The Fun of Your Love captures the essence of Day, who reflects a refreshing, mesmerizing collection of dichotomies. Although she stands only 5'1'', she wields a voice so powerful that producer Robert Byrne had to scour Nashville to find a microphone capable of handling her range. But this power is accompanied by her inimitable gift of feeling and finesse; it's her soulful interpretation that makes her music unique. She's simultaneously innocent and experienced, both playful and sultry. Her music is a composite of her various influences, ranging from Patsy Cline and Willie Nelson to Otis Redding and Mariah Carey. While she remains respectful of country's heritage, she's daring and determined to break new musical ground with a sound that pushes the musical envelope.
Beneath her youthful exuberance, Day, 20, possesses a maturity and confidence that is revealed in her songwriting, which has garnered attention from such top songwriters as Annie Roboff ("This Kiss"), Beth Nielsen Chapman ("Down On My Knees"), and Kent Blazy ("If Tomorrow Never Comes"), as well as actor Kevin Costner, who was so impressed with the Day-penned "The Fun of Your Love" that he personally approved the song's addition to the film For Love Of The Game.
"Songwriting keeps me focused on who I am," says Day, who co-wrote four of the 11 songs on her debut project. "Being an artist, you can get so involved in your career that sometimes you can lose a little bit of your identity. Songwriting allows you to be creative and be yourself."
She began singing regularly that year and became a frequent performer at school and community-related functions in North Central Florida. By eighth grade, her songs were moving audiences to tears. At this point, however, music was just a satisfying hobby. "I took piano lessons, but homework came first," she says. As a teenager, she would visit Nashville occasionally to meet with music industry executives who would critique her songs." We weren't trying to shop a deal," she says." I was too young and I wasn't ready. I'm glad that didn't happen because I cherish all of the years I had in high school."
During her senior year, she recorded very simple versions of songs like "Crazy" and her parents would send tapes to relatives. Day's flamboyant grandmother mixed in her granddaughter's songs with the other music that was played during her regular poker games. Her friends would say, "That Patsy Cline is really good," and Granny Rosie would proudly say, 'That's my granddaughter!"
One of the regular poker players was the aunt of Bob Jamieson, president of RCA New York. She was so impressed with the tape that she sent it to her brother, who sent it to Jamison, who sent it to Joe Galante, chairman of RCA Label Group in Nashville. "We exchange tapes all the time, and usually the stuff he sends down is terrible, so I almost tossed this tape when I got it," Galante says. The tape contained three songs -- "Where I Used To Have A Heart," "Life No. 9" and "Crazy" -- two of which had been recorded by RCA's Martina McBride. "I was like, 'How dare you! You've got some real chutzpa to do this," Galante says. This girl nailed those records. She represents a bridge between what is now and what is tomorrow."
Day graduated high school in June 1997, married in July, and received word of RCA's interest in August, just as she turned 18. The next month she moved to Nashville and soon found herself in the studio recording her first album with producer Robert Byrne.
"When I heard that voice coming out of the speakers, it sent chills down my spine," Byrne says. "She's like nothing country music has ever seen. Her voice is so powerful that we rented every microphone in town just to capture her voice on tape without distortion. In the powerful passages, she was overpowering the microphones, then in the soft passages she just breaks your heart."
Day co-wrote the irresistibly upbeat "The Fun of Your Love" with Annie Roboff and Beth Nielsen Chapman and penned the soulfully longing "Tell Me I'm the One" with Tommy Lee James. She also co-wrote "Completely" with James and Liz Hengber. Her signature song is "Fearless," which she created with Kent Blazy and Blair Daly. "It's saying believe in yourself and you can be fearless," she says." Just do things on your own and just trust in yourself.
"I try not to fit into a mold," she says. "I don't want to limit myself. I want my music to be very versatile and appeal to everybody."
