S
he’s only 18, but Mt. Lebanon native Grace
Martine Tandon—better known by her
stage name, Daya—has already had a few hit
singles, won a Grammy and headlined a national
concert tour.
Daya, who graduated from Mt. Lebanon High
School in June of 2016, has known since child‑
hood that she wanted to pursue a music career. A
formally trained musician, she’s been playing piano
since the age of three, and spent time studying
both voice and musical theater at the Accelerando
Music Conservatory in Peters—an experience that
she says helped to shape her flourishing career.
“It was an incredible place for me to grow as
a performer and musician,” Daya says of Accele‑
rando. “It was a very open-minded, creative space
where I could really explore and hone in on my
own unique sound.”
Once she witnessed her first live concert, the
spark was ignited.
“I recall going to a Coldplay concert with my dad when I was
around seven years old, and seeing Chris Martin kill it on stage
in front of tens of thousands of people, and knowing at that mo‑
ment, without a doubt, that was what I wanted to do for the rest
of my life,” she says.
She remembers writing her first song around the age of 10,
while participating in a talent show at a family camp in Penn‑
sylvania. “I’d usually participate with various covers or parodies
with my sisters, but I decided I wanted to write my own song
for the show,” she recalls. “It was called something like ‘Music
Speaks’—so cheesy!”
Daya’s distinct singing voice is mature beyond her years. Her
style is a mix of “bubblegum pop” and classic R&B, and her wide
vocal range channels powerhouse singers like Lorde, ZZ Ward
and the late Amy Winehouse.
Daya, whose stage name is a Hindi translation of her real
name, Grace, burst onto the pop music scene in 2015 with her
hit single “Hide Away.” The single achieved Top 10 and Top 25
spots on Billboard’s Pop Songs and Hot 100 charts, is no w dou‑
ble-platinum certified and is featured on her debut EP “Daya.”
It’s also garnered more than 228 million streams on Spotify.
“I was in Los Angeles with a group of songwriters when we
came up with it,” she says of the song. “At the time, I didn’t even
think or know it would ever get released and have the kind of
success it eventually did.”
That success led to a wildly successful collaboration with the
band The Chainsmokers, on which she sings vocals on the song
“Don’t Let Me Down.”
“They played me a demo of the song and I fell in love with it
instantly and knew I had to be a part of it,” she says.
“Don’t Let Me Down” reached No. 1 on pop radio and No. 3
on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and has amassed more than 691
million streams on Spotify. The four-time platinum song was
nominated for Best Collaboration at the 2016 American Music
Awards and for Best Electronic Video at the MTV Video Music
Awards. Then, in February, she won her first Grammy Award for
Best Dance Recording.
“It felt like I was floating for weeks after,” Daya says of her
Grammy win. “It was my first Grammys ever, so I was just
thrilled to have been there, and to win was completely unex‑
pected and surreal. My entire family was there for support and
we all cried together afterwards. It was a really, really special day.
I just felt so honored, and nothing could bring my spirit down
that day.”
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Mt. Lebanon | Spring 2017 | icmags.com 23