1. Hello, thank you for your time, please introduce yourself in a few words!
Making music and smashing the patriarchy!
2. Please give us an update about – new single, new album, tour dates, new videos?!
“Fade Away,” my debut single and video as a solo artist, just came out on 13 October. The follow-up single “Be My Revolution” comes out 24 November, then “Irregular” comes out 14 January with the album “Stand” being released on 11 February.
3. Name 5 things we all should know about you as an artist?!
- I’ve been playing in bands (The Blood Arm, Mexican Radio, Die Sterne) for nearly 20 years, and this is my first release as a solo artist.
- I used a team made up exclusively of women at every level of my solo project – recording, marketing, designing, filming, performing…
- I wrote and recorded all of the basic tracks for the album myself at my home studio, playing every instrument.
- I hosted a radio show for two years with my band Mexican Radio, called The Mexican Radio Radio Show on KCRW Berlin. For each episode, I interviewed a different musician. I learned a lot about different creative processes from some of my favorite artists, which really helped me when I set out on my own.
- I struggle with impostor syndrome – I told myself for 20 years I couldn’t write and perform my own lyrics as a frontwoman. I applied for a grant at Initiative Musik and thought they had made a mistake when I got the news I had received it – then since I didn’t have a choice, I made a record!
4. What fashion style or brand would best describe your music?
I had a special outfit designed for me by Berlin-based sustainable designer Katja Schmidt. The music is fierce and has a lot of ‘80s vibes running through it, so we came up with a bright red jacket with shoulder pads that is reminiscent of David Bowie’s look in the film Christiane F. – Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo, along with bright red skin-tight pants and powerful knee-high black boots. Fierce and ‘80s!
5. Tell us more about your songs! Topics! Message!?
I was inspired to finally start writing after I was attacked by a man in the streets at the beginning of the first lockdown. Usually my coping mechanisms are spending time with friends or playing loud music in a room with my bandmates – I couldn’t do either. So, I sat down in my home studio and wrote and recorded the song “Stand,” which is a powerful synth stomper that is a call-to-arms to women everywhere. I kept writing songs in a feminist vein, uplifting the female experience and making connections between the personal and political. I started out wanting to write about things I wanted to change in society, but I realized that I also wanted to change some things about myself. A lot of the record is about me finding my voice.
6. Beside music, do you have any special talents?
I started drawing and painting a couple of years ago and have lots of my own artwork hanging up in my home (and in the homes of my friends). Since moving to Berlin from California, I’ve learned German – that feels like a special talent in and of itself!
7. Being on stage feels like….!
The best party ever. There’s a special sort of magic that comes out of a bunch of strangers getting together in a dark room and moving and singing along to the same thing. To be at the head of that experience is thrilling!
8. How did you learn to sing/ to write/ to play??
I started playing piano at the age of 5 and studied classical all the way until I left for university. When I was at university, I met the people with whom I would form my first band, The Blood Arm. I was always a fan of rock music, but never thought I could play it after my classical upbringing. They basically told me I didn’t have a choice, so I went along with it and we ended up releasing five albums and two EPs and touring the world for years!
9. A question you’d like to answer, but never been asked in an interview before?! + Answer pls
How has working only with women been different from working mostly with men?
Answer: In my 20-year career in music, I’ve often been the only woman in the room. If you don’t see anyone else like you in your surroundings, you will subconsciously believe that you don’t belong. I wanted to see what would happen if I filled a space exclusively with people who have been implicitly and explicitly told they shouldn’t be there – and it was revolutionary. The amount of emotional investment in this project from everyone involved is greater than it has been on anything I have ever worked on – I brought together a team of talented and creative women from all over the world, and the connections that were made will last far longer than the life cycle of this album.
Your Instagram: @dyanvaldes