Daya
Nashville, TN // Cannery Ballroom // February 24, 2016
Photos by Sam Polosnky
Sometime in the summer of 2015 I drove to work like I do every morning, only on this particular morning I had finished setting up Sirius XM in my car and was scrolling through stations looking for a few favorites to keep programmed. That’s when I first heard “Hideaway” by the incredibly talented teen, Daya. I was completely hooked on this girl and soon found myself memorizing every lyric and telling all my friends about this new pop artist in the scene.
Fast forward 7 months and I find myself standing in the crowd to watch as she opens for Jack & Jack in Nashville, TN on her first ever tour. On three separate occasions the crowd of teen girls erupted chanting her name, begging for her to start her set. The clock struck 7:30pm, the lights went down, and screams blistered through the air.
Beginning with “Sit Still And Look Pretty” directly followed by “Legendary,” Daya proved she’s a killer vocalist, songwriter, and performer. Continuing her set with my personal favorite “U12,” she stripped it down to an acoustic performance, bringing out one of her crew members Britten Newbill on acoustic guitar who also provided subtle harmonies. Not only did the song sound sweet and gentle, she turned it into a mashup with everyone’s current favorite Top 40 song, “Love Yourself” by the Biebs himself (can we get a collaboration with these two, please?!).
Daya finished up the 25 minute set with her ballad “Back To Me” where she showed off her skills on the keys. But the set couldn’t be complete without her debut single and total banger “Hideaway,” which left an energetic energy in the air for the moments following her exit.
The only thing I would change about her performance is to include a live backing band instead of singing to tracks. However, for a 17 year old on her first tour who performed the majority of her set as the sole person on the stage, she killed it. She was exactly what I had hoped to see in the months of preparing for this night. If there’s anyone you should take notice of in the pop world in 2016, it’s Daya.
daya
