A superstar in the making, Diamante emerged from the east coast to the entertainment capitol of the world, where she has taken the Hollywood music scene by storm. She breaths a fresh new style to the music and fashion scene alike and can be compared to a modern day Pat Benatar or Debbie Harry. Her unparalleled sound comes from an innocent, yet edgy vibrato tone, making her voice a rare diamond in music. She displays an unforeseen depth in her lyrics and a tiny crying cadence in her edgy voice that quietly screams experience beyond her years. Diamante may be young, but she is already one of the hardest working artists in the business as shown by her numerous awards. As her collection of awards continues growing, so does her fan base. She has also taken home the title of Best Rock Record at the Indie Music Channel Awards two years in a row, as well as wins in the categories of, Best Young Rock Artist, Best Rock Recording, Best Music Video for “Impossible,” and the coveted title of Teen Artist of the Year. Not only has she climbed the music charts and dominated the award shows, she has also wowed huge audiences with live performances at renowned Hollywood hot spots such as The Avalon, Key Club, House of Blues, Whisky a Go-Go, Roxy Theatre, Knitting Factory and more. Recently, Diamante has been back in the studio working on an EP and releasing a new single “Savage” produced by Kevin Savigar (Rod Stewart) featuring legendary Kenny Aronoff on drums. Jason Price of Icon Vs. Icon recently caught up Diamante to discuss her blossoming career, her musical influences, the challenges of creating her new EP and everything she has in store for us in the months to come!
Where did you grow up and what are some of the first musical experiences in your life? I grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, which is directly across the country from Los Angles. It was a completely different experience than living in Los Angeles. My Dad is Italian and my mother is Mexican, so it was a unique mix! I moved out to Los Angeles about three years ago. I actually started off doing musical theater. I was about ten years old when I did my first musical show. I was Cindy in “Grease” and it was really the first time I had ever been on a stage. I completely feel in love with the entire experience. Ever since then, I started doing musical theater all of the time. I took Broadway classes and singing classes. I was doing musical theater up until the time I met producers and started doing my own music and began performing live with a band. How are some of the influences who have helped shape the artist you are today? It is funny; my influences have completely changed since I was younger. I grew up singing pop music, only because I wasn’t really aware of rock music. I grew up listening to artist like Kelly Clarkson, Ashlee Simpson and Avril Lavigne. They are artist who were edgy but were still pop music artists. It wasn’t until I was thirteen years old and did School of Rock that I really explored rock music. I discovered Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and The Rolling Stones. That was exactly when I knew I wanted to sing rock music! Was there a particular catalyst that made you know you wanted to pursue rock as a career, as opposed to going the Broadway route? I just knew that I loved being on stage but I also write a lot. To be able to write my own songs and my own lyrics and make it completely my own was something that really click inside of me. When I was doing School of Rock, I was able to perform these rock songs on stage; it was a completely different experience than doing musical theater. The songs were so strong and bold. Everything was very fierce and in people’s faces. It was something I found really amazing!
You mentioned writing your own songs. What can you tell us about your typical writing process and how you bring a song to life? There is not a specific process. It is never the same really. Sometimes I do melody first and then lyrics and other I do lyrics and then melody. It switches up every time based on each specific song. Every time I write lyrics, I do it based off of personal experience. I do that so I can really relate to the song when I perform it or record it in the studio. I really want to feel it is my story that I can tell people. Once I have the lyrics, I usually come up with a melody with my producer. I give him some Ideas and tell him what I want kind of sound I want. I also work with my guitarist, who gives me guitar ideas. It all comes together from there. Sometimes it can take a while but sometimes it is really a snap. We touched on you making the move from the East Coast to the West Coast. How has that transition impacted you as an artist? That impacted me extremely! The East Coast is an awesome place but I think had I stayed there I would be a completely different person. The whole atmosphere is completely different, as are the people. I think if you want to pursue music as a career, you really have to move where the music is really influential and the music industry is really big. You have been very hard at work on your upcoming EP. Did you have any particular goals or expectations going into the process? Yeah! I hoped that with this EP I would be able to go on tour, not just in LA or California but in other states and even other countries. I hope to spread my music as much as possible! You recently released a new song titled “Savage.” What inspired the song and made you choose it as your lead-off single? “Savage” is a really fun song. It represents the times you feel invincible, before the heartbreak or all the nasty stuff happens! [laughs] It is about the moment you feel on top of the world! I wanted this to be the first song since the earlier stuff I did when I was fourteen years old. I felt this was a coming of age song that would differentiate me as more of an artist to an older crowd than a tween artist that a lot of people assume me to be. For those who aren’t familiar with your work just yet, what can they expect from this EP sonically? There is no set genre but it is very edgy rock with some punk elements in it as well. It also has pop melodies. It is really a mixture of everything! There is even a ballad in there, which is going to be really cool!
