For the past couple weeks I’ve been slightly obsessed with the song “Don’t Let Me Down” by the Chainsmokers featuring Daya. It has such a great dance beat, and the synths/dubstep are perfect. It’s the perfect song to blare and dance to (or, if you’re like me, bike to).
My favorite part is the bridge to the end of the song, particularly when Daya hits that note around 2:55. The way she sings that part of the song has this heart-wrenching vulnerability to it and it really defines the song. There’s a sense of urgency, a pleading for this person not to let down or hurt the narrator. It’s magnificent, particularly because this is an EDM song brought to you by the guys who created “But first, let me take a #selfie” (remember that song?). It’s almost a complete 180, emotionally.
Because I was so impressed by Daya’s vocals, I decided to check out her other hit song “Hide Away.” I remembered it made some waves on radio, but I never gave it a full chance. So I listened to it, and it’s been on repeat. Damn, she’s hooked me.
I wouldn’t say “Hide Away” lives up vocally to “Don’t Let Me Down,” but Daya does have this old soul quality in her voice. It’s intriguing to listen to, plus the chorus is incredibly catchy.
While I would overall give this song a thumbs up, I felt it had some minor problems structurally with it. I actually ended up making my own edit of the song (for my own personal listening) to improve it as much as I could. The main thing I did was I got rid of the bridge. The drum beats were great, but I thought on the whole it was a bit awkward. They could’ve gotten a way with doing some sort of instrumental with the drums and synths and then worked back into the chorus. It would’ve flowed better. They also should’ve left the outro out…I mean, it doesn’t really hurt the song, it’s just not really necessary. But as I said, it’s great as it is…could’ve been better.
So keep your ears out for Daya, she seems to be making quite an impression and it appears her new single “Sit Still, Look Pretty” is starting it’s climb up the charts.
