Pop star Taylor Dayne becomes reality TV regular and cancer detection advocate

Give Taylor Dayne a microphone and she oozes passion. It doesn’t matter if she’s belting her ‘80s megahit “Tell It to My Heart,” gushing about Donnie Wahlberg of New Kids on the Block or advocating for early detection procedures for colon and breast cancers.

“Passion is a funny word,” said Dayne, who comes to the Dakota on Sunday for her first Twin Cities appearance in more than 15 years. “The passion poured through [her music] because I wanted to share that so much with somebody else if they felt the same way I felt. This urgency, this need to spill out my guts, if you will, I’m always at full tilt.”

At 62, the native New Yorker still has that voice — big, steely and booming. But if you check out her 2024 EP, “Capitol Sessions,” you’ll hear a deeply soulful Dayne as she interprets John Mayer’s “Gravity,” Aretha Franklin’s “Without the One You Love” and Dinah Washington’s “This Bitter Earth,” among others.

“It’s something else to be on the other side of things and really listen to the lyrics,” she said. “How ‘bout that Aretha song? And ’This Bitter Earth,' omigod. There’s something about it. It was a treasure to spend the time — because of COVID — in the studio with the great [producer] Gregg Field, nine-time Grammy recipient. That album came to be during a very quiet, locked-away time.”

“Gravity” might be part of the repertoire at the Dakota. Dayne, who did a Las Vegas residency in 2023-24, promises a new show, fashioned with new creative and musical directors.

“We’re going back in time, so much of it is the soundtrack of people’s lives, but at the same time where that has led us to now,” she said.

Dayne was a dance-pop queen in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s with such dance-pop smashes as “Tell It to My Heart” and “Prove Your Love” and power ballads like “Love Will Lead You Back” and “I’ll Always Love You.” In her heyday, she acted in TV and film (Warren Beatty told her for the 1994 “Love Affair” remake: “Be you, Taylor. Say the words the way you’d say them”). She later appeared on Broadway in Elton John’s “Aida” and wrote songs for others, including Tina Turner.

In 2020, Dayne dealt with colon cancer.

“I’m a survivalist,” she declared. “Ten inches of my colon was removed. I’m an advocate for early detection, doing what it takes, making sure we stay on top of mammograms, all of it, because it really definitely saved my life, and it put me in a place to have a platform that I didn’t even know I wanted. Ha ha ha. To speak about these truths, to speak to cancer survivalists.

“We all have our journey. I didn’t have to do any chemo and radiation but it led to an infection, which led me to a much bigger disease. It was worth the climb. That’s an internal job. But it became an external job. Being an ambassador for Wacoal [manufacturer of women’s underwear] and then to work with other survivalists.”

Dayne is not only diligent about cancer detection but also about keeping her voice and body in shape.

“It’s my muscle. I’m a trained athlete that way. Vocalizing is one thing but all the care I do — the running, the power walking, the Pilates, the breathing, sleep and all the other tools I’ve learned to take care of my body. I’ve also learned that when I’m on the road, I’m a disciplined crazy person. I’m very strict with what I do after shows, what I do as part of the shows, staying quiet during the necessary things. The mental game. Knowing when to sit back and let the voice heal.”

In recent years, Dayne has maintained visibility by appearing on TV’s “The Masked Singer,” “RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race” and “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” among other programs.

“TV’s where it’s at. Always has been, always will be,” she said. “It’s an honor to be on all the reality shows. They’ve become so successful. This is what we do. Exposure, exposure, talk to our fans. Let ‘em see us as human beings.”

She even appeared on “The Golden Bachelorette” on Dec. 10 to sing a song, and it turned out she had gone on a date with one of the bachelor contestants, Jordan Heller.

“That was hysterical,” she remembered. “The guy comes up to me: ‘We went on a date.’ Oh, leave me alone. I don’t even remember.”

Does she want to become “The Golden Bachelorette”?

“No. I’m not suggesting that. It was wild to be part of it.”

Dayne is always looking for opportunities. Last year, she recorded a duet with New Kids on the Block, “Old School Love.”

“Donnie [Wahlberg] called me up. Yeah, yeah. They’re lovely guys. Donnie is the backbone, such a clear visionist. I’d love to get on their next tour.”

With her passion oozing through the phone from Los Angeles on Monday, Dayne shared that she attended the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Sunday where actor Demi Moore was honored.

“Listening to where she’s coming from now with such a long, broad career — you’re talking 35 years. You start to recognize your body of work and you go: I did that? This is kind of amazing. But you’re living in the now. This is not a simple business. It’s like ‘What have you done for me lately?’ You find a place where the challenges are where you are happiest. A challenge as well as the opportunity.”

When: 5 & 7:30 p.m. Sun.

Where: The Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls.

Tickets: $65-$75, dakotacooks.com