By HQ
At 26, Daya is stepping back into the spotlight on her own terms. Nearly a decade after her breakout single Hide Away and a Grammy-winning collaboration with The Chainsmokers (Don’t Let Me Down), she’s releasing her first full-length album since 2016 — Til Every Petal Drops.
It’s a project that feels less like a comeback and more like a homecoming.
“I just needed to grow,” she says. “Both as a person and as an artist. Things happened really fast for me when I was younger, and I’m so grateful for that. But I came out of it really wanting to understand who I was creatively — what I wanted to say, what I wanted to sound like.”
Back then, Daya was still a teenager — flying between high school classes and recording sessions, often surrounded by writers and producers twice her age. “They were amazing at what they did,” she admits, “but I was just happy to be in the room. I didn’t really know how to assert myself yet.”
Her debut single Hide Away exploded, launching a whirlwind of tours, press, and pop machinery that rarely stopped to breathe. “It was survival mode,” she laughs. “We’d finish one thing and jump right into the next — it was like, ‘Okay, this worked, let’s keep going.’ But I didn’t know what I wanted to say. I was still figuring it out.”
Photo by Peter Don
That sense of disconnection became a quiet catalyst.
After years of writing for others, bouncing between collaborations, and navigating the industry’s version of speed dating — studio session after studio session — Daya hit pause. “I had to learn to trust my instincts,” she says. “To be patient enough to find the right people who really saw me.”
She eventually did. The team around Til Every Petal Drops became a small, tight-knit circle — one that allowed her to experiment, executive produce, and oversee every creative decision. “I wanted it to feel like my project,” she says. “And it does. It’s me across every detail — from the lyrics to the visuals.”
The result is her most intimate work yet — a body of songs that balance polish with soul, and euphoria with introspection. “There are pop moments,” she admits, “but I was really drawn to textures — live guitars, strings, those dreamy, psychedelic elements. It’s like a blend of where I came from and where I want to go.”
Photos by Rachel Lou Tandon
Thematically, the record unpacks what it means to love — and to reveal yourself in the process. “A lot of the songs are about trying to find real intimacy,” she says. “For a while, I was getting caught up in these fleeting things — relationships, friendships — where nothing felt grounded. So this album is about taking off those layers, one petal at a time.”
That metaphor became the title track — and the emotional centerpiece. “Til Every Petal Drops was actually the last song I wrote for the album,” she recalls. “But it tied everything together. It’s about devotion — to love, to vulnerability, to yourself.”
It’s a fitting full-circle moment for an artist who’s learned to move through seasons instead of chasing them. Even her reunion with The Chainsmokers — nearly ten years after their Grammy-winning collaboration — feels like a reclamation. “Back then, they sent me a demo and I recorded my vocals remotely,” she says. “This time, we were in the studio together. It was collaborative. They really respect my voice and creative ideas now — it feels like we’ve all grown up.”
There’s a sense of peace in the way she talks about this era — not the restless urgency of her teenage years, but the calm of someone who’s learned to protect her artistry. “I finally feel like the most authentic version of myself,” she says. “Once you find that, the possibilities are endless.”
So no, the next album won’t take another decade. “I’m really inspired right now,” Daya smiles. “This record was the foundation I needed. I feel like I’m just getting started.”
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Photo by Rachel Lou Tandon