Taylor Dayne

Last updated

Taylor Dayne
Taylor Dayne 2016.jpg
Dayne in 2016
Background information
Birth nameLeslie Wunderman
Born (1962-03-07) March 7, 1962 (age 62)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres Pop, dance-pop, freestyle, adult contemporary, blue-eyed soul
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • actress
Years active1985–present
Labels
  • Mega Bolt
  • Arista
  • BMG
  • Neptune
  • River North
  • Intention
Audio sample
"Tell It To My Heart"

Taylor Dayne (born Leslie Wunderman; March 7, 1962) [1] [2] [3] is an American singer. She rose to fame in 1987 after her debut single "Tell It to My Heart". Dayne achieved six additional U.S. top-10 singles, including "Love Will Lead You Back", "With Every Beat of My Heart", "Prove Your Love", and "I'll Always Love You".

Contents

Dayne has received two Grammy Award nominations, and has won an American Music Award, and multiple New York Music Awards. She has also received New York Hall of Fame honors and was ranked number 18 on Rolling Stone's list of the best female dance artists of all time. In December 2016, Billboard magazine ranked her the 28th most successful dance artist of all time. [4]

Career

Early success

Taylor Dayne, whose birth name is Leslie Wunderman, was born in Manhattan, New York City, and lived briefly in another borough, The Bronx, until her family moved to Long Island when she was two years old. [5] She began singing professionally after graduating from high school in Baldwin, Nassau County, New York, singing in little-known rock bands such as Felony and Next. [6] She began singing solo after finishing college and, under the name Les Lee, recorded two dance singles, "I'm The One You Want" (1985) and "Tell Me Can You Love Me" (1986), which were released on New York indie label Mega Bolt. [1]

Signed to Arista Records as Taylor Dayne, her first song to crack the top ten was the dance-pop hit "Tell It to My Heart" in late 1987. [6] The song was an instant smash worldwide, peaking in the top five of most major markets worldwide, and reaching number one in many countries, including West Germany. Six more U.S. top-ten hits followed, including "Prove Your Love", "I'll Always Love You", "Don't Rush Me", "With Every Beat of My Heart", "Love Will Lead You Back" and "I'll Be Your Shelter". [6] These were followed by the No. 12 hit "Heart of Stone". [6]

In the United States, she achieved three gold singles, "Tell It to My Heart", "I'll Always Love You", and "Love Will Lead You Back". "I'll Always Love You", a change-of-pace ballad compared to Dayne's earlier releases, was her breakout hit on the Adult Contemporary charts in 1988 and paved the way for future uptempo dance tracks such as "Don't Rush Me" (1988) and "With Every Beat Of My Heart" (1989) to gain acceptance on Adult Contemporary radio. In 1990, "Love Will Lead You Back", a Diane Warren composition, peaked at No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. [7]

The string of hits from her first two albums, Tell It to My Heart (1988) and Can't Fight Fate (1989), proved to be the peak of her career. [6] She went on to release two more albums in the 1990s, but had only one more U.S. Top 40 hit, her 1993 cover of Barry White's 1974 hit "Can't Get Enough of Your Love" (from her 1993 album Soul Dancing ), which reached No. 2 in the ARIA Charts in Australia but only No. 20 in the U.S. [7]

Together with Arthur Baker and Fred Zarr, Dayne wrote "Whatever You Want" for Tina Turner's 1996 album Wildest Dreams. [8] Dayne later recorded and released the song herself in 1998 as a single from her album Naked Without You. [9] That album failed to chart, but Dayne continued to have hits on the dance charts into the 2000s.

Later career

As an actress, Dayne appeared in the 1997 sci-fi television series Nightman as Carla Day. She has had roles in independent films such as Fool's Paradise (1997), Stag (also in 1997) and Jesus the Driver (2004), as well as the Warren Beatty-produced 1994 remake of Love Affair. Dayne also had a recurring role on the Showtime series Rude Awakening.

Dayne has performed alongside Marc Bonilla and Dragonchoir. She performed on Broadway in Elton John's Aida in 2001. In 2005, Dayne was featured in the VH1 series Remaking, which featured her close friends Leah Remini and Michelle Reid. The series documents Dayne's return to music after taking time off to have a family (she has twins via a surrogate mother [10] ), and premiered her newest song, "Right Now", a result of her collaboration with Rodney Jerkins. [11]

Dayne performing in 2006 Taylor Dayne Performing.JPG
Dayne performing in 2006

On December 11, 2007, Dayne released the first single, "Beautiful", from her studio album Satisfied . The song was written by Dayne and Hitesh Ceon of production team 3Elementz. Dayne promoted it on many radio stations, including New York's WKTU. "Beautiful" went to No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Charts. She also appeared on The Today Show , Chelsea Lately , Wake Up With Whoopi and VH1. The music video for the single and the Satisfied album cover were shot by Tony Duran, who has also shot album covers for Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lopez.