What do you consider the biggest challenge in putting this EP together? I would say the biggest challenge would be sticking to myself. Working with different people, you can sometimes steer to a direction that they might prefer or they might think something else might work better because it is more marketable. Certain things are more marketable than others. You have to fight to keep your voice in your music, along with what you want to do with your style! You can learn a lot about your craft and yourself when you are putting a project like this together. What do you think you discovered about yourself during this intense process? What I learned was that I really don’t hold back! I love to be bold in my messages and I want to those messages to be able to change people’s perspectives on things. I want to make people take chances again and feel brave enough to do something again! It seems no one wants to feel or experience anything anymore! Doing this EP makes me feel as if I am on a mission to do that! This EP is definitely something to look forward to! When do you think it will be released? There is not a specific date at the moment but it will be coming out at the beginning of January 2014! What can we look forward to when it comes to music videos in support of the release? We are already working on the screenplay for the next video which is for the ballad. That is going to be released exactly at the same time the EP is released in January! You worked with some remarkable talents for this project. What was it like working alongside producer Kevin Savigar (Rod Stewart) and legendary drummer Kenny Aronoff? First of all, it was an honor to work with them! Kevin has worked with both Pat Benatar and Rod Stewart, so he really understands the rock side I want to put into my songs. He brings in a kind of classic rock vibe that I really love. Kenny was just incredible too! They both inspired me to keep following the path I was on.
What do you consider your biggest musical milestone so far in your still blossoming career? One of my best performances, one that I am very proud of, is when I was able to play on the Warped Tour last summer. It was super cool! Another milestone was when I was able to come up with my own melody. That was a huge step up because I was really afraid of it. Not afraid but I didn’t know how to come up with my own melody. I thought it was a huge, scientific, mathematic thing you had to figure out and study! [laughs] If you just put yourself out there and try, you can accomplish anything! You are a young artist and you touched on how your musical tastes have changed. What do you consider the biggest part of your evolution as an artist so far? I think the biggest evolution for me was finding and performing with a live band. That resulted in me having more of a live sound, as opposed to everything having such a production sound to it. I remember some of the first songs I did having an electronic drum on the track. These next songs, the ones I have done recently like “Savage,” have live drums. Performing live with the band completely changes the sound! I am sure you have plenty of goals when it comes to your music career. What are some of your musical bucket list items? That is a tough one! I am definitely looking forward to starting to tour. Touring is one of my favorite parts of this whole thing. I would love to pack stadiums in Europe! That would be the ultimate dream! I would also love to perform with a rock legend like Joan Jett! It would be so cool to share the same stage as her! Who are some of the bands you find exciting these days? Has there been anything that has really caught your ear lately? Yeah! Like I said, I am a huge fan of Joan Jett. She just released an album called “Unvarnished.” It sounds so cool because it literally sounds like it came out of the 80s, even though it is 2013! It sounds incredible! Fall Out Boy’s latest album, “Save Rock and Roll,” is another one that I really like. I love Paramore and Tonight Alive. There are a lot of really good bands out there right now! It is really cool to have people like them to look up to! I am sure a lot of young musicians can look to you as an inspiration as well! What is your best advice to people who are looking to make their career in music? My best advice, even though it sounds completely cheesy, is do not give up! Everyone says that but there are going to be a lot of things throw your way that might discourage you or make you question what you are doing. The truth is you keep doing it and believe in yourself, you can do it. The only person who can stop you from doing what it is you want to do is yourself! Always stay true to your sound and what you want to be! That is what is going to set you apart from everyone else!
Obviously, you pour a lot of energy into your music career. What do you like when you aren’t focused on music? When I am not doing music, I am very relaxed! I love going to the beach. I love going for runs in the park or walks. I love simple things like sitting down in a cafe and reading a book. I love writing. I love hanging out with friends. I like to keep it simple and relaxing because the whole being on stage thing is very energy draining! [laughs] With so many thing s going on in your life, it has to be an exciting time for you. What is the best part of being Diamante these days? The best part of being Diamante is going to the studio and never knowing exactly what is going to come out! Having the freedom to write what I want and how I feel is amazing. Going on stage and singing to the people is awesome as well. It is an amazing experience to see people start recognizing my songs and sing my lyrics. People know who I am now! When I go to shows, I am meeting people who I have reached musically. That is an amazing experience! What are the best places for people to catch up with you online and learn more about your music? My website is www.diamanteofficialmusic.com is the place where I always announce upcoming shows and new releases. My Facebook, where I interact with a lot of people, is www.facebook.com/diamanteofficialmusic. The Vevo Channel is vevo.com/diamanteofficialvevo and the Twitter is twitter.com/diamanteband. The Instagram is instagram.com/diamanteofficial. Great! Is there anything you want to say to your fans before I let you go? Yes! Thank you so much for listening to my music. Always check up on my social media because I am always posting where I am going to be and what is coming soon! Be ready for the new stuff coming out in January 2014 because I am going to be starting a tour at the beginning of January with The Savages, which is going to be my backing band. It is going to be really cool. Up until then, I am just going to be doing some Christmas and Holiday shows in LA, so be on the lookout for those. Thank you so much for your time today, Diamante. We look forward to spreading the word on all you have going on! Thank you so much for having me!
Jason Price founded the mighty Icon Vs. Icon more than a decade ago. Along the way, he’s assembled an amazing group of like-minded individuals to spread the word on some of the most unique people and projects on the pop culture landscape.
