Daya (EP)

Daya is the debut extended play (EP) by American singer Daya. It was released on September 4, 2015, through ARTBEATZ and Z Entertainment. The EP was made available to stream one day before its release on Billboard. A physical version of the EP was released exclusively to Target on October 30, 2015.

Critical reception

Matt Collar of AllMusic stated, "The debut EP from Grace Tandon aka Daya showcases the Pittsburgh native's bright, soulful vocals and electronic-tinged sound. Though only 16 years old at the time of the EP's release, Daya commands the mike with a highly resonant vocal style that fits nicely next to more established R&B artists like Beyoncé, as well as similarly inclined contemporaries like Lorde. Working with producer and songwriter Gino Barletta, Daya delivers a handful of empowering, passionate anthems that also work well on the dance floor."

Singles

"Hide Away" was released as the lead single from the EP on April 22, 2015. It has since peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Daya

Dayau or Compassion is a fundamental teaching of the Sikh religion and teachings can be found on DAYA. The other four qualities in the arsenal are: Truth (Sat), Contentment (Santokh), Humility (Nimrata) and Love (Pyaar). These five qualities are essential to a Sikh and it is their duty to meditate and recite the Gurbani so that these virtues become a part of their mind.

The importance of Daya can be seen from the following Shabads from Guru Granth Sahib:

You are drowned, drowned in worldly entanglements. (4)

This concept says to not ignore tragedies that take place in the world but to face them head-on and do whatever is possible within ones means. As a Sikh you must feel the pain and suffering of other people involved in any tragedy.

Daya in Sikhism

Daya (usually spelt daia in Punjabi), from Sanskrit "Day" meaning to sympathize with, to have pity on, stands for compassion, sympathy. It means ‘suffering in the suffering of all others’. It is deeper and more positive in sentiment than sympathy. Daya, cognitively, observes alien pain; affectively, it gets touched by it and moves with affectional responses for the sufferer; and cognitively it moves one to act mercifully, pityingly, with kindness and forgiveness. One imbued with daya “chooses to die himself rather than cause other people to die,” says Guru Nanak (GG, 356).

Daya (film)

Daya is a 1998 Malayalam period film written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, directed by Venu, and starring Manju Warrier in the lead role. The storyline of the film is adapted from One Thousand and One Nights. Vishal Bhardwaj scored the music of the film. It was the directorial debut of cinematographer Venu. He won the awards for best debut director at the National Film Awards and Kerala State Film Awards.

Plot

The film is set in the Middle-East in the pre-Islam period. It is about the adventures of a lively and intelligent slave girl named Daya (Manju Warrier). Mansoor (Krishna), the son of an aging and wealthy nobleman, is used to an extravagant way of life. Squandering his wealth after his father's death, he is forsaken by all his friends, except the loyal slave girl, Daya, who suggests that she be sold at the slave market for an exorbitant price. The envoys of the King interrupt the sale and take Daya to court, where she is showered with gifts. The King also allows her to live with Mansoor. But wild adventures never leave her alone, and she is forced to masquerade as a man. As a man she travels to another kingdom. She intelligently escapes from bandits in a powerful horse riding scene. She goes to another kingdom where the king is searching for a loyal minister. She in the disguise of a man passes all the difficult tests like an archery competition and a sword fighting duel. She lets herself get defeated by the king in a chess match and impresses the king. The king makes her the minister. The king's daughter gets infatuated by her thinking she is a man. She as the minister intelligently takes revenge on everyone who betrayed her. She finally meets a confessional Mansoor and decides to elope with him while the king is planning her marriage with the princess. The king finds out the truth and decides to punish Daya - a woman who dared to challenge men. The people support Daya's wisdom and finally gives her forgiveness.

Daya (singer)

Grace Tandon, professionally known as Daya (pronounced dey-uh), is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is signed to ArtBeatz and Z-Entertainment, and released her self-titled debut EP, Daya, on September 4, 2015, which includes the song "Hide Away", which has so far peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Early life

Daya was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she attended Mt Lebanon High School. At the age of three, Tandon began to learn the piano, eventually converting to jazz piano at the age of eleven. By this time, she had also learned to play the guitar, ukulele, saxophone, and flute.

At eleven, Daya enrolled as a student at the Accelerando Music Conservatory, Pittsburgh, owned by Christina Chirumbolo, where she eventually met song-writer and producer Gino Barletta. Barletta, a colleague of Chirumbolos who visited the school as a lecturer, took an interest in the young singer, and monitored her progress until inviting her to Los Angeles in February 2015 to work on her original material.