Since 1987, singer and performer Taylor Dayne has been riding the dance-pop high of her hit “Tell It to My Heart”—and filling her career with musical milestones.
As you surely know, “Tell It to My Heart” is almost four minutes of electric and contagious ’80s synth-dance rhythms, and Dayne’s energetic vocal performance helps keep the party going. Since the mega-hit, Dayne has made numerous advances in the music and entertainment scene, crafting six more Top 10 singles, crossing over into other genres, and even starring in TV and film.
She’s bringing the latest version of her dance-filled set to Agua Caliente Cathedral City on Saturday, Sept. 7.
“Palm Springs is such a little oasis,” Dayne said during a recent phone interview. “It has such a great charm, and there are so many great things about it. I love that desert. I always feel like, when I’m there, I’m removed from so much. It’s very beautiful.”
Her performance in Cathedral City is being billed as “Ladies Night,” as she will share the stage with another ’80s pop star, Tiffany.
“We’ve definitely crossed paths many, many times, and she’s just a lovely girl,” Dayne said. “She’s really just enhanced, and she’s grown so much in her cooking shows and her country music. I think when you bring artists together who started in that same genre of time, it’s just more exciting for fans. We keep it high-energy. For me, my show has always been about live vocals, my power, and really connecting to my fans with the energy of what a live show is about.”
Keeping up a high-energy vocal performance nearly four decades into a singing career is no easy task.
“You’ve got to be an athlete,” Dayne said. “You’ve got to train like that; you’ve got to think like that. It’s kind of like asking Mick Jagger, ‘Does it take its toll?’ Of course it does, but at the same time, there’s no exact feeling in the world like this, when you’re onstage, experiencing that connection with your fans, and that endorphin feeling, that rush. It makes it highly addictive on some levels, and yet none of it is easy—getting there, going there, doing that, putting it together. But when you’re with your fans, that reciprocity of exchange of energy is quite beautiful.”
Dayne’s performance at Agua Caliente will serve as a warm-up of sorts before the singer heads out on a Canadian tour alongside Paula Abdul from late September through late October.
“It’s a new show, new concepts,” Dayne said. “… We have a lean, mean show going. We have 22 dates in 30 days throughout all of Canada, so that’s pretty exciting. There’s a lot of work going into that. Paula, right before she broke, she was choreographing, and she did my second video, ‘Prove Your Love,’ so it’s amazing to see us 35 years later, on top of our game and doing what we’re doing.”
The thought process going into planning a live show is much different than it was in the ’80s and ’90s, but Dayne still views the art of the concert as vastly important, especially when visiting new or not-often-visited markets.
“You’re just putting pieces of a puzzle together; then you’re doing logistics, and then you’re seeing the markets,” Dayne said. “These are markets I haven’t been to in a long time, so I’m really excited. These are fans I haven’t seen in a minute, and that’s the whole purpose of it. We get out there in those places where people haven’t been in a while, and that’s where live music comes in and brings everybody together. Those shows are really important.”
In April of this year, Dayne released an EP titled The Capitol Sessions, a collection of six covers that helped Dayne reinvigorate her love for music after the pandemic.
“Capitol Sessions was a really unique record. Like everybody, I had to resolve my own creative issues of being locked up and not with a band, and not touring,” she said. “… I got to work with Gregg Field, and we kind of slowly did it out of his studio in his home. It was an interesting and beautiful way to collaborate during a time where a lot of it was difficult.
“I started doing home sessions, where I was just kind of picking an artist and going through their music, and then it led into what’s called ‘Dayne’s Den.’ I had a studio in the back of my house, and we built that out a little bit, and I got a few musicians to come together, and we opened the doors, and we just were playing. That’s what kind of led to The Capitol Sessions—really looking at the music that inspired me in songs and artists and then recording. The choice of covers that I did, it was really just a showcase of my voice, and then the musicianship. We were taking swab tests every day, and doing our due diligence, but it was great to be back with a bunch of musicians, and get in there and record this.”
Looking toward the future, after reflecting on a career of many accomplishments, Dayne said she still has a few more goals.
“I just always feel like I have to prove things to myself now,” Dayne said. “I’m always running against myself, or really judging or trying to make sure I stay mentally in the best place, physically in the best place, and spiritually in the best place. … You’re always just reaching for the stars and always reaching for more creative goals, and that would be what I’m looking for—attaining those goals that still have been out of reach, and you just keep going for them. That’s the purpose of life, and that’s my purpose.”
Taylor Dayne will perform with Tiffany at 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 7, at Agua Caliente Cathedral City, 68960 E. Palm Canyon Drive, in Cathedral City. Tickets are $59.10, and attendees must be 21+. For tickets or more information, visit aguacalientecasinos.com.
