Biography
Who is Daya?
Early life and music training
Daya: Born Grace Martine Tandon in Pittsburgh, the singer grew up in a Pennsylvania suburb called Mt. Lebanon. She was raised with four siblings named Lou, Mariana, Celia, and Avery. Her paternal grandfather hailed from Delhi, India. The stage name she uses means kindness or compassion in Sanskrit.
During her childhood, she studied at St. Bernard School before moving on to Mt. Lebanon High School. She began piano lessons at age three and added jazz piano instruction when she reached age 11. Her musical education expanded to include several other instruments such as the flute, guitar, saxophone, and ukulele. She also attended a summer program for songwriting at the Interlochen Arts Camp.
Launch of professional career
In early 2015, the artist traveled to Los Angeles with her parents. She worked at Paramount Recording Studios with a team that included Britten Newbill and Brett McLaughlin. During these sessions, she recorded her debut single, Hide Away. Industry figure Steve Zap heard the track and helped form an independent label named Artbeatz to promote the music.
The debut single Hide Away arrived in April 2015 and received attention from prominent online influencers. Following this success, she released her self-titled EP in September 2015. This collection featured six tracks and reached the Billboard 200 chart. She also performed the song on television programs like Today with Kathie Lee and Hoda.
Chart success and awards
The singer achieved major commercial success in 2016 when she provided vocals for The Chainsmokers' track Don't Let Me Down. This collaboration reached the top ten on the Hot 100 chart and became a global hit. The song eventually earned a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording in 2017.
She released her first studio album, Sit Still, Look Pretty, in October 2016. The album included singles such as the title track and the song Words. Over the following years, she continued releasing music, including tracks like New, Safe, and Insomnia. She also contributed to the soundtrack of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why with the song Keeping It in the Dark.
Personal life
The musician publicly shared that she is bisexual in October 2018. This announcement coincided with National Coming Out Day. In 2021, she introduced her girlfriend of three years, Clyde Munroe, to her followers on Instagram. This relationship was referenced in her single titled Bad Girl.
Birthday and age
Daya was born on October 24, 1998, which makes Daya 27 years old today. That birthday falls under the Scorpio sign. Daya shares the date with 35 other famous people.
Explore more
