Dayna Manning

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Dayna Manning is a Canadian folk and pop singer-songwriter who also works as a producer and sound engineer. She was born on April 27, 1978, in Stratford, Ontario.

Early life
Manning grew up in Stratford and began writing songs as a teenager. She learned several instruments and quickly caught the attention of music industry professionals. She signed a record deal with EMI as a teenager after being discovered at a showcase in Toronto.

Music career
Her debut album Volume 1 was released in 1997, with contributions from notable musicians and producers. The lead single Half the Man became a Canadian radio and MuchMusic favorite, and a second single, My Addiction, also gained attention. Manning toured across Canada and North America, performing at Lilith Fair and opening for acts like Lisa Loeb, Spirit of the West, 54-40, Joe Cocker, and Radiohead. She was nominated for Best New Artist at the Juno Awards in 1998.

Her sophomore album Shades arrived in 2002, recorded in Los Angeles with producer Jim Scott and featuring musicians such as Chad Smith. The production received mixed reviews, some praising its atmosphere and others feeling it overshadowed Manning’s voice. The single Miracle was released from this album.

In 2006, after leaving EMI, Manning released Folkyo on her own LeParc Records label. She wrote, produced, and engineered the project, funding it in part by working at a construction camp in northern British Columbia. The album earned positive notices for its intricate songs and Manning’s strong voice.

Trent Severn
In 2011, Manning helped form the folk trio Trent Severn with Emm Gryner and Laura Bates (later joined by Lindsay Schindler). The group released their self-titled debut album in 2012, with Manning contributing as a songwriter, producer, engineer, and performer. The band gained heavy CBC Radio airplay and received Canadian Folk Music Award nominations in 2013. They followed with Trillium (2015) and Portage (2017), both featuring Manning as a writer, producer, and engineer, and showcasing her guitar and banjo playing.

The group also gained attention for notable moments, including Manning’s arrangement of O Canada performed at Parliament Hill on Canada Day 2013 and Trent Severn’s involvement in Chris Hadfield’s space-related performances, including a live contact with the International Space Station and a Space Oddity tribute.

Discography (highlights)
Solo albums
- Volume 1 (1997)
- Shades (2002)
- Folkyo (2006)
- Morning Light (2019)

Singles
- Half the Man (1996)
- My Addiction (1997)
- Miracle (2002)

With Trent Severn
- Trent Severn (2012)
- Trillium (2015)
- Portage (2017)

Awards and nominations
- Juno Award nomination for Best New Solo Artist (1998) for Volume 1
- Canadian Folk Music Awards nomination for Producer of the Year (2021) for Morning Light

Today, Dayna Manning is known for her distinctive blend of folk and pop, her strong songwriting, and her work as a producer and engineer on her own and collaborators’ projects.