Music Artist Dayna Donna is a Mexican American singer who has recently emerged onto the scene with brand new singles “Fallin,” “Christmas Day,” and “Good Love.” A California native, Dayna has been singing her entire life and started performing as early as 12 years old for numerous community events. Carving a new path for herself in the last few years, the singer-songwriter has become an independent artist with her own record label and self-made recording studio. With her unique and glamorous style combined with her distinctive soulful voice, she has created her own musical landscape and continues to aspire her musical dreams while spreading joy and love to music fans everywhere. Donna’s initial introduction into the industry began with a one-of-a-kind trip to Corpus Christi, Texas while a teenager.
During this time, Donna had the opportunity to meet Abraham Quintanilla (Selena’s father) after submitting a video performance to the Official Selena Fan Club. Donna credits this as a significant step in her introduction into the music industry. Reflecting back on that time, she recalls the experience, “I was invited to sing for Mr. Quintanilla after my parents submitted my performance, and the experience provided great insight into the music business. I was also offered a management deal, but at the time I couldn’t relocate to Texas but was very flattered which gave me a boost of confidence,” Donna said. She adds,” I also love Selena, she was my idol and it honestly felt like a dream,” the singer recalls.
Donna also gained experience by singing in talent shows and local car shows. Shy as a child, she credits support from her family and peers with helping her further her confidence, “I was introverted as a young girl, so I found my outlet in music,” she adds. In the years following this experience, Donna found herself amongst some of the industry’s best and interacted with many valuable mentors along the way including Chuck Sutton, the Co-Executive Producer of It’s Showtime At The Apollo. Donna had the opportunity to compete in the teen division which gave her more exposure to the music industry leading to other opportunities such as singing reference background vocals on the Dream Girls film soundtrack and receiving mentorship and management from R&B group Boys II Men. Reflecting back on this time, Donna is grateful for the experience, “The caliber of musicians and songwriters I was able to learn from were amazing,” she said.
Although the experiences provided insight and connections to the music business, Donna found herself a bit unsatisfied as she needed a more stable career to financially support herself, which led her to enroll back in school and become a court reporter. “At the end of the day, I felt like when it pertained to the music industry, I got into it for the love and the dream of being a singer and songwriter, but I wasn’t making any money. The experiences were amazing, but I wasn’t able to provide for myself and be self-sufficient,” Donna adds. During this time, Donna was able to teach herself how to work pro tools which is a digital audio workstation designed for the use of creation and production of music recording and editing, “I was self-taught, I learned how to work pro-tools and I started my own recording studio and learned how to record my own vocals and develop my own songs,” she said. She further adds, “I had gone back to the drawing board and realized I can work plus follow my dream and take control of my own narrative by releasing my own material and making it the way I want it to sound. The thing about the record companies, I always felt like they would give me songs that weren’t quite a reflection of what I wanted to sing about or my style. But now, I’m working on building my own record company and just taking the steps to build my name as an independent artist.”
As for musical influences, Donna grew up listening to Mariah Carey, whom she considers an inspiration, “I love Mariah Carey, the reason I look up to her so much is because she’s a songwriter and her amazing vocal ability and tone, but the types of songs she writes are very positive and uplifting. Growing up, I always felt isolated in my own world, because I didn’t know how to interact with my peers because of my shyness and her songs were about overcoming struggles and giving you confidence.” Donna is referring to the early part of Mariah’s career. A few years ago, she was able to meet the starlet at one of her shows backstage and showcase a memory book she made (inspired by Mariah) as a young girl which featured Donna’s aspiring goals as a singer, “She also showcased it on her Instagram story. I was in heaven, and she autographed it and everything for me. We did share a little special moment,” said Donna.
Recently, Donna gave birth to her daughter and went through the process in a more unconventional way by utilizing a donor, an uncommon method in the Latino community that the singer calls “the best decision she’s ever made.” After dating here and there, Donna found time slipping by and did not want to lose out on her chance at being a mother, “I don’t feel like it’s talked about enough in our Latina community. I feel culturally, I grew up with the expectations of starting a family early, and the pressure is really strong and I didn’t even have a boyfriend lined up. While working and trying to make my dream happen, I was trying to date and find somebody, but I couldn’t find anyone that was boyfriend and father material, so I started looking into different options such as freezing my eggs. I found out, maybe I could use a male donor and did a lot of research,” she said. Donna adds, “I also realized I could be a single mom by choice, and there’s actually a huge community of women who choose this route.” After doing much research, Donna utilized a cryobank and found a male donor recently giving birth to a baby girl. She is currently in her post birth stage and receives plenty of support from her family.
Currently, new music is also in the works and Donna is excited for what’s to come. She explains, “I am currently recording a Souldies EP as an independent recording artist in my own home recording studio, which has a projected release date of mid-summer of this year. I’m looking forward to performing it at live events in my regional area, and also independently recording and producing my debut album, which is a compilation of my favorite songs that I’ve written throughout my musical journey. Both projects will be released on my own independent label, Ant House Records, where I write, self-record, engineer, and produce all of my vocals. It has brought me so much joy and fulfillment to have full control over the sound I’m creating, and I cannot wait to share it once it’s ready.”
Catch her perform this summer in the Bay Area and in LA. Also to note, a vinyl release of East Side Story in collaboration with La Cima Music and East Side Records (Lowrider Oldies) is projected to release around July 26, 2024. Donna recorded two cover songs, “Working on a Groovy Thing” originally by Patti Drew, and “Right On The Tip Of My Tongue,” originally performed by Brenda and the Tabulations.
Find the pre-order link here. https://a.co/d/0iNOStyX
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Dayna Donna is very inspirational to all latinas who want a career and continues on her passionate journey of singing. She is someone who can inspire others. Good luck Dayna on your role of being a mother also. VBG
So proud of you prima keep going forward. Love you and miss yoit