Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 23 minutes ago
Episode 87: Daya
At 16 years old, still in high school, Daya dropped “Hide Away” with no label, no team, no social following. Just a song she believed in. It exploded, racked up hundreds of millions of streams, and suddenly she was on the radio while still in class.
She followed it with “Sit Still, Look Pretty,” then connected with The Chainsmokers to record “Don’t Let Me Down,” one of the biggest hits of the 2010s. We talk about how that collaboration came to be, what it was like for her life to flip so fast, and what it felt like to win a GRAMMY at just 18.
We also get into how she built her team, what she learned from the major label system, and how she eventually got her masters back. She explains the move to go independent, what that freedom means to her, and how she’s evolved as both an artist and a person over the past decade.
Now she’s stepping into a brand new era with music like “Infrared”, “Demise”, "Bandit" and an upcoming new album "Til Every Petal Drops." exploring a darker and more electronic sound. We dive into the process behind these songs, the producers she’s been working with, and what’s next. I hope you love my conversation with the amazing, Daya!
Special thanks to Apogee Electronics. We used their Apogee HypeMic and Podcast Kit in this episode and they sounded great. Check it out!
Apogee HypeMic & Podcast Kit: https://hubs.li/Q03zczhb0
‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.
00:00 - TRAILER
03:20 - INTERVIEW STARTS
05:44 - NEW MUSIC, “INFRARED”
06:12 - STARTING AT AN EARLY AGE
07:07 - SUCCESS AT 16 YEARS OLD
09:17 - MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST
10:09 - LEBANON, PENNSYLVANIA
10:42 - “HIDE AWAY”
12:27 - WHAT SPARKED THE SUCCESS?
15:33 - HIGHSCHOOL
18:18 - “SIT STILL, LOOK PRETTY”
19:18 - FIRST TOUR
20:12 - NERVES, STADIUM TOURS
22:17 - CAREER GROWTH, CREATING A TEAM
25:33 - THE CHAINSMOKERS, “DON’T LET ME DOWN”
30:11 - WINNING A GRAMMY AT 18
31:19 - PERFORMING LIVE, COACHELLA
32:41 - BEING INDEPENDENT, GETTING ON A LABEL
33:38 - A VOICE HEARD BY MILLIONS
34:22 - A BUSY SCHEDULE
35:51 - HOW BEING ON A LABEL CHANGED DAYA
38:13 - WORKING WITH WRITERS
41:57 - WORKING WITH STARGATE
42:56 - LEAVING A MAJOR LABEL, RETAINING MASTERS
43:54 - SINGLES
45:00 - “INFRARED”
48:02 - “DEMISE,” SWEDEN
49:54 - WORKING IN SWEDEN, PRODUCERS SEBASTIAN FURRER, ROBINS STJERNBERG
50:25 - TOURING, TOURING HACKS
51:57 - LOOKING BACK ON THE LAST 10 YEARS
52:49 - LIFE ADVICE
Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!
patreon.com/gowithelmo Become a Patreon Member to stay in the loop as we post Patreon-only exclusive content, Zoom hangs, invite only events, and discussions about music and music careers.
Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: elmolovano.komi.io
Follow Daya:
instagram.com/daya
Follow Go With Elmo:
instagram.com/gowithelmo
tiktok.com/@gowithelmo
https://x.com/gowithelmopod
Follow Elmo Lovano:
Instagram.com/elmolovano
https://x.com/elmolovano
Follow Jammcard:
youtube.com/@jammcard
jammcard.com
Episode 87: Daya
At 16 years old, still in high school, Daya dropped “Hide Away” with no label, no team, no social following. Just a song she believed in. It exploded, racked up hundreds of millions of streams, and suddenly she was on the radio while still in class.
She followed it with “Sit Still, Look Pretty,” then connected with The Chainsmokers to record “Don’t Let Me Down,” one of the biggest hits of the 2010s. We talk about how that collaboration came to be, what it was like for her life to flip so fast, and what it felt like to win a GRAMMY at just 18.
We also get into how she built her team, what she learned from the major label system, and how she eventually got her masters back. She explains the move to go independent, what that freedom means to her, and how she’s evolved as both an artist and a person over the past decade.
Now she’s stepping into a brand new era with music like “Infrared”, “Demise”, "Bandit" and an upcoming new album "Til Every Petal Drops." exploring a darker and more electronic sound. We dive into the process behind these songs, the producers she’s been working with, and what’s next. I hope you love my conversation with the amazing, Daya!
Special thanks to Apogee Electronics. We used their Apogee HypeMic and Podcast Kit in this episode and they sounded great. Check it out!
Apogee HypeMic & Podcast Kit: https://hubs.li/Q03zczhb0
‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.
00:00 - TRAILER
03:20 - INTERVIEW STARTS
05:44 - NEW MUSIC, “INFRARED”
06:12 - STARTING AT AN EARLY AGE
07:07 - SUCCESS AT 16 YEARS OLD
09:17 - MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST
10:09 - LEBANON, PENNSYLVANIA
10:42 - “HIDE AWAY”
12:27 - WHAT SPARKED THE SUCCESS?
15:33 - HIGHSCHOOL
18:18 - “SIT STILL, LOOK PRETTY”
19:18 - FIRST TOUR
20:12 - NERVES, STADIUM TOURS
22:17 - CAREER GROWTH, CREATING A TEAM
25:33 - THE CHAINSMOKERS, “DON’T LET ME DOWN”
30:11 - WINNING A GRAMMY AT 18
31:19 - PERFORMING LIVE, COACHELLA
32:41 - BEING INDEPENDENT, GETTING ON A LABEL
33:38 - A VOICE HEARD BY MILLIONS
34:22 - A BUSY SCHEDULE
35:51 - HOW BEING ON A LABEL CHANGED DAYA
38:13 - WORKING WITH WRITERS
41:57 - WORKING WITH STARGATE
42:56 - LEAVING A MAJOR LABEL, RETAINING MASTERS
43:54 - SINGLES
45:00 - “INFRARED”
48:02 - “DEMISE,” SWEDEN
49:54 - WORKING IN SWEDEN, PRODUCERS SEBASTIAN FURRER, ROBINS STJERNBERG
50:25 - TOURING, TOURING HACKS
51:57 - LOOKING BACK ON THE LAST 10 YEARS
52:49 - LIFE ADVICE
Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!
patreon.com/gowithelmo Become a Patreon Member to stay in the loop as we post Patreon-only exclusive content, Zoom hangs, invite only events, and discussions about music and music careers.
Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: elmolovano.komi.io
Follow Daya:
instagram.com/daya
Follow Go With Elmo:
instagram.com/gowithelmo
tiktok.com/@gowithelmo
https://x.com/gowithelmopod
Follow Elmo Lovano:
Instagram.com/elmolovano
https://x.com/elmolovano
Follow Jammcard:
youtube.com/@jammcard
jammcard.com
