When we think of our fave pop acts that deserve wayyyy more recognition than they get, Daya is one of the first people that come to mind! And if you don’t adore her as much as we do already, then ‘Juliene’ will definitely be the song to turn you into a fan. Every moment of the track is so euphoric and alluring, describing the kind of carefree, joyful summer love that everyone secretly daydreams about. Daya’s voice is dripping with confidence and magic as she details an exhilarating day by the beach and beckons a new lover. It’ll reel you right in, and you’ll definitely want it to soundtrack your future summer memories!
As if hearing ‘Juliene’ wasn’t enough, we got to ask Daya all about the song, her growth as an artist, and more! So check out our new fave love song below, then keep reading to check out our interview.
Hi Daya, congrats on your new single, ‘Juliene!’ What has it been like for you to share the song with the world and see how fans are reacting?
The most exciting part of releasing this song for me has been that it’s my first entirely independent release, and that’s been a very empowering and liberating feeling. Also it was very fun to release the Devault remix because it feels like the hotter older sister to it and I think people were really loving that.
There are so many fun, romantic lyrics on ‘Juliene,’ with one of our favorites being “maybe I can be your baby while the waves come crashing.” Is there a certain line on the song that you’re especially proud of?
I think I wanted the lyrics to be very simple and straightforward with this song, paint a familiar image and feel like a warm hug. I love the line “Let the pleasure ripple on forever” because it just feels like a reminder to chase pleasure/desire and embrace it instead of feeling any sort of guilt or shame around it.
You recently shared a letter on Instagram saying that you’ve stepped back to recharge your love for music and get back into it on a “more fundamental level,” learning new instruments and trying out new things in your work. What did you learn from that time and how did it shape the songs we’ll hear from you this year?
I learned a lot and I’m still learning, honestly. After years of being on someone else’s release timeline and chasing outside expectations, it hasn’t been the easiest to trust my intuition and do things on my own terms. But I’m growing into it with the knowledge that it’s all a process, and I might fail a bunch but that’s what makes it exciting and will lead me closer to where I need to be in the end. I’ve been taking guitar lessons all year which has ignited a new love for that instrument for me, I started picking up the saxophone which I played at one point in middle school, and I’m just starting drum lessons as well. I think so much of the excitement of music when I was younger was learning new things on instruments, and I didn’t realize how much I’ve put that on the backburner while touring so it’s mainly about a return to normal in that sense.
You were just a teenager when you debuted with ‘Hide Away’ in 2016, and we even remember downloading it as one of iTunes’ songs of the week when we were 15! You’ve spoken out about the experience being overwhelming – how have things changed for you as you’ve grown more and narrowed in on your artistic vision?
That’s very cool to hear 🙂 It was definitely overwhelming in the sense that suddenly a lot was happening all at once, and most of it things that I had no experience with before in my life, but I don’t consider that to be entirely good or bad. I think coming into myself as an artist has gone hand in hand with coming into myself as a person and the natural growth that happens to everyone in their early 20’s. I’ve had to go through a lot of self-discovery and trial and error these past few years. I feel much more supported now in my releases because I’m basically writing for myself and try not to hold any expectations beyond that.
Over the years, you’ve worked with everyone from The Chainsmokers to NOTD. Does your approach to writing a collab song differ from your approach to writing a solo song?
It depends. For the NOTD song, I had actually written it a few years prior and then they happened to hear it and love it years later. For others, like the Chainsmokers’ song, they had already written the full song before pitching it to my team. I think in general, I hope the song finds the best common ground between my own sound and the sound of the artist without compromising too much either way. It’s a fine line but really exciting when something breaks through.
‘Juliene’ is such a refreshing, summer-ready song – are there any songs you’ve been loving lately that you think were your Song of the Summer?
I honestly was blasting the Charli XCX remix of Caroline Polachek’s ‘Welcome to My Island’ a few months ago and it’s stayed on the playlist all whole summer so that’d probably be the one for me. It’s so sexy and glamorous and I love playing it in my car with the windows down.
How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist since releasing your In Between Dreams project in 2022?
I feel like this past year has been the most transformative year of my life — for one, I made the decision to be fully independent but I also underwent some really intense but necessary personal shifts at the same time. It’s like everything that’s been bubbling beneath the surface for years finally popped up and suddenly I had to deal with it. I think I’ve been listening to myself now more than ever, which has been resulting in some of my better songs yet naturally, while also unraveling a lot about what I’ve learned is a “good song,” which is obviously entirely subjective.
You’ve already had such a big year thanks to ‘Love You More’ with Felix Cartal and ‘Sometimes…’ with Snakehips and EARTHGANG. What can your fans look forward to in the rest of 2023?
I have a few more songs coming out very soon that I’m so excited about; I think it’s some of my best music yet. And I’ll be playing a few more shows too!
Is there anything else you’d like to mention or say to your fans that the questions didn’t touch on?
I still can’t believe all these years later my job is a reality and I can create songs for a living, so thank you to everyone who’s made it possible for me 🙂
Thank you so much to Daya for answering all our questions and giving us such a beautiful love song with ‘Juliene!’ Now we wanna hear from you – what do you think of ‘Juliene?’ Do you have a fave lyric? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
While you’re here, be sure to check out more of THP’s exclusive interviews!
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