Dayne released her fifth album, Satisfied , in February 2008—her first recording studio album in nearly a decade. [12] The album includes both new material and recreations of some of her favorite contemporary songs.

In 2008, Dayne performed at the Paralympic Games in Beijing, China. [13]

In May 2010, Dayne lobbied congressional leaders on Capitol Hill on behalf of the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) and VH1's Save The Music Foundation to reduce cuts in music education in America's schools. [14]

In July 2010, Dayne released "Facing a Miracle", the official theme song to the 2010 Gay Games. She performed the song to an audience of 50,000 on July 31, 2010, in Cologne, Germany. It ended the year at No. 9 on Perfect Beat's Top Worldwide Singles of 2010. [15] Five years before, however, she had said: "In the eyes of the Kabbalah, [gays] can't be 'married.' That requires actual male and female energy and DNA. In the bigger picture, I think that 'marriage' is about a certain circuitry. I'm as married to my business manager as I would be any husband." [16]

Dayne remastered her Greatest Hits album. She released a new single, "Floor on Fire", on June 22, 2011, which broke the Billboard Dance/Club Charts Top 10. [17]

In 2011-2012, Dayne competed in Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off , reaching the semifinal round in episode 5 facing off against Lou Diamond Phillips for the final spot to represent Team Rachael. At the end of the episode, she lost to Joey Fatone in a runner-up challenge to win $5,000 for charity.

In the early 2010s, American stand-up comedian Tig Notaro began referencing Dayne in her routine, telling stories of having frequent encounters with her. [18] This was ultimately brought to the attention of Ira Glass, who enlisted Notaro to tell the story as part of a live event for This American Life . Dayne herself appeared at the end of the monologue during the event, singing "I'll Always Love You". [19]

In September 2014, Dayne released a new single, "Dreaming". [20]

In late 2020, Dayne competed on season 4 of The Masked Singer as "Popcorn". She made it to the semi-finals of the competition before being unmasked in a triple elimination alongside Chloe Kim as "Jellyfish" and Tori Kelly as "Seahorse". [21]

In August 2022, Dayne competed on season 2 of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race under the drag name Electra Owl. [22] [23]

Personal life

Dayne has never married. [24] She has two children (twins Astaria and Levi), who were born via a surrogate in 2003. [25] [26] [27] Dayne is a supporter of same-sex marriage, [16] and stated in 2014 that she considers the LGBT community to be her most loyal fanbase. [24]

Dayne is Jewish. [28] [29] She grew up in Baldwin and Freeport, New York on Long Island. [30]

In 2021, after performing at a New Year party hosted at Mar-a-Lago by then-president Donald Trump, Dayne declared "I try to stay non-political." [31]

Discography

Studio albums

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1994 Love Affair Marissa
1997 Stag Serena
Fool's ParadiseSamanthaTV movie
1999 Jackie's Back HerselfTV movie
2002Joshua TreeCatherine CooleyShort
2004Jesus the DriverCon Woman #1
2008Beautiful LoserSharon Dolan
2012I Am BadBeth
2014Telling of the ShoesBrook

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1997 Night Man Carla Day/Black ArrowEpisode: "Pilot: Part 1 & 2"
1999 Martial Law Elena FinnEpisode: "Thieves Among Thieves"
2000 Where Are They Now? HerselfEpisode: "The 80s II"
Rude Awakening MaureenRecurring cast: seasons 2-3
2006 Celebrity Duets HerselfEpisode: "Episode #1.4 & #1.5"
Rescue Me ShirleyEpisode: "Zombies"
2008 I Love the New Millennium HerselfEpisode: "2000-2001 & 2007-2008"
Down & DirtyHerselfEpisode: "Taylor Dayne"
2009 Gone Country HerselfContestant: season 3
2010 RuPaul's Drag U Herself/FacultyEpisode: "Dateless Divas"
2012 Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off HerselfContestant: season 1
2013 Cupcake Wars Herself/JudgeEpisode: "Taylor Dayne's 80s Party"
Click on ThisHerselfEpisode: "Tommy Davidson's 50th Birthday Bash"
2019Celebrity SweatHerselfEpisode: "Getting Fit and Staying Healthy with Top Musicians"
80's in the SandHerselfEpisode: "Episode #1.4"
2020On StageHerselfEpisode: "On Stage At Home Part 2"
The Masked Singer PopcornContestant: Season 4
2022 Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles HerselfEpisode: "On the Waterfront"
People Puzzler HerselfEpisode: "Now Ya Tell Me"
RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race Electra OwlContestant: Season 2
2024 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills HerselfEpisode: "Bitter Pill to Swallow"

