Daya

“Because of my interest in songwriting, I was invited to visit a friend in L.A. for songwriting sessions with him and his friends. We wrote six songs by the end of the weekend, and 'Hide Away' happened to be one of them!”

“I like the fact that I have the power to convey a lot of emotion through my songs. I like to channel that when I'm singing. I think it's just a mix of R&B, soul, but then I kind of move more into the pop world and electronic pop and stuff like that.”

“Music was always a huge part of me, but I always did it on the side. I didn't even take any music classes in high school... it was more of an extracurricular thing.”

“First Lady Michelle Obama - I admire her confidence, integrity, intelligence, compassion, and her overall vibe - she is such an inspiration.”

“I'm really excited because Interscope is really focused on artists. They've been working side by side with me creatively and allowing me to make a lot of the creative decisions, which you don't always hear about. That's why I didn't want to sign originally with a major label.”

“People should be allowed to roll out of bed and go to an interview; people shouldn't be telling you, 'You can't curse because it's not ladylike.' I don't believe in those standards.”

“I should be, right now, a normal 17-year-old sitting in class in high school. Instead, I'm recording, and it's so exciting for me. I can't imagine anything I'd rather be doing right now.”

“I think in order to accomplish anything in life, you have to visualize yourself there - accepting the award, hearing your song on the radio, whatever it is - or you lose the willpower and the drive.”

“I think the first concert I attended was Coldplay with my dad when I was around eight years old.”

“It was so much fun to work with the cast on 'School of Rock'. I was a little nervous because it was my first acting gig, but it was such a great experience.”

“I try to share a lot of my life on Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, everything. I really like interacting with fans on Twitter and answering their questions and just getting to know them because it's cool for them to have people who are connecting with my music reach out and show interest.”

“Stay humble, be fearless, and work, work, work, work, work, work.”

“Believe in yourself, go after your dreams, and don't let anyone put you in a box.”

“I honestly just hope to continue creating music that people can relate to and connect with in a personal way.”

“I'm a quarter Indian; my grandfather's originally from New Delhi.”

“I never wanted to be a feature - that was never the goal with my music. I didn't want to just live through other people's work.”

“You should never be put into a mold based on your gender.”

“I performed in Redlands, Calif., at Splash Kingdom. It reminded me of the water parks I went to as a kid. I was like, 'I want to ride the rides!'”

“I like to create something that's unique and kind of true to myself and authentic and everything. I don't really like to mirror myself after different artists.”

“I try to write catchy hooks but, at the same time, things that mean something that will provoke thought.”