Interview: Taylor Dayne

When Taylor Dayne crashed the “Billboard” magazine top 10 with the Grammy-nominated 1987 dance pop smash “Tell It To My Heart,” it was the beginning of storied career in which she became one of the most successful dance artists of all time. 

The journey began for Dayne as a little girl named Leslie Wunderman, who grew up on the South Shore Long Island community of Baldwin with dreams of stardom, it’s a tale she’ll share from the stage and one she recounts in warts-and-all glory throughout “Tell It to My Heart: How I Lost My S#*t, Conquered My Fear, and Found My Voice,” her 2019 memoir. Far from being a boilerplate hagiography, it reads more like a self-help book defined by the New York native’s resilience, tireless work ethic and willingness to share her vulnerability on the written page. 

Dayne shares her struggles with a dysfunctional family life growing up and a lifelong battle with anxiety that eventually gave way to her getting a firm grip on wellness and mental health. And of course, she includes plenty of anecdotes about the entertainment industry where folks like Prince, Dee Snider, Tina Turner and Warren Beatty pop up. For Dayne, opening up like this was just the latest stop on her creative journey and got its start when she was invited to do a 2016 TEDWomen presentation.

“Everyone wants to always know how I became Taylor Dayne and now the story is even longer,” she said in an early February interview. “It happened to be my 30-year anniversary, which was a paramount moment -- one that me and my team were focused on in doing this [project]. It wasn’t comfortable writing a memoir, but after I did a TED Talk, I went and did a writer’s retreat. These other great writers said it was going to take two years to do this book, but they also said a TED Talk was where I could start. I spent six months writing, rewriting and recrafting what I wanted to say and it turned out like a spoken-word autobiographical piece with music. It really was a performance piece and allowed me to start the process.”

While Dayne splits her time between California and Florida with her fraternal twins, Astaria and Levi, she continues to be a road dog whose domestic touring will be augmented by dates in Europe, the Far East, Australia and South America later this year. And with her big voice belting out well-known songs like “Prove Your Love,” “I’ll Be Your Shelter,” and “Heart of Stone” that are part of Dayne’s deep catalog, she’s itching to hit the stage.

“I am so looking forward to being onstage and performing for my fans,” she said with a laugh. “And going live I have hits -- lots of hits.” 

And while it would be easy for this tour to be a dance music oldies show, Dayne is also promoting “The Capitol Sessions,” a 2024 EP overseen by legendary producer Gregg Field. Initially done as a pandemic project with primary tracks laid down at Field’s home studio, it was moved to Capitol Records studio, where Dayne played with an array of musicians while dipping into the canons of M.I.A., Aretha Franklin, John Mayer and Dinah Washington for material. The project took Dayne back to her roots. 

“That was “Capitol Sessions” to me -- breaking down some of the greatest live session recording artists and players as well as really going back to songs and seeing my interpretations of things,” she explained. “It really was an experiment and very inspiring.”

Having survived a recent bout with colon cancer back in 2022, Dayne continues to be vigilant about her health, both mental and physical. And while she’s been known by her stage name for the past three decades-plus, she continues to nurture the part of her that started out as Leslie Wunderman while still pushing herself as an artist.

“God, it’s 36 years now and everyone knows me as Taylor,” she said. “I’ve done a lot of work and it allows me to fiercely protect my little girl, who was out on the frontline for me for a long time as a young, young girl. That’s how I look at little Leslie right now -- my little girl. All these challenges and the failures are part of the ingredients for the recipe that allows you to test yourself and that’s the artistry of life.”