From Back Up To Center Stage

Remember Alicia Graf’s Transition Tale? Try and keep up with her sister. Daisha Graf recently performed with Beyonce at the VMAs. “Beyonce is someone I respect as an artist. It was so awesome to be in her creative presence, especially because I want to be an artist!”

Her “aha” moment at the VMAs: “The night before the show, I looked at Beyonce and got the chills because I was about to dance with one of the greatest performers of all time. I could picture that being me one day,” she said.

Daisha’s love for hip hop developed through experience. Unlike her sister, she had a deep passion for modern and African. She majored in dance and Spanish at Hofstra and performed ballet and modern everyday. But after she joined a hip hop team, she fell in love. This love interest seems to have worked out well; Daisha’s toured with Rihanna, worked with Diddy, Ryan Leslie, Chris Willis and Jim Jones, and appeared in feature films like Step Up 2 The Streets and Step Up 3D.

It doesn’t stop there. Daisha’s a classically trained pianist and loves music. “I distinctly remember singing ‘Stop! In the Name of Love’ in front of my family when I was a little girl.”

Graf began vocal lessons to prepare for Broadway auditions. When her coach’s assistant asked if she wrote music (and she didn’t) her determined attitude prompted her to try. “I knew I could do it but had never given it the chance. Since then, I’ve been recording and writing, and I wrote my first song!”

Another cool tid bit? Daisha invented her own genre of music. “I came up with the term ‘alternative R&B’. Edgy with a groove (since I am a dancer.)” She also claims that she’s very mellow and relatively quiet. But once she hits the stage, her alter ego comes out and bam, she’s Sasha Fierce.

So how will she transition from backup performer to leading lady? “I don’t want to be the next pop star or one hit wonder. I’m truly doing this for my deep passion of music and the art of performance.”

 A trendsetter at its best. Listen to Daisha's sound. 100% trend-worthy. We love her.