Photo courtesy artist

In a recent interview with Variance's Ethan Ijumba, pop artist DAYA reflected on her experiences as an independent artist and her return to a major label with Spinnin' Records. She emphasized the creative freedom and artistic growth she enjoyed while being independent, though acknowledging the challenges of lacking the resources often available to signed artists. With her new single "Don't Call," she discusses exploring dance and electronic elements in her music, which signifies a turning point in her life and music.

Be sure to read the full Q+A with DAYA below and be sure to stream “Don’t Call” on all DSPs.

EI: At a point in your career, you were an independent artist releasing a plethora of singles. What was it like being an independent pop artist during that period?

DAYA: I love being independent and feel very lucky to be able to try that out at this point in my career. For me, the decision was really about providing space for my artistic evolution— exploring what I’d do with my music and visuals if I had full control of my output. I learned so much tapping into that freedom and experimenting with music, and it felt very grounding and validating after a period of being unsure about my place in the industry.  On the flip side, it’s been hard at times to feel like I have a seat at the table in the pop world without as many resources as most other pop artists have. But for me, the autonomy was worth it for the time being, and I’ll always consider it an important step forward in my career as a whole.

EI: After being independent for a couple years and now releasing this single under Spinnin' Records, what’s it like to be signed and work with a major label again at this point in your career?

DAYA: It honestly doesn’t feel that different from being independent to me. The deal that was made for “Don’t Call” with Spinnin' is very collaborative, and they’ve been very open to me leading the way creatively. It’s been nice to work with a label where I don’t feel like I need to compromise any parts of my creative vision, but I also feel supported and resourced. They have been great at filling in where necessary and stepping out where necessary, which feels important to any solid artist-label relationship.

EI: With that being said, your new single, “Don’t Call,” features dance and electronic elements. What made you want to go in this direction for the single?

DAYA: I love dance and electronic music because it can be so layered and emotional but still have a lightness to it, and I think that’s mostly what I was chasing at the time. For a while before writing this song, I was writing pretty dark and serious songs, having gone through a break-up and feeling stuck with a lot in my life. This song represented a turning point for me where I felt like I could move beyond the grief, both sonically and lyrically. After we wrote the song, I couldn’t stop dancing to it alone in my hotel room, and that to me was the biggest sign that it needed to come out.

EI: Having worked in the pop sphere of the music industry and now more on the dance-electronic side, what's been the biggest transition from how you compose music?

DAYA: I don’t think there have been many major differences, and I would still consider my songs and writing to be rooted in pop. I’ve learned so much from working in that world, and I’ll probably carry those tools into my writing forever. With dance music, it’s often about the synergy between the vocals and the track and not having one dominate or distract from the other. To me, it can be more about finding melodies and vocal parts that complement the track. There’s also maybe more freedom to experiment with form and instrumental elements, like, for example, the arpeggiated vocoder that Sebastian added to the outro of “Don’t Call.”

EI: When it came to writing “Don’t Call,” was there any specific method you used, and how?

DAYA: I went to Stockholm for a writing trip last fall because I felt like I’d hit a wall in L.A. and wanted to explore working with new people. My publishers connected me with Juliander, the co-writer, and Sebastian, the producer, and we ended up writing “Don’t Call” that same day. The writing process was fairly smooth; Sebastian had started experimenting with these chords, and then Juliander and I did some melody passes on an SM7, which is my favorite way to write.  We found the chorus melody pretty immediately and then everything followed quickly after. I like starting with melodies first because it normally sets the emotional tone for the song and then it’s easy to generate ideas for what the song is about. It’s much harder for me to fit a melody to a lyric than it is to fit a lyric to a melody.

EI: Aside from the meaning behind the single, did you find it easy to write it in general? 

DAYA: It was actually very fun and quick to write. It was one of those sessions where the demo we recorded that day ended up sounding pretty close to the released product, and most of the changes or additions we tried to make afterward didn’t hold up to the original version, so we ended up scrapping them. I think we tapped into a really special flow that day, even though we had just met for the first time. That doesn’t always happen, so I’m very grateful for it.  

EI: In your song, you sing about looking for a distraction and not letting yourself fall back into being with someone who is and isn’t worth it. Was there any direct influence on where the inspiration for the song came from? 

DAYA: I was reflecting on a relationship I had that was so back and forth and felt like an endless cycle of returning to each other even after we knew it wouldn’t last long term. There was something about the safety of it lingering in this grey area after the breakup that prevented me from fully processing its end. At the time, it seemed harmless to go back for just a night. But it was an important moment for me when I realized that I was creating a pattern that prevented my growth, and that I needed to set boundaries for myself in order to keep moving forward.

EI: Having started in the music industry at a young age, are there any lessons or mantras you still follow today?

DAYA: I think a clear one has always been to listen to myself, but to also know my limits.  I think it’s been important creatively to listen to my gut instinct on things and drown out the outside noise, but I’ve also learned to recognize when someone could do the job better than me. And I think healthy collaborative relationships are so fundamental to having a sustainable career. So to me, it’s been about striking a constant balance and assembling a team that I trust to carry out the vision in the most honest way.

EI: Aside from the single, is there anything else that you have planned or upcoming? Are there any music videos, projects, etc?

DAYA: I’m currently working on a project that has been my main focus, and I’m excited to share more about it soon. I’ve also been focused on building out parts of my live set, incorporating new visual elements and song arrangements. Beyond that, I have some collaborations in the works too. It’s going to be a busy 2024 into 2025, but I’m feeling very excited and ready for it.