Pop icon Taylor Dayne knows a thing or two about hits. Back in the late 80's and early 90's, Dayne gave icons like Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Paula Abdul a run for their money. With her sweet and sexy ways, she put out hit after hit.
After her 1998 comeback with Naked Without You, the singer-songwriter disappeared for 10 years, occasionally releasing a single, only to come back with her Satisfied album. The star should be satisfied, the album prompted her return to the charts and public eye.
Dayne opens up about the reasons for her 10 year absence from the music scene. “ I want [the fans] to know that there is nothing intentional about trying to wait to put out music. The climate of music has change so dramatically. So for me, things were changing rapidly. I had to find independent backers to put out material. I had to figure it out, labels were not offering deals.” Now that she has backing, Dayne is producing a greatest hits compilation.
Making a greatest hits for new generations isn't an easy task. On one hand, you want to make the track listing represent you truly as an artist, on the other, you wanna remain true to the 'greatest hits' motif, not letting any filler in. One can expect the staples “Love Will Lead You Back” and “Tell It To My Heart” and the quiet-storm timeless classic “I'll Always Love You” to be included, and of course many others. The unique thing about this hits collection is: each and every chart-topper will be re-recorded. No greatest hits would be complete without a few new tunes. As for the new songs, Dayne explains, “of course [there will be] new material. As classic as [older songs] are, we're making new tracks to make it more exciting.”
And for those wondering what direction the singer will take with the new singles, especially since Satisfied was more R&B and soft-rock than dance, Taylor says that “my intention is to have them a bit more dance.” When it comes to when fans can expect the new compilation, “the thought it to release in Europe first, we're still finishing it up,” the songwriter says.
So far, the diva and her producers have re-done seven hits for the album. What's amazing is that her vocals sound better today than 1988. Many artists see there songs as their children, making it impossible to play favorites, but according to Dayne, her personal favorites are“I Will Be Your Shelter,” “Love Will Lead You Back” and “Tell It To My Heart.”
Though if there were only one song to represent the artist for the future, she flat out would put “I'll Be Your Shelter,” a classic Dayne track from her Can't Fight Fate LP While her music has mainly been pop/dance, Dayne has dabbled in other sounds, from soul to rock. Since the beginning, fans and critics have put Dayne in the “dance” category, though a bit too crudely. “My first single “Tell it to My Heart” [and people were like] 'oh she's a dance artist,' and then the third single, “I'll Always Love You,” people [went] 'what? Is that R&B?' That is like a classic record. And I was nominated for four Grammys that year and two of them were in the R&B category,” the star remembers.
With over 20 years in the industry behind her, Dayne can offer a word or two of advice for the younger pop stars. “It is a brave new world. It's about branding yourself,” the pop sensation says. “The reality is, people are making money, not from there music, unfortunately, they make it from the brand they've created,” she continues.
Speaking of Taylor and her image, the singer reminisces on her early days and her image. “In our time, the brand was the music, and your look. So the first thing I come wearing crimps in my hair, the leather, the latex, it made an impact,” the icon remembers. As a woman who knows a thing or two about female sexuality, Dayne has seen the changes in the culture “Now the woman in the 40's is cool because we're getting the guys in their 30's. You start at your 20s, you figure it out in your 30's, and by your 40's, hopefully at your 50's you're living large.” Indeed the diva is, living large and taking charge!
Now taking charge of her career, with so many popular acts in today's music scene, Dayne has her opinions on fame and keeping it. “Longevity is always what's real. And staying true to yourself and putting out material and trying to. Even when the industry turns its back on you,” she says.
Being a pop star may seem like a dream job for the world, but Dayne see's it a bit different, as she puts it, the hardest job in the world. “Just as Britney Spears [what it's like], Dayne says. “In the beginning, when you're hot, you're hot and wanted everywhere. It ain't brain surgery, but the travel and demands to be in every country, doing radio shows and interviews and then singing in the evening. It's exhausting.”
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