artists. One time, he drove me from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., on a school night to see 'U2' - he was a pretty dedicated Bono fan.
I'm a classically trained jazz pianist - I've been playing since I was 3 years old.
I was in an Uber in Vegas with some friends, and 'Don't Let Me Down' came on. My driver didn't recognize me but started to talk about how much he loved Daya and how he had a crush on her.
I try to write catchy hooks but, at the same time, things that mean something that will provoke thought.
I remember looking out into the sea of phone lights as Chris Martin belted 'Yellow' on the piano and deciding that that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
I'm always working on new projects.
I am still very independent in my real life, and that's why I'm always trying to get out of relationships prematurely.
I feel like I get all the good parts of college, cause I just college hop on the weekends and party with them, but I don't have to do any of the school part or the work part.
It was like I was Hannah Montana! I was a normal girl from Pittsburgh one minute and then a pop star the next!
I'm a fan of H&M, Topshop, and Forever 21.
I think Labrinth is an amazing writer and an amazing singer. His voice is just so magnetic. There are so many people that I would work with inside and outside of pop.
I've always been a songwriter.
I never wanted to be a feature - that was never the goal with my music. I didn't want to just live through other people's work.
I like the fact that I have the power to convey a lot of emotion through my songs. I like to channel that when I'm singing. I think it's just a mix of R&B, soul, but then I kind of move more into the pop world and electronic pop and stuff like that.
The 'Chainsmokers' found me early on, before anyone knew about 'Hide Away,' and reached out. I heard the demo for 'Don't Let Me Down' and loved it.
In relationships, I'm usually the one who's like, 'Oh, I don't need this right now. I don't need commitment. I can do well on my own. I'm independent,' and all this stuff, and I realized recently that that was making me really closed off to relationships and just closed off to anyone no matter who they were.
I was invited to L.A. when I was 16 for a weekend-long songwriting session by a writer I had met through my voice teacher in Pittsburgh. My first hit, 'Hide Away,' was one of the songs written during those sessions. It was played for a radio rep who then started a new label; the song got a pretty organic start at radio and then took off.
I flew home to Pittsburgh, and my management called me to ask if I wanted to perform on 'Dancing With the Stars' with Charlie Puth. I'm like, 'What? I grew up watching the show!'
Believe in yourself, go after your dreams, and don't let anyone put you in a box.
I love New Orleans. I love jazz. I grew up practicing jazz piano, and that's just been such a cool genre to me. There's a lot of talent there.
Brand-wise, I love Doc Martens, Topshop, All Saints, and Lord & Taylor.
I think the first concert I attended was Coldplay with my dad when I was around eight years old.
I think in order to accomplish anything in life, you have to visualize yourself there - accepting the award, hearing your song on the radio, whatever it is - or you lose the willpower and the drive.
I have four sisters at home, and both my mom and dad worked, and both of them took care of us. It wasn't like my mom was fully domestic, or my dad was fully domestic: they were just equals in their relationship. So I grew up with the perspective that women should be pursuing their dreams and not have to depend on a guy.
I started traveling, performing, doing photo shoots and working on new music. At the same time, I was juggling homework and trying not to miss out on too many experiences during my junior and senior years - like prom and graduation.
I used to daydream in class about what it'd be like to be a singer. It's what I wanted to be ever since I was little, but I never knew if it'd happen or not. I was just a normal girl who was doing all the things teenagers do, but on the side, I was attending music camps and going to songwriting sessions.
I'm a quarter Indian; my grandfather's originally from New Delhi.
I'm really excited because Interscope is really focused on artists. They've been working side by side with me creatively and allowing me to make a lot of the creative decisions, which you don't always hear about. That's why I didn't want to sign originally with a major label.
I had maybe 200 followers when I started. A bunch of radio stations were like, 'Uhhhhhh, my daughter has more followers than her'.
I would like to work with Ed Sheeran at some point. I really admire his songwriting, and I just think he has a great voice and great artistry. Who else? On the producer side of things, definitely Diplo: that'd be awesome.
I like to create something that's unique and kind of true to myself and authentic and everything. I don't really like to mirror myself after different artists.
Music was always a huge part of me, but I always did it on the side. I didn't even take any music classes in high school... it was more of an extracurricular thing.
My music reflects my strong belief in equal opportunities for all - specifically young girls and women. Many, many children do not have anywhere near the opportunities that we kids did in my community - great schools, public safety, etc.
First Lady Michelle Obama - I admire her confidence, integrity, intelligence, compassion, and her overall vibe - she is such an inspiration.
I performed in Redlands, Calif., at Splash Kingdom. It reminded me of the water parks I went to as a kid. I was like, 'I want to ride the rides!'
Coldplay's 'Mylo Xyloto' tour was incredible.
I love Rihanna's style. It's a good mix of streetwear and show wear, and I love her music, too. She's an incredible singer and performer.
I honestly just hope to continue creating music that people can relate to and connect with in a personal way.
All my friends are usually at festivals... I just have so much adrenaline running, I literally could run a marathon after my shows.
When 'Hide Away' first started gaining a bit of momentum, I was visiting at least two radio stations per day - sometimes in different cities - to spread the word about the song. It was a hustle, but so worth it.
In terms of role modelling for younger kids, I never really censor myself.
As soon as 'Hide Away' came out, it was like everyone knew who I was, and I started getting all this attention. It was hard to get used to at first. I just remember that I suddenly couldn't walk down the hallways without hearing a classmate or teacher playing it - it was unreal!
You should never be put into a mold based on your gender.
A stadium tour would be amazing - that's definitely one of my goals. Just to keep putting out real, honest music that people can really relate to and connect with.
I love having a major label behind me. Independent was really great to start off, as and I made some really big moves and gained a lot of fans.
Girls shouldn't be afraid to look messy. They shouldn't have to always fit in with the pretty girls. Our goal as women is not to impress guys.
I try to share a lot of my life on Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, everything. I really like interacting with fans on Twitter and answering their questions and just getting to know them because it's cool for them to have people who are connecting with my music reach out and show interest.
I'm on the road constantly. I'm a nomad. I don't really have a home right now. I don't identify with one place in particular.
