Taylor Dayne, closing in on 40 years as a recording artist, will take fans on a journey of her career on Nov. 17 at the Wind Creek Event Center, Wind Creek Boulevard, Bethlehem.

Under the alias Les Lee, Dayne — born Leslie Wunderman and raised on Long Island, New York — released dance singles “I’m the One You Want” and “Tell Me Can You Love Me” in the mid-1980s. The tracks preceded “Tell It To My Heart,” Dayne‘s late-1980s breakthrough.

“I graduated high school in the ’80s, doing 12 inches,” said Dayne, who splits her time between California and Florida. “I started going into house and club music. I was singing operatically and studying voice, as I knew I would be beating the hell out of it every night.”

At age 3 or 4, Dayne was drawn to music, which “was coming out of apartments, radio boxes, stereos. I’ll never forget hearing Stevie Wonder’s ‘My Cherie Amour.’ Then I got my own radio, like a little Sony box.”

Dayne, who heard other artists such as Bill Withers and Karen Carpenter on AM radio, also listened to music via a jukebox when with her mother at a nearby diner.

“By the time I was in kindergarten, I knew I wanted to be in a choir,” said Dayne, who, upon seeing pictures in Rolling Stone magazine, “wanted to be a rock ‘n’ roll star.”

After high school, Dayne — who attended Nassau Community College — sang in rock and new wave bands. She also was a demo and background singer, and performed at a Russian nightclub in Brooklyn, New York. “Working for the mob paid my bills,” the singer quipped.

Works pays off

Dayne, with money borrowed from her father, recorded a demo for “Tell It to My Heart” with producer/music partner Ric Wake. The 1987 dance-pop single, released on Arista Records, hit No. 7 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and topped the European Hot 100.

Debut album “Tell It to My Heart,” arriving in 1988, spawned three other Hot 100 top 10s: “Prove Your Love,” “I’ll Always Love You” — an R&B crossover hit — and “Don’t Rush Me.” In summer 1988, Dayne opened select shows for Michael Jackson’s Bad tour.

Dayne’s hit streak continued with sophomore set “Can’t Fight Fate.” The 1989 album featured Hot 100 No. 1 “Love Will Lead You Back,” top fives “With Every Beat of My Heart” and “I’ll Be Your Shelter,” and near-top 10 “Heart of Stone.”

While Dayne’s initial albums both topped 2 million in domestic sales, 1993’s “Soul Dancing” sold a quarter of that total.

The set featured a hit cover of Barry White’s “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love,” plus additional singles “Send Me a Lover” and “I’ll Wait.”

Dayne wrapped her run at Arista with 1995’s “Greatest Hits,” which yielded a remix single of “Soul Dancing” track “Say a Prayer.”

Indie labels issued Dayne’s next two studio albums. “Naked Without You,” out in 1998, featured “Whatever You Want,” which Dayne co-wrote and was a 1996 U.K. hit for Tina Turner. Dayne’s last full-length set, 2008’s “Satisfied,” featured No. 1 dance hit “Beautiful.”

Teaming up

Dayne, with a number of single releases since 2010, teamed with DJ trio Cash Cash for a 2023 remix of “Tell It To My Heart.” The songstress recorded new vocals for the project.

Earlier this year, Dayne released “The Capitol Sessions.” The six-track EP features five covers and new track “Paper Planes.” Dayne has no plans to record a full-length album.

Aside from her music career, Dayne has ventured into acting, appearing in the 2001 Broadway production of “Aida,” as well as films and TV series. She called her 2020 stint as PopCorn on Fox’s “The Masked Singer” competition “one of my most creative experiences.”

An artist for all

In 2022, Dayne competed on cable series “RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race” and “People Puzzler,” playing for charities Global Green and The Nature Conservancy, respectively.

Dayne’s advocacy also extends to the LGBTQ+ community — she recorded 2010 Gay Games theme “Facing a Miracle” — and supporting breast cancer awareness. She’s a spokesperson for intimate apparel brand Wacoal and Susan G. Komen’s Fit for the Cure campaign.

Fighting for her life

In 2022, Dayne had her own bout with cancer. Following a colon cancer diagnosis, she underwent surgery to remove 10 inches of her colon. Dayne since has remained cancer-free.

The singer-songwriter, whose 2019 memoir “Tell It to My Heart” detailed struggles such as growing up in an abusive household, plans to accent her post-memoir life in some form.

“Will it be another book? A TV series? We’re in talks, figuring it out.”

As the last few years “have been an incredible breakthrough for me, emotionally,” Dayne, a passionate artist in a “lopsided” and “unprotected” industry, has a specific goal in mind.

“Getting my copyrights reversed back to myself. Owning what’s rightfully mine, or negotiating in a way that I’m winning. Those wins help everybody want to keep achieving.”

Looking ahead

Dayne, who recently performed on ABC’s “The Golden Bachelorette,” has overseas gigs planned for 2025. Meeting people she impacted “energizes me, makes me want to perform.”

Fans, she added, “mean everything to me. I haven’t seen a royalty in years. It’s all about those fans and shows. This is what I love to do.”