Stay humble, be fearless, and work, work, work, work, work, work.
Daya
Believe in yourself, go after your dreams, and don't let anyone put you in a box.
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.
We're all humans; we all go through phases.
I grew up with four sisters - four very talented and intelligent sisters - and two parents that were very supportive of whatever we wanted to do.
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.
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 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.
You should never be put into a mold based on your gender.
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.
First Lady Michelle Obama - I admire her confidence, integrity, intelligence, compassion, and her overall vibe - she is such an inspiration.
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.
I've always just kind of been a single-minded person.
Music has been a huge passion of mine ever since I started playing the piano at age 3. Going to concerts, performing on my own, and listening to my favorite artists growing up confirmed that love for music and made me want to pursue it as a career.
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.
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 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.
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.
Because of my interest in songwriting, I was invited to visit a friend in L.A. for songwriting sessions with him and his friends. We wrote six songs by the end of the weekend, and 'Hide Away' happened to be one of them!
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 would love to collaborate with Chance the Rapper. I love his lyrics and his sound and everything.
I honestly just hope to continue creating music that people can relate to and connect with in a personal way.
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.
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 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.
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'm a fan of H&M, Topshop, and Forever 21.
I've always been a songwriter.
I'm always working on new projects.
I will wear makeup because I want to look good for myself, but it's not to please other people. It's not so I fit in with the pretty girls or to impress guys.
I think the first concert I attended was Coldplay with my dad when I was around eight years old.
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.
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!
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 had maybe 200 followers when I started. A bunch of radio stations were like, 'Uhhhhhh, my daughter has more followers than her'.
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 wouldn't use a song I didn't think was my brand or image.
I did a show with Tori Kelly, and it was really cool that I got to meet her. She has always been a huge inspiration of mine, and I'm obsessed with her voice, so it was great to get to talk to her about the industry. The best advice she gave me was to just be myself.
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 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.
All my friends are usually at festivals... I just have so much adrenaline running, I literally could run a marathon after my shows.
Write down everything you can think of, no matter how stupid it seems. I always write down my thoughts throughout the day. Sometimes good things come out of it, and I'll find an idea to develop into a song, so my best advice is to try and draw inspiration from everyday things.
I've just gained so much confidence in the booth since the 'Sit Still Look Pretty' era. I'm working with really talented producers and songwriters who bring out the best in me.
Coldplay's 'Mylo Xyloto' tour was incredible.
I'm a classically trained jazz pianist - I've been playing since I was 3 years old.
It was like I was Hannah Montana! I was a normal girl from Pittsburgh one minute and then a pop star the next!
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!'
I have a lot of creative control, so I can decide what I want to wear, what I want my brand to look like, what I want my songs to sound like, so I don't sound like some fake artist that people can't relate to.
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 dream collaboration would probably be Sam Smith.
