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“I grew up in a house
where my parents told my
four sisters and me that
we could be whatever we
wanted to be.”
In 2016, Daya released her first full-length
album, “Sit Still, Look Pretty,” which includ‑
ed a hit single of the same name. The song,
which promotes a female-empowerment
theme, debuted at No. 100 on the Billboard
Hot 100 and has since reached No. 28. She
credits her upbringing with the theme be‑
hind the song.
“I grew up in a house where my parents
told my four sisters and me that we could be
whatever we wanted to be. That’s stayed with
me my entire life, and this song is a perfect
representation of that,” she explains. “It’s
one of my favorite songs on the entire album
and my connection to it is a big part of why I
named the album after that song.”
Daya still lives in Pittsburgh, but staying in
one place for any significant length of time
has proved tricky. She recently crisscrossed
the country on her first national tour—an
experience she says truly allowed her to
come into her own.
“I’ve played a ton of shows at this point,
but this was my first proper tour where the
show truly felt like my own, so it was super
special to me,” she says. “I loved meeting fans
across the country and seeing how engaged
and excited they were. Everyone was singing
along to every song at the show and it’s just
a good energy everywhere. Even though the
set list doesn’t change much from night to
night, the audience does, which created a
different atmosphere every night and made
it feel a lot less monotonous.”
Growing up here certainly shaped her
outlook and professional career. “Pittsburg is
such a great place to grow up as a musician.
There’s an amazing arts community, without
being too intimidating for a young artist.
Some of my first gigs were at the open mic
at Empire Music 10 minutes away from my
house, and I played my first big show at the
Three Rivers Arts Festival.”
With three hit singles, a Grammy and a
national tour that ended at Stage AE in her
hometown on March 30, Daya’s career has
been progressing at a head-spinning pace.
“I really haven’t even had the time to
process it all, but it’s so amazing and I’m so
grateful to all my fans who have helped make
it happen,” she says. ■