The blue-haired rocker, Diamante, has recently released her debut album, Coming in Hot, with a popular new single and music video accompanying it titled, “Haunted.” Having interest and pursuing music (and all things entertainment, really) since she was a young girl, it was inevitable that Diamante would find herself leading a rock band as the lead singer. Her new album is anthemic to the lost lustre of rock and roll, and this rocker beauty is bringing it back.
During one of her many tour stops, Diamante took some time to chat with us about her current tour with Bad Wolves and From Ashes to New, and then with Breaking Benjamin & Five Finger Death Punch. She also discussed the modern female influences that she’d enjoy collaborating with, and her favorite modern band overall that’s playing today.
You’re currently on tour with Bad Wolves and From Ashes to New. After this tour, you have another full tour coming up. You’re pretty busy! How’s this tour been going so far?
Diamante: It’s been so fun. Especially, because Bad Wolves and From Ashes to New, we’re all on the same label. It kind of feels like family. Right now, we’re exactly at the midway, half point of the tour. We’re all friends now and we all know each other, so it’s been a lot of fun.
Awesome. Good to hear. I think it’s awesome that you’re gonna be on tour with Breaking Benjamin and Five Finger Death Punch. Are you nervous? Are you excited?
Diamante: Both. It’s funny. Of course, I’m so excited because I love being on tour. I got to do something similar back in May with Bad Wolves when they went on tour with Shinedown, but I do remember telling them that it was more nerve-wracking for me to do that, because instead of having my 30 minute set that I know how to do … Plus I’m in my element. I have to sing … I get three minutes and I have to sing a love song. It’s a little different for me, but I have so much fun either way.
I love it and I love that you’re touring with all these great bands. You have all this girl power, so it’s even better. I really enjoy your new single and your music video for “Haunted,” of course. It just came out the day that you released your debut album, Coming in Hot…
Diamante: Thank you.
Of course. What was filming like with that video?
Diamante: That video, I actually shot when I came back from The Five Finger Death Punch-Shinedown tour and before this tour. It was so crazy. I had, I think maybe five or six days off and five out of those six days we shot a video every single day, because I was gonna be out on tour for the next two months. But, it was really cool. We shot that at YouTube Space LA and I had my touring members in the video. I just really wanted a performance style video, because I realized I didn’t really have one of those. Just booked the spot and shot the video. It actually happened really quickly.
I watched a few interviews with you and I admire that you being 21, are very seasoned and very polished. More so than I was at 21. Who do you credit that to?
Diamante: Definitely my parents. They had a huge part of me growing up and being grounded and they taught me a lot about working hard and sacrificing things to get what you want to see. It’s definitely them and because I started early, singing original music and performing since I was 13/14, I couldn’t have done any of that without my parents. They were the ones who supported me. I definitely credit all of that to them.
That’s awesome. Did they pay for any voice lessons or did this all just come naturally to you?
Diamante: Oh. Yeah. Voice lessons, I even tried guitar lessons. There’s these performing bootcamp workshops & musical theater. Honestly, anything you can think of that has the entertainment aspect to it. They helped me, so I owe them a lot.
Since you’ve had all this successive training in vocals and musical styles. What drew you to rock and metal, per se?
Diamante: It’s interesting. When I was 14 I did a School of Rock summer camp and that was the very first time that I was exposed to rock music, because up until then … I loved music and I loved singing, but it was mostly pop and alternative and even country stuff. But, I hadn’t really been exposed to rock music. When I did that summer camp I learned Blondie, and Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath, and The Rolling Stones, and all these cool bands. When I got to perform it on stage I felt this whole different kind of energy and that’s exactly when I fell in love with rock music and performing rock music.
Are there any modern bands right now that you really, really like that you’d like to collaborate or tour with in the rock realm mode?
Diamante: There’s this band called Greta Van Fleet that I really like, because they’re kind of retro and they have this Led Zeppelin sound. I think they’re really cool.
They are very cool! They are the most amazing and sweetest guys ever; you will love them. Hopefully, you will go on tour with them!
Do you feel more pressure as a young woman in the industry or do you feel just like any other female musician that’s attempting to make it or is making it in the industry?
Diamante: Well, the way I look at it is I’m a singer and I’m a musician first. I don’t think of myself as a female or a woman rocker (a female rocker). I just think of myself as a rocker, just like anybody else, who happens to be a woman. I don’t really look at it that way. Of course, there are moments when you do have to kind of prove yourself a little more, work a little harder to earn respect or to earn … What’s it called? Legitimacy. But, I love challenges. For me, it just fuels my fire even more.
I’m right there with you, I like it when somebody tells me I can’t do something. I’m like, “Watch me prove you wrong.”
Diamante: Oh. Yeah. Exactly. Watch me.
I was watching past interviews with you too and I saw that your blonde hair was very much a signature of your persona and style. What made you decide to dye it blue and change it up a bit?
Diamante: It’s funny. I was at a point in my life where I had just gotten signed, and I was writing the album, and I was creating this debut full-length album. I was transitioning from teenage into adult and going through this whole coming of age thing. I decided, “You know, I want a change.” I’m starting with this brand new single, brand new project. I wanted to change. The other thing too was I had been blonde for so long, so I was just kind of bored of being blonde. I didn’t intend for the blue to stick as long as it has, but really like it. I think it works, because my name is Diamante, which means diamond. To me, diamonds are blue and just for branding purposes it works and I like it. That’s why it stayed so long.
Do you play any other instruments other than guitar, or is it just playing guitar?
Diamante: No. That’s my one regret in life. I wished I had just picked up every instrument when I was five, but I tried the guitar when I was 13. But, I just didn’t have the discipline to sit in my bedroom for hours and have my fingers hurt. It didn’t click for me, so I’ve always just stuck to vocals.
You mentioned Greta Van Fleet, are there any female musicians that you want to collaborate with?
Diamante: Oh. Yeah. Dorothy is a female rocker and she’s incredible. She also kind of has this retro style. Who else? They’re not so much rock, it’s more like alternative, but I really like this girl named Bishop Briggs. She’s really cool. I’m really into that style right now, the alternative music style and this girl, Alice Merton. She’s up and coming too. Elle King is a cool one for me. It’s funny. When I think of rock, it’s hard for me to find a female, but for some reason in the alternative world there’s a lot of people coming up. I really like that style of music too.
After you wrap your tour in September, because you’re on a pretty extensive one, what’s next?
Diamante: I don’t know yet. There’s nothing that is announced or booked, but the goal is to just tour as much as possible until the end of the year to promote the album. My biggest thing which I would love to do is cross-over to Europe. Maybe in the winter that’s in the talks, but nothing confirmed yet.
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