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tell It to My Heart (Taylor Dayne song)</span> 1987 single by Taylor Dayne

"Tell It to My Heart" is a song performed by American singer, songwriter and actress Taylor Dayne, released in July 24, 1987 as her first single from her first album, Tell It to My Heart (1988). The single was Dayne's first major exposure, and she soon became known for her up-tempo, dance-oriented music. The song was written by Chappell Music staff songwriter Seth Swirsky and Ernie Gold. Swirsky almost did not deliver the song to his publisher after he and his girlfriend decided it was not good enough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Rush Me</span> 1988 single by Taylor Dayne

"Don't Rush Me" is a song written by Alexandra Forbes and Jeff Franzel and performed by American singer-songwriter and actress Taylor Dayne. It was produced by Ric Wake and released in the late summer of 1988 by Arista as the fourth single from Dayne's debut album, Tell it to My Heart (1988). The cover art of the single was used on the reissue of the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'll Always Love You (Taylor Dayne song)</span> 1988 single by Taylor Dayne

"I'll Always Love You" is a song by American singer Taylor Dayne and the third single from her debut album, Tell It to My Heart. Dayne was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal for her performance on "I'll Always Love You" in 1989. The song was also nominated for Best R&B Song that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Send Me a Lover</span> 1993 single by Taylor Dayne

"Send Me a Lover" is a song by American singer-songwriter and actress Taylor Dayne. It was written by Rick Hahn and George Thatcher, and released on September 6, 1993, as the second single from her third album, Soul Dancing (1993). In the United States, it peaked at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 19 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks. In Canada, "Send Me a Lover" reached number 24 on the Top Singles chart and number eight on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song was originally recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion in 1992, but her version remained unreleased until 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">With Every Beat of My Heart</span> 1989 single by Taylor Dayne

"With Every Beat of My Heart" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter and actress Taylor Dayne for her second studio album, Can't Fight Fate (1989), which reached the Top 5 position on the Billboard Hot 100. Released on October 10, 1989, the song written by Lotti Golden, Tommy Faragher and Arthur Baker, and produced by Ric Wake, was the lead single, kicking off Dayne’s Arista Records debut LP, Can't Fight Fate. The B-side is a non-album track,.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'll Be Your Shelter</span> 1990 single by Taylor Dayne

"I'll Be Your Shelter" is a song by American singer Taylor Dayne from her second studio album, Can't Fight Fate (1989). Written by Diane Warren and produced by Ric Wake, the song was released on March 20, 1990, by Arista Records as the third single from Can't Fight Fate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe</span> 1974 single by Barry White

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prove Your Love</span> 1988 single by Taylor Dayne

"Prove Your Love" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter and actress Taylor Dayne for her debut studio album, Tell It to My Heart (1988). Written by Seth Swirsky and Arnie Roman, and produced by Ric Wake, the song was released in 1988 as the album's second single, by Arista Records. The single was Dayne's second top 10 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at number seven. The single spent eleven weeks in the Top 40. It also appeared on the Dance Club Songs chart, where it became Dayne's first number-one hit on that chart on April 23, 1988. Furthermore, the single was a hit overseas, going to number-one in Switzerland, number four in West Germany, and number eight on the UK Singles chart. Its music video was directed by Peter Lippman.

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<i>Cant Fight Fate</i> 1989 studio album by Taylor Dayne

Can't Fight Fate is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Taylor Dayne, released on October 31, 1989, by Arista Records. The album continued her chart success and was certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It includes the Billboard Hot 100 singles "With Every Beat of My Heart" and "I'll Be Your Shelter", the number one "Love Will Lead You Back" and "Heart of Stone".

<i>Tell It to My Heart</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Taylor Dayne

Tell It to My Heart is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Dayne, released on January 19, 1988, by Arista Records. Four singles were released and all of them reached the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100: "Tell It to My Heart", "Prove Your Love", "I'll Always Love You", and "Don't Rush Me", with the first two reaching the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart at numbers 3 and 8, respectively. The album has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments in excess of two million copies in the United States.

<i>Satisfied</i> (Taylor Dayne album) 2008 studio album by Taylor Dayne

Satisfied is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Dayne. It includes the single, "Beautiful" which went to Number 1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Charts in April 2008. "Crash" was used in a promotional commercial for the ABC network. This is Dayne's first album in ten years as well as her latest album to date.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Taylor Dayne album) 1995 greatest hits album by Taylor Dayne

Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Dayne. It was released on November 14, 1995 by Arista Records. Following the disappointment of Dayne’s third studio album Soul Dancing (1993), Arista released Greatest Hits to finish out Taylor’s contract. It includes the hit singles "Love Will Lead You Back", "I'll Wait", "Tell It to My Heart", and her rendition of Barry White's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Dayne discography</span>

This is the discography page for American singer Taylor Dayne.

