Review Summary: A shining diamond among a stash of dull, dreadful ones.
The best artists in the music industry sometimes are the ones that don't stand out in the mainstream or simply hasn't garnered much steam, or the ones with the most promise and potential. Being at the 106.1 KISS FM Fall Ball on November 14th, a hidden gem glistened out of the crowd who happened to be the first opening act for Demi Lovato - that being a 17 year old dreamer by the name of Grace Tandon, aka Daya. Lively and fresh from Pittsburgh, what was at first an unknown figure to most in the crowd would end up at the end of the set having her way with the crowd and her presence known and certainly felt. That's what makes a following grow into something much more, and that will definitely go further after taking a spin of Daya's self-titled debit EP.
The first thing I took away immediately as she struck her first vocal to the crowd at the WaMu Theater was how lively and colorful her vocals are. In a sense it is Lorde-esque, but graceful and strong. Her strength is certainly vibrant in the stealthy, chilly "Hide Away" - as her wide vocalization guides through the dark synths and lucid piano. The winter-esque production is evident throughout the album, with cold-to-the-touch, pulsating synths and emotive, chilling piano that's the living heartbeat of this debut. That's represented perfectly in a heartbreaker in "Back To Me", bringing up the decision of breaking off someone that while means so much, has its despairing toxicity. Crying out in the somber hook, it strikes a chord within your bones and heart that isn't so easy to do regarding songs of this kind. A one of a kind in an darkening abyss of emotional, mournful ballads.
In some spots in the winter sound, it creates a divide where it causes Daya to utilize her vocals into more high-tempo, yet still frosty material which while strikes the mark, it isn't suitable to her strengths. While the misty, poppy "Thirsty" signifies that, it's rocked by an otherwise bumpy, fluid hook that jags the rhythm despite its catchiness and doesn't suit her too well. Add in the weird lyrical content contrasting the desire for someone to sugary beverages that ends up feeling awkwardly worded. Fortunately, it's only a minor bump and not that big of a deal, plus it has that catchy factor that always boosts its value. The same thing pertains in the wobbly yet slowed down "U12", with slightly more disappointment but bearable all the same.
Dreamers don't stay dreamers forever, and that's absolutely the case here with Daya's self-titled debut. If there was one thing to come out of that performance in Seattle, it's that the promise is real and only just the start of something much more precious. Her bursting vocals are a force to behold amongst a breezy set of mystical material, not to mention how cohesive it is. It's crazy knowing that this is a 17-year old solo artist making her mark so early with a stunning debut such as this, it's a gorgeous testament to the work she'll deliver in the future, one to certainly bundle up for.
