Interview with recording artist
Taylor Dayne. Her new album "Satisfied" arrives
in stores on February 5th.
The new music sounds great. How long did it take you to
work on this new project?
Taylor Dayne-Well,
we started January 10, 2007. That's just literally starting
the A&R process and getting a studio. We started to
write probably in March. Recording and writing in March
and April and were done in June/July and August. This past
year.
Have you gotten any good feedback for the songs that
you let your fans hear?
Taylor
Dayne-Quite frankly, all that's out
right now, we just dropped the first single which is "Beautiful,"
and the feedback's been great. We did an exclusive with
Yahoo this week for the video which is great. You can
check out the actual single on Yahoo and Youtube which
is great. The video is out and people are jumping on it
and we're going for adds on radio this week. It's great.
You're legacy is so great and I love all your music.
How is it different coming out with an album now compared
to when you first came out?
Taylor
Dayne-Well, now I know too much. When
you first come out, you just kinda have all the expectations
in the world. For twenty years I was hoping and praying
and then you have literally have no expectations as to
what is going to happen. My first single was "Tell
It To My Heart," and that was huge. Pretty crazy.
That song has been featured on so many 80's compilations
and it's been in movies and stuff. When you did that song
did you have any idea it would take you over the top?
Taylor
Dayne-No, again you go for it you have
no idea. Of course not. For it to touch so many people
and reach so many people I had no idea.
You've shot the video for the first single. What was
it like shooting the video?
Taylor
Dayne-I did it with first time director
Tony Durand. He's a well known photographer. It was intense,
fantastic, take a look.
I know you did some movies before in the past. Is
acting something you are still interested in?
Taylor
Dayne-Absolutely. Absolutely. Love acting.
My focus right now is on recording and releasing this
record. This was the biggest thing this past year. I'm
a great actress and a good singer and I very much enjoy
acting. The right opportunity, there I am but my first
love is singing.
I followed your career through the 90's up until about
2004. What have you been doing these last few years?
Taylor
Dayne-Well I did Broadway. I had twins
in 2002. Then I went to Europe and I signed a deal with
BMG in Germany. I ended up writing and recording there
and then they merged with Sony. Then as a lot of people
did I lost my deal. Then I came back here and starting
recording again because its too difficult to stop and
its my favorite thing.
Is this new album back with Sony or is it an independent
deal?
Taylor
Dayne-It is an independent record. Within
the next three years I don't think any of the majors will
exist.
Have you found yourself using Myspace and Youtube
and a lot of the online initiatives to promote the album?
Taylor
Dayne-We're using everything, all that
viral stuff and everything. They're all marketing tools.
We just released the single digitally. Of course. Myspace
and Youtube are tools and of course my official site TaylorDayne.com.
It's a crucial step in marketing and promoting an artist.
You have such incredible fans. Do you have any fans
who are especially special who have reached out to you
during your entire career that you consider special fans?
Taylor
Dayne-I certainly do. I have a couple
of fans even managing chat lines on my Myspace account
as well as my official site along with the webmaster.
There are some incredible fans that I have. They're crucial
and critical when it comes to getting information out
to my other fans. Absolutely.
What do you consider some of the highlights of your
career?
Taylor
Dayne-Well just the beginnings are always
highlights. The very beginning was just mind blowing and
"Tell It To My Heart" really was the launch,
from there I opened for Michael Jackson, from there selling
millions of records having number ones, having ten top
tens, being nominated for Grammy's, winning AMA's and
meeting so many people who have inspired me over the years,
so many people, so many incredible artists. But I think
you can continue to plant different seeds in your own
head and create different milestones and goals.
You do a lot of ballads and do a lot
of dance tracks, when you go into write a song which ones
come more comfortable for you and put you in your comfort
zone?
Taylor
Dayne-I don't know it depends on who
I'm working with to be quite honest. I did a track with
Eric Valentine and Damon Elliot, it's a thumping club
track and for me I'm one of the artists who very comfortably
crosses many genres. Whether it's a club track or a ballad,
or an AC track, I'm not going to say urban track whether
it has rap attached to it, I'm very comfortable there.
I grew up and relate to a lot of different types of music.
Writing material I just think you gotta find a place within
the song. The first single "Beautiful," I just
love the track and I just wrote the melody and lyrics
to it, ballads come pretty naturally but you have to be
careful because they always want to say something. Sometime
I use a lot of imagery when I'm writing the lyrics too
that which I did with the song "Hymn" on this
record, it depends. I don't know if I have a favorite,
sometimes just writing a great song is enough.
Of the artists out today which ones do you listen
to in your free time?
Taylor
Dayne-I like the pop artists, Rihanna's
great, Ne-Yo's great, Alicia Keys is an enormous talent,
P!nk is dynamite, there's some good one's out there Gavin
Degraw.
I know you said you had twins a couple of years ago.
Did you have to work hard to get back in shape to get
out there on stage and everything?
Taylor
Dayne-It's never easy. Having kids being
a single mom, doing your best, it's always a challenge
keeping your mind, body and spirit together, but they're
great.
I don't keep up with all the reality shows so if you
did one and I missed it please forgive me. Would you ever
consider doing a reality show?
Taylor
Dayne-I've been offered to participate
in some of those crazier shows and I've just decided I'd
rather control the wheel myself. If you see a reality
show and I'm on it chances are I'm producing it and starring
in it.
I know you say music is your passion. What really
drove you so come out with an album at this point in your
career?
Taylor
Dayne-I never really tried to stop and
go away. My last studio record was an independent and
that was 1998/1999 that was Naked Without You,
and in 2000, I toured in 2001 I was on Broadway for a
year and a half and then at the end of 2002 I had twins.
I went to Europe in 2003 and started writing and recording
and I got a deal through BMG and you know I don't stop.
There are a lot of glitches in this industry that have
totally stopped and its difficult to put out product.
I'm not first on there list. You just have to have the
fortitude and persistence to continue on with your dream.
That's what I have continued to do, the timing, the element,
the team, the finances together now that is what inspires
me to put out this new album.
I know you mentioned "Beautiful." Are there
any songs your fans should be looking out for that are
especially your favorites?
Taylor
Dayne-They run in that order, "Beautiful,"
"I'm Over My Head," "She Don't Love You,"
"My Heart Can't Change," I did a cover of "Under
The Bridge" by the Chili Peppers. It's new, it's
exciting.
I know you have a new album coming out, but what are
some of your long term goals in the entertainment industry?
Taylor
Dayne-Well what you want to do is create
enough awareness again to get opportunities and sponsors
and product endorsements, so you have the opportunity
to continue doing what you want to do and dream and be
creative so you can do this another twenty years, that's
what my goal is, so I can pick and choose the opportunities
that I want to do and be completely settled, abundant
enough that creatively I'm doing this enough all year
long with anyone that I want to do it with. That's the
inspiration because nothing more joyful happens to me
than when I'm creating music, singing, writing, working
with people that inspire me, that would be the ultimate.
Related Links-http://www.taylordayne.com
http://www.myspace.com/taylordayne
Taylor Dayne-interview
copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, and Thabiz.com 2008
Visit Dorrie on the web at www.sparkledoll.com
or add her as a friend at MYSPACE.
Taylor
Dayne -interview
may not be reprinted, copied or distribute without permission.
You may link to this interview.Interview copyright Dorrie
Williams-Wheeler, thabiz.com January 2008.
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