"Do You Want It Right Now" is a song by American singer Siedah Garrett from the 1985 film Fast Forward. It was a bigger hit for Degrees of Motion in 1991. It has also been recorded by Taylor Dayne for her debut studio album, Tell It to My Heart (1988). A lyric sample of it was also used in Gat Decor's song "Passion", as well as in Armand Van Helden's 2007 hit "I Want Your Soul".

References

  1. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Taylor Dayne Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  2. ↑ Whitburn, J. (2006). The Billboard Book of Top 40 R & B and Hip-hop Hits. Billboard. ISBN   9780823082834 . Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  3. ↑ Wilson, D. (2004). Rock Formations: Categorical Answers to how Band Names Were Formed. Cidermill Books. p. 240. ISBN   9780974848358 . Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Greatest of All Time Top Dance Club Artists : Page 1". Billboard.com. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  5. ↑ Dayne in "Taylor Dayne [Episode 130]". Unscripted. January 4, 2010. VisionTV. "I was born in a Manhattan hospital, and I lived in The Bronx … until was two … then we moved to Long Island….
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 650. ISBN   0-85112-939-0.
  7. 1 2 "Taylor Dayne". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Tina Turner Online - Whatever you want - 7 Inch Single". tina-turner.nl. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Taylor Dayne - Whatever You Want Album Reviews, Songs & More", allmusic.com, retrieved December 9, 2022
  10. ↑ Taylor Dayne Shares Her Surrogate Story Celebrity Baby Blog, February 19, 2009
  11. ↑ "Taylor Dayne Looks for Career 'Remaking'". Associated Press . March 25, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  12. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal (January 17, 2008). "Review: Taylor Dayne, Satisfied". Slant Magazine. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  13. ↑ "ACS was chosen by World Olympians Association (WOA) to secure its events in 2008 Beijing Olympics". Advanced Card Systems Ltd. September 19, 2008.
  14. ↑ Scott Robertson, APR (May 17, 2010). "Don't Stop Believin' in Music Education: NAMM Members Storm Capitol Hill in 2010". NAMM.org. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Perfect Beat's Top 100 CD Singles of 2010". Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  16. 1 2 Pratt, Paul E. (July–August 2005). "Love Has Led Her Back". Fusion. July/August 2005. GaySavannah.com Publication: 40.
  17. ↑ "Taylor Dayne". Taylor Dayne. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  18. ↑ Zinoman, Jason (June 24, 2012). "Repeating a Repetition Repeatedly Once Again". The New York Times . Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Live Show Redux". This American Life. May 18, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  20. ↑ Shapiro, Eileen (August 25, 2014). "Taylor Dayne | Get Out! Magazine - NYC's Gay Magazine" . Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  21. ↑ "'Masked Singer' recap: 3 celebrities go home in shocking triple elimination". EW.com. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Taylor Dayne 'Didn't Recognize' Herself on RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race: 'That's You, Girl!'". People . Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  23. ↑ Quinn, Dave (August 19, 2022). "'RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race' Sends an Iconic '80s Pop Singer Packing — Find Out Who". People . Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  24. 1 2 "Tell It to Her Heart: Legendary Diva Taylor Dayne Headlines Augusta Pride - David Atlanta". David Atlanta . DRT Media Group. June 24, 2014. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Taylor Dayne Shares Her Surrogate Story". People . Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Taylor Dayne talks about being a mom to twins – Moms & Babies – Celebrity Babies and Kids - Moms & Babies - People.com". People . Time Inc. October 5, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  27. ↑ Hope, Randy (October 16, 2008). "GLT » Speaking from the heart, Taylor Dayne tells why she is never 'Satisfied'". Gay and Lesbian Times . Uptown Publications. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  28. ↑ "Celebrity Cook-Off's Taylor Dayne wins hearts with matzah ball soup." Bigam, Kate., Jwa.org, Published January 31, 2012. Accessed June 2016.
  29. ↑ "The Great (Taylor) Dayne Follow-Up". Chandler, Adam., Tabletmag.com, Published December 27, 2012. Accessed June 2016.
  30. ↑ Holden, Stephen (April 4, 1990). "The Pop Life". The New York Times . Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  31. ↑ Gstalter, Morgan (January 4, 2021). "Singer Taylor Dayne responds to criticism after Mar-a-Lago performance: 'I try to stay non-political'". The Hill . Retrieved January 24, 2021.
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