Interview with recording artist Taylor Dayne. Her new album "Satisfied" arrives in stores on February 5th.

The new music sounds great. How long did it take you to work on this new project?

Taylor Dayne-Well, we started January 10, 2007. That's just literally starting the A&R process and getting a studio. We started to write probably in March. Recording and writing in March and April and were done in June/July and August. This past year.

Have you gotten any good feedback for the songs that you let your fans hear?
Taylor Dayne-Quite frankly, all that's out right now, we just dropped the first single which is "Beautiful," and the feedback's been great. We did an exclusive with Yahoo this week for the video which is great. You can check out the actual single on Yahoo and Youtube which is great. The video is out and people are jumping on it and we're going for adds on radio this week. It's great.

You're legacy is so great and I love all your music. How is it different coming out with an album now compared to when you first came out?
Taylor Dayne-Well, now I know too much. When you first come out, you just kinda have all the expectations in the world. For twenty years I was hoping and praying and then you have literally have no expectations as to what is going to happen. My first single was "Tell It To My Heart," and that was huge. Pretty crazy.

That song has been featured on so many 80's compilations and it's been in movies and stuff. When you did that song did you have any idea it would take you over the top?
Taylor Dayne-No, again you go for it you have no idea. Of course not. For it to touch so many people and reach so many people I had no idea.

You've shot the video for the first single. What was it like shooting the video?
Taylor Dayne-I did it with first time director Tony Durand. He's a well known photographer. It was intense, fantastic, take a look.


I know you did some movies before in the past. Is acting something you are still interested in?
Taylor Dayne-Absolutely. Absolutely. Love acting. My focus right now is on recording and releasing this record. This was the biggest thing this past year. I'm a great actress and a good singer and I very much enjoy acting. The right opportunity, there I am but my first love is singing.

I followed your career through the 90's up until about 2004. What have you been doing these last few years?
Taylor Dayne-Well I did Broadway. I had twins in 2002. Then I went to Europe and I signed a deal with BMG in Germany. I ended up writing and recording there and then they merged with Sony. Then as a lot of people did I lost my deal. Then I came back here and starting recording again because its too difficult to stop and its my favorite thing.

Is this new album back with Sony or is it an independent deal?
Taylor Dayne-It is an independent record. Within the next three years I don't think any of the majors will exist.

Have you found yourself using Myspace and Youtube and a lot of the online initiatives to promote the album?
Taylor Dayne-We're using everything, all that viral stuff and everything. They're all marketing tools. We just released the single digitally. Of course. Myspace and Youtube are tools and of course my official site TaylorDayne.com. It's a crucial step in marketing and promoting an artist.

You have such incredible fans. Do you have any fans who are especially special who have reached out to you during your entire career that you consider special fans?
Taylor Dayne-I certainly do. I have a couple of fans even managing chat lines on my Myspace account as well as my official site along with the webmaster. There are some incredible fans that I have. They're crucial and critical when it comes to getting information out to my other fans. Absolutely.

What do you consider some of the highlights of your career?
Taylor Dayne-Well just the beginnings are always highlights. The very beginning was just mind blowing and "Tell It To My Heart" really was the launch, from there I opened for Michael Jackson, from there selling millions of records having number ones, having ten top tens, being nominated for Grammy's, winning AMA's and meeting so many people who have inspired me over the years, so many people, so many incredible artists. But I think you can continue to plant different seeds in your own head and create different milestones and goals.

You do a lot of ballads and do a lot of dance tracks, when you go into write a song which ones come more comfortable for you and put you in your comfort zone?
Taylor Dayne-I don't know it depends on who I'm working with to be quite honest. I did a track with Eric Valentine and Damon Elliot, it's a thumping club track and for me I'm one of the artists who very comfortably crosses many genres. Whether it's a club track or a ballad, or an AC track, I'm not going to say urban track whether it has rap attached to it, I'm very comfortable there. I grew up and relate to a lot of different types of music. Writing material I just think you gotta find a place within the song. The first single "Beautiful," I just love the track and I just wrote the melody and lyrics to it, ballads come pretty naturally but you have to be careful because they always want to say something. Sometime I use a lot of imagery when I'm writing the lyrics too that which I did with the song "Hymn" on this record, it depends. I don't know if I have a favorite, sometimes just writing a great song is enough.

 

Of the artists out today which ones do you listen to in your free time?
Taylor Dayne-I like the pop artists, Rihanna's great, Ne-Yo's great, Alicia Keys is an enormous talent, P!nk is dynamite, there's some good one's out there Gavin Degraw.

I know you said you had twins a couple of years ago. Did you have to work hard to get back in shape to get out there on stage and everything?
Taylor Dayne-It's never easy. Having kids being a single mom, doing your best, it's always a challenge keeping your mind, body and spirit together, but they're great.

I don't keep up with all the reality shows so if you did one and I missed it please forgive me. Would you ever consider doing a reality show?
Taylor Dayne-I've been offered to participate in some of those crazier shows and I've just decided I'd rather control the wheel myself. If you see a reality show and I'm on it chances are I'm producing it and starring in it.

I know you say music is your passion. What really drove you so come out with an album at this point in your career?
Taylor Dayne-I never really tried to stop and go away. My last studio record was an independent and that was 1998/1999 that was Naked Without You, and in 2000, I toured in 2001 I was on Broadway for a year and a half and then at the end of 2002 I had twins. I went to Europe in 2003 and started writing and recording and I got a deal through BMG and you know I don't stop. There are a lot of glitches in this industry that have totally stopped and its difficult to put out product. I'm not first on there list. You just have to have the fortitude and persistence to continue on with your dream. That's what I have continued to do, the timing, the element, the team, the finances together now that is what inspires me to put out this new album.

I know you mentioned "Beautiful." Are there any songs your fans should be looking out for that are especially your favorites?
Taylor Dayne-They run in that order, "Beautiful," "I'm Over My Head," "She Don't Love You," "My Heart Can't Change," I did a cover of "Under The Bridge" by the Chili Peppers. It's new, it's exciting.

I know you have a new album coming out, but what are some of your long term goals in the entertainment industry?
Taylor Dayne-Well what you want to do is create enough awareness again to get opportunities and sponsors and product endorsements, so you have the opportunity to continue doing what you want to do and dream and be creative so you can do this another twenty years, that's what my goal is, so I can pick and choose the opportunities that I want to do and be completely settled, abundant enough that creatively I'm doing this enough all year long with anyone that I want to do it with. That's the inspiration because nothing more joyful happens to me than when I'm creating music, singing, writing, working with people that inspire me, that would be the ultimate.


 


Related Links-http://www.taylordayne.com
http://www.myspace.com/taylordayne


 


Taylor Dayne-interview copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, and Thabiz.com 2008

Visit Dorrie on the web at www.sparkledoll.com or add her as a friend at MYSPACE.
Taylor Dayne -interview may not be reprinted, copied or distribute without permission. You may link to this interview.Interview copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, thabiz.com January 2008.


Add me as your friend at MYSPACE!