Daya

Grace Martine Tandon (born October 24, 1998), known professionally as Daya (stylized DΛYΛ; pronounced ), is an American singer and songwriter from the Pittsburgh suburb of Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. She released her self-titled debut extended play (EP), Daya, on September 4, 2015. The album includes the song "Hide Away," which peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. She released her debut studio album Sit Still, Look Pretty on October 7, 2016. She is currently signed to ONErpm. The Chainsmokers' "Don't Let Me Down", for which she provided vocals, was a worldwide top-ten song and became one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Early life Grace Martine Tandon was born on October 24, 1998, in Pittsburgh, and grew up in the suburb of Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Her paternal grandfather was a Punjabi Indian immigrant from Delhi, India. She has four siblings, Lou, Mariana, Celia, and Avery. Her stage name Daya is the Sanskrit word for "compassion" or "kindness". She attended grade school at St. Bernard School and later graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School. At the age of three, Daya began to learn the piano, and started jazz piano at the age of 11. By this time, she had also learned to play the guitar, ukulele, saxophone, and flute. in Pittsburgh. There, she met songwriter and producer Gino Barletta, The song was well-received online, enjoyed support from a number of notable bloggers including Tyler Oakley and Perez Hilton, the latter commenting "There is something very special about Daya's voice". Jason Lipshutz of Billboard also featured the single on their official website, labeling it "a gorgeous debut".

Daya made her television debut performing "Hide Away" on Today with Kathie Lee and Hoda on August 21, 2015, as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month. She returned to Today for their summer concert series on June 28, 2016.

Following a successful debut, Daya released her self-titled EP, Daya, which features six songs, including "Hide Away", on September 4, 2015.

On October 30, 2015, Daya released the physical version of her debut EP through Target.

In 2016, Daya was the opening act for American pop-rap duo Jack & Jack's US tour. In February 2016, she was featured on The Chainsmokers' song "Don't Let Me Down", which eventually peaked at number 3 on the Hot 100, becoming her second top 40 entry and her first top 10. This was the only song by Daya that reached the Billboard Hot 100 Decade-End Chart. She also released the second single from her self-titled EP, "Sit Still, Look Pretty", which debuted at number 100 and peaked at number 28, her third top 40.

Daya was invited to perform at the 2016 White House Easter Egg Roll, where she and her family met President Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle Obama. On February 12, 2017, it won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording making it the singer's first Grammy Award. On October 11, 2017, she released a new single, "New", through Interscope Records.

In March 2018, Daya was featured on RL Grime's song "I Wanna Know" which was released on March 16, 2018.

On June 22, 2018, Daya released her single "Safe". On July 18, 2018, she released the video for the single.

Daya released five singles in 2019. Two of the singles, "Insomnia" and "Left Me Yet", were originally intended to be on her second studio album. "Forward Motion" was intended for the movie Late Night. "Keeping It in the Dark" is on the soundtrack of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. "Wanted" is a collaboration with Swedish music production duo NOTD.

On October 9, 2020, she released "First Time", which was rumored to be related to a new album. It ended up being on her EP The Difference, released on May 14, 2021, together with "Montana", which she released a little earlier, on April 30 and "Bad Girl", which already charted on the Mainstream Top 40. She released her next EP In Between Dreams on September 16, 2022. On September 8, 2024, Daya performed at Princeton University's biannual lawnparty, alongside NLE Choppa. On May 6, 2026, Daya performed at Cornell University's annual Slope Day alongside The Chainsmokers .

Discography

Studio albums Sit Still, Look Pretty (2016) Til Every Petal Drops (2025)

EPs Daya (2015) The Difference (2021) In Between Dreams (2022)

Personal life Daya came out publicly as bisexual in October 2018 for National Coming Out Day. On April 2, 2021, Daya went public on Instagram with her girlfriend of three years, Clyde Munroe, after releasing a single about her titled "Bad Girl."

Filmography +Television roles Year Title Role Note 2016 School of Rock Herself "I Put a Spellon You"(Season 2: episode 5)

Awards and nominations