Multi-platinum certified pop singer-songwriter Daya has shared her heartbreaking new track, “Love You When You’re Gone,” via Sandlot/AWAL. The song is joined by an official music video, which can be seen now below.
Produced by The Gifted (Tate McRae, Kygo), “Love You When You’re Gone” marks the first single from Daya’s eagerly anticipated new EP, due later this year. Sensual and atmospheric yet still playfully groove-intensive, the track details the fascinating duality of missing someone when they’re out of your life yet being uncertain whether you miss the actual person or merely the comfort of their presence. Seeing the person again after so much time, Daya comes to terms with the tiny details that remind her why things didn’t work out.
‘’Love You When You’re Gone’ was written in a period of time when I was experiencing overwhelming feelings of loneliness and nostalgia,” says Daya about the song. “I found myself romanticizing a past relationship in a way that was almost willfully forgetting the reality of why it didn’t work out in the end. I realized part of the reason I was holding on to the relationship for so long was because I was scared to face who I’d be and what my life would be like without it, and so it’s about trying to let all that go and give myself the space and freedom to grow on my own.”
With her upcoming new EP, Daya takes a landmark step on her musical journey, building upon powerful early-twenties emotional experiences to explore new themes and sonic vibes while collaborating with such top writers and producers as Andrew Goldstein (Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Britney Spears) and Oscar Scheller (Lady Gaga, Pink Pantheress, Ashnikko).
“The songs on the new EP deal with that gray area in between dreams and reality,” Daya says, “contrasting the romantic notions of what my relationship was versus the stark reality of what actually happened. As with the previous project, I am dealing with the loneliness and missing puzzle pieces of life, using music as a vehicle to find my own voice and identity while working through these tough emotional issues.
“Though there were many creative upsides to all of those early successes, having all that happen at a young age meant that I was missing out on other important aspects of becoming a young adult and developing as an artist. I had this real fear that I was out of touch with how real relationships work and felt like I needed to become more grounded. Taking a step back allowed me to spend more time with family and friends and go through the ups and downs of normal relationships. All of these current tunes come from real life.”