When Taylor Dayne crashed the Billboard Top 10 with the Grammy-nominated 1987 dance pop smash “Tell It To My Heart,” it was the beginning of storied career that resulted in her becoming one of the most successful dance artists of all time.
It’s a journey that began for Dayne as a little girl named Leslie Wunderman who grew up on the South Shore of Long Island with dreams of stardom. It’s a tale she’ll be sharing from the stage of the Paramount in Huntington on Feb. 20, a community she called home once upon a time when she lived in nearby Lloyd Neck.
And it’s a story she recounts in warts-and-all glory in “Tell It to My Heart: How I Lost My S#*t, Conquered My Fear and Found My Voice,” her 2019 memoir.
Far from being a boilerplate hagiography, it reads more like a self-help book defined by the Baldwin native’s resilience, tireless work ethic and willingness to share her vulnerability on the written page.
Dayne shares her struggles with a dysfunctional family life growing up and a lifelong battle with anxiety that eventually gave way to her getting a firm grip on wellness and mental health. And of course, plenty of anecdotes about the entertainment industry where folks like Prince, Dee Snider, Tina Turner and Warren Beatty pop up.
For Dayne, opening up like this was just the latest stop on her creative journey and got its start when she was invited to do a 2016 TEDWomen presentation.
“Everyone wants to always know how I became Taylor Dayne and now the story is even longer,” she said. “It happened to be my 30-year anniversary, which was a paramount moment—one that me and my team were focused on in doing this [project]. It wasn’t comfortable writing a memoir, but after I did a TED Talk, I went and did a writer’s retreat. These other great writers said it was going to take two years to do this book, but they also said a TED Talk was where I could start. I spent six months writing, rewriting and recrafting what I wanted to say and it turned out like a spoken-word autobiographical piece with music. It really was a performance piece and allowed me to start the process.”
While Dayne splits her time between California and Florida with her fraternal twins—Astaria and Levi, Long Island continues to be a place she loves to return to play.
he Paramount holds a special place in her heart given that former manager Brian Doyle helped build the venue. And with her big voice belting out well-known songs like “Prove Your Love,” “I’ll Be Your Shelter,” and “Heart of Stone” that are part of Dayne’s deep catalog, she’s itching to hit the stage in Huntington.
“I am so looking forward to being in that room and celebrating a great venue and one of my hometowns,” she said with a laugh. “And going live I have hits—lots of hits.”
And while it would be easy for this tour to be a dance-music-oldies show, Dayne is also promoting “The Capitol Sessions,” a 2024 EP overseen by legendary producer Gregg Field. Initially done as a pandemic project with primary tracks laid down at Field’s home studio, it was moved to Capitol Records studio, where Dayne played with an array of musicians while dipping into the canons of M.I.A., Aretha Franklin, John Mayer and Dinah Washington. It was a chance for Dayne to get back to her roots.
“That was “Capitol Sessions” to me—breaking down some of the greatest live session recording artists and players as well as really going back to songs and seeing my interpretations of things,” she explained. “It really was an experiment and very inspiring.”
Having survived a recent bout with colon cancer back in 2022, Dayne continues to be vigilant about her health, both mental and physical. And while she’s been known by her stage name for the past three decades-plus, the part of her that started out as Leslie Wunderman is something she continues to nurture while still pushing herself as an artist.
“God—it’s 36 years now and everyone knows me as Taylor,” she said. “I’ve done a lot of work and it allows me to fiercely protect my little girl, who was out on the frontline for me for a long time as a young, young girl. That’s how I look at little Leslie right now—my little girl. All these challenges and the failures are part of the ingredients for the recipe that allows you to test yourself and that’s the artistry of life.”
Taylor Dayne will be appearing on Thursday, Feb. 20, at The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., in Huntington. For more information, visit www.theparamountny.com or call 631-673-7300.
