Q: For those who may be discovering your music for the first time, how would you introduce yourself as an artist, and what unique qualities or elements do you believe set DIANDRA apart in the music industry?
A: What makes me unique is that I own my talent without comparison. I know I am a star, and I am not saying that out of some kind of arrogance or even to make people roll their eyes and admire me. It feels so rare, in such a talented world, for people to believe in themselves, but I write love songs according to all the ways people taught me to hate and heal myself. For me, my music is about taking back my power because now I know it is in my voice.
Q: Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your latest release, “Money & Heart,” and how it fits into the broader series, “Daddy Issues”?
A: It is so wild I am calling my album that: Daddy Issues. It feels both silly and deeply vulnerable. Growing up with an abusive, rather cruel father framed my relationship with people, men, and even money in ways I did not expect, and it was only until I took him out of my life I realized that my thought process was bound by negativity he embedded in me. He did everything to never provide for me, and the result, ironically, made me feel super spiritual and connected with my emotions, while also feeling too distant from the material. At the end of the day, I’m on earth, and Money & Heart is me reconciling feelings with finances because he made me feel so bad via both.
Q: Your influences include artists like Sade, Hector Lavoe, and Mariah Carey. How did their soundscapes and stories impact the creation of “Money & Heart” specifically?
A: Sade’s sound is gorgeously dreamy, and Mariah is a vocal icon. Between how I sang and produced this song, these women were on my mind, but Hector Lavoe, for me, is one of the best, most emotional storytellers, ever, in music. When I hear him, I hear his heart, and I really want to emote my story.
Q: “Money & Heart” explores the theme of financial manipulation in relationships. Can you elaborate on the message you aim to convey and the emotions you hope to evoke in your listeners?
A: My entire life money felt like a weapon against me. I could not speak my mind or express my feelings because I did not make money, i.e. I was a child. That made me assume that becoming an adult meant financial freedom, but then I entered the workforce and started having relationships, and I realized that money will always be a way people lord over you. From your bosses to your family and even your romantic partners, somehow, if you choose people who are emotionally less than you, they will use money as an excuse for why they treat you less than them. Thus, I wanted this song to be a beautiful anthem to the importance of feeling free and good with yourself, and how that leads you to better finances and people.
Q: Vocality is a significant aspect of your work. How did you approach your vocal performance in “Money & Heart,” particularly in conveying the emotions tied to the song’s narrative?
A: I try to envision the feeling when I sing because I write and produce all my tracks. So, from the very beginning, I feel like an author, and I have to make this protagonist, i.e. my voice, stand out like someone taking the lead in their life. Thus, when I sing these songs it is from the perspective of my current experience: to take back my power.
Q: Can you take us through the creative process behind the production of “Money & Heart,” from the initial concept to the final recording?
A: I wrote Money & Heart a few days after my father and I parted ways. He was just a REALLY toxic portion of my life, but I did not want to hold grudges or wallow in the concept of “Daddy Issues.” I am a firm believer that everything and everyone in our life carries purpose and lessons for us to grow, and, sometimes, the harshest lessons come from the people that we wanted to love but did not. Having such a materialistic dad in contrast to my big, sweet heart me reanalyze what it means to be grateful for everything. In the end, Money & Heart is a song of gratitude for teaching me that being so carnal and money-hungry can leave you in a worm-hole of numbness; to the point that love could never satisfy.
Q: The release date is referred to as the “Second Chance Release Date.” What significance does this hold, and how does it tie into the overall narrative of your musical journey?
A: Realizing how much I have survived, made me realize that your choice to pursue your dreams is like giving your life a “Second Chance” to thrive. “Second Chance” was my first single, and it is all about believing that when someone SAYS they love you, even if their actions sabotage you loving yourself, you do believe them. It is about waking up to the importance of loving yourself, being able to be with yourself, and seeing that when you overcome what you do not want, automatically, you become capable to be whatever you want.
Q: “Daddy Issues” seems to explore personal growth and healing. How has creating this series been a therapeutic process for you, and what insights have you gained from reflecting on your behaviors and relationships?
A: I think my biggest insight is that people-pleasing is useless. You are abandoned by the people who use you: not by the ones who genuinely love you. What I found in people-pleasing was this gut-wrenching, devastating cycle of abandonment. I walked into relationships completely willing and already acting like someone who needed to earn and serve others to, hopefully, get their love. What happened is that I always felt I lost myself, and they had no problem walking away from a “loser.” Now I am to love myself fully so that I can see and manifest the people who can do so, as well.
Q: Whitney Houston is mentioned as an influence. How does her impact on the music industry and her vocal style inspire or influence your approach to your own work, particularly in a song like “Money & Heart”?
A: Whitney Houston is one of the best vocalists ever. She was not just emotional but impressive in her style. You knew, automatically, her voice: whether you liked her or not. I want to have that impact: an undeniable essence. It is so important to me to embrace my uniqueness, as a talent, because, as the sole creator of my music, I’m already being so vulnerable; I might as well be different.
Q: How do you want listeners to connect with “Money & Heart” on a personal level? What emotions or reflections do you hope they experience while listening to the song?
A: I hope they experience peace. I hope they hear it and see the value of choosing their joy and calm beyond anybody manipulating them to feel less, even if that person is a family, friend, or lover. Moreover, so many people are financially struggling, and we live in a world that convinces our joy will come when our economy is stable, but many never get that stability and even when they do, they still feel empty. Joy comes from within, and the only way to achieve it is to work on yourself and remove the people who feel threatened by you doing that.
Q: In what ways do you see your music contributing to broader conversations around relationships, self-discovery, and healing, especially within the context of “Daddy Issues”?
A: I think the hardest thing to admit in life is that somebody REALLY hurt you and that whether or not their presence remains in your life, you still live according to the pain they gave you. Forgiveness is not about absolving them of their guilt: you are neither their judge nor jury, but they are not yours either. Forgiveness means releasing the pain they gave you, and seeing that it is theirs: not yours. They could only be painful to you because pain is who they are, but if you heal, you CAN experience love: starting with yourself.
Q: As an artist, how do you balance vulnerability and strength in your storytelling, especially when addressing personal and sensitive topics in your music?
A: The music is “the balance.” A song has a format: verse, chorus, bridge. melody, hook. Having solid parts invites you to take really personal feelings and stories and make them, of all things, catchy and clear. You never think your tears could be a fun beat or that a silly night with friends could lead to powerful lyrics. Music allows you to see that all that you are is big because our smallness makes us universal. There is nothing about my life experience that is unique beyond how I make it unique to me. Many have had laughs, tears, bad parents, great partners: etc. I just use music to balance that truth.
Q: Looking ahead, what can fans expect from the upcoming releases in the “Daddy Issues” series, and how will they build upon the themes established in “Money & Heart”?
A: I hope that they see healing and happiness. I feel like “Daddy Issues” has become a spiritual version of open-heart surgery and I am performing this MASSIVE surgery on myself. So I want future releases to build upon themes of joy and wisdom; with people understanding life does not get better until you get better at living, which means letting go of all the people and memories that made you think you could not do that.
