"Finding Her Beat: Diana Daydream on Artistry and Independence"
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Meet Diana Daydream
My guest today is none other than Diana Daydream. She's a songwriter, singer, and musician. Her journey into music began with a vision to transcend genres and captivate audiences worldwide.
Her melodies are magnetic, her beats are infectious, and her lyrics resonate with Both death and euphoria. Hi. We're here with a producer, singer, songwriter, also wrote, produced, sung the up and comers jingle that you hear on my podcast and my YouTube channel. She did all that. And I think you're from the bottom of my heart.
You're one of the kind of people I know.
Diana's Musical Journey
Just wanted to talk about your journey as a songwriter, producer. Now you've been in Los Angeles now for a little while, right? Yeah. Nine years almost. And what made you come to Los Angeles? Where did you come from? So I grew up in Seattle, Washington, but I encompass a lot of the West Coast because I lived in Portland for six years in my early twenties and then Sacramento for a few years in my early thirties.
Now I've been in Los Angeles for almost nine years. So crazy. It's gone by so fast. Were you doing music that whole time that you were here in Los Angeles? Yes and no. Music has been a constant, but still intermittent throughout my life. So of course, music was a big reason that I did come to L. A. It's just energetically, things are happening here.
And I feed off of that energy. So I just knew geographically, I needed to put myself closer to creativity. When you've First came here, you said it took a while for you to get back into music. When did you actually start music? It goes all the way back to the ripe age of six years old. I somewhat fell into music accidentally.
Granted, I think it runs in my family. My grandma played piano and saying my dad plays guitar, but my next door neighbors, they did a home renovation and they had clear out one of the rooms they were renovating, which one of those things was a piano. Pianos take up a lot of room. And so they asked us if we wouldn't mind storing their piano for them because I might take an interest to it.
So we did. And that is technically where my music journey began. I took piano lessons for six years. When I became an angsty teenager, and mind you, this was in Seattle in the nineties, I wanted to be able to rock out. Like I was having a hard time playing my favorite Nirvana and Pearl Jam songs on the piano.
Although now that would be a cool thing, like an acoustic grunge set. But yeah, I wanted to rock out. And so I started taking guitar lessons. I didn't take lessons for terribly long, but it's just such a different language. And I was used to being able to just play things by ear on piano. Piano and I couldn't quite sit down and do that on a guitar.
They're so different from each other. I think that the little experience that I had in the guitar realm still worked my brain in a different way. Then when I went back to piano, this time it was a little more electronically because My dad actually had a old school, like, synthesizer keyboard. I started to use the keyboard more.
This was now the early 2000s when house techno scene was re emerging. And those are the sounds. You can't do that on an acoustic piano. Again, you can, but the. Becomes its own thing. So I started to play and write more like dance music that really has stuck. And I think that really is such a reflection too of fast forward to what I'm creating because it is a medley of dance and pop.
I've got a little hip hop sound in there too. And, but then I still have to honor my Seattle alternative. Grunge vibes. So I think that's why I cross over into so many genres because I've been influenced by so many things growing up. I've heard your music and I really like it. It's a little bit of everything.
Like you said, your lyrics are fun. Thank you. You write really fun lyrics. It was really great. Yeah. Good. I hope that it's universal for anyone. And really, I've only put out six or seven songs now, but it's just the first one. My sound continues to evolve. I wanted that to really encompass a pretty broad spectrum of sound.
I wanted to show people that I am more capable than just this one genre. Don't put me in a box. I've been watching you on social media. Some of your new songs are out. Can actually use some of your music for my videos, right? Uh, right. Your music is everywhere, like on Spotify. Where would you find?
Literally on all streaming platforms. Spotify, iTunes, Pandora, Tik Tok, Facebook, Instagram. You came out with seven songs. You're an independent. You're not labeled. Correct. A lot of folks are going independent. Yeah. Yeah.
Challenges of Being an Independent Artist
So explain that to us, you as an independent artist and some of the challenges with that.
Okay. So a big challenge would have been, honestly, the biggest thing so far has just been the undertaking of learning music production because I always had this innate desire to Be the utmost hands on with my music. And as much as I love collaborating with other people, I don't want to have to depend on other people.
The only thing was just learning how to do everything on your own. It is quite the undertaking and I am not technologically inclined. I would get debilitating anxiety sitting down in front of my recording program. And you've got like all these knobs and buttons and wires and it's very intimidating. I'd say I'm like naturally.
Gifted in the music realm, but learning production, not so much. That did not come easily to me. So that did take a lot of work, a lot of dedication, so much tenacity and so much time. And I let the fear and intimidation of that pursuit stop me actually for years because I knew it would be a challenge.
What you resist persists. And so it's the more I kept avoiding it, the longer it took me. To realize my dreams. I think you go into protection mode because you don't want to fail. So therefore you don't even try, or you just don't want to suck. Sucking sucks. Okay. But embrace the fact that starting anything new, you're going to suck.
Someone once told me, you just need to set out to fail, make that your goal. And it was just like, Oh my gosh, yeah, I'm like making it such a bigger thing than it needs to be. Let me just try it. And if I fail, cool. You really have to reframe your mindset. And now to alleviated all the anxiety that I felt just sitting down and trying.
Finally, I felt comfortable with feeling uncomfortable. I really protected my music and didn't release anything for years because I was in such a vulnerable place.
Overcoming Technological Hurdles
So you taught yourself how to produce your own music. For the most part, and even going back to that, it took me a while to even be set up. I didn't have the funds to invest in the equipment.
It still took a while for me to get my little home. studio set up and then I went and purchased everything and you're like, cool, now what? Now I have everything I need. I have all the tools, but now how do I use it? And that's where it was like, okay. And, and again, I resisted it for a while, but I just realized that the pace that I'm going, I am never going to realize my dreams.
You just cannot avoid things. You just can't because you end up in this vicious cycle. And I realized like how much time. I wasted where years would go by and I'd be like, why do I even have this dream? If I'm not going to take action, do something about it. Eventually I just reframed my thinking, get out of my own way and sit down with it every day and just learn one thing new.
Then in a year I will be so much better than I was today. It's like the bow and arrow where that arrow is being. So in life, like when we're being pulled back and we deal with these setbacks, just know, what happens when you let go of that arrow? You catapult. So it's, that's where I'm at. It's like a setback of time to stay quiet, keep my head down, just stay calm.
Just learn, focus. I have tunnel vision on my goal menu release and it's now I'm like propelling forward in a momentum that I honestly can't keep up with. And it's a good problem to have the tools to utilize them and move forward with things. Do you think because you just became more confident, just the actions of figuring it out is done with and over?
Now you're open to now more creativity where it's like, Oh, I know how to do this. Now I can get this flow and I can get this music out. One hundred percent. It's rewiring the brain. And this is also something that really sharpens the brain as well. It's so important throughout life. Like they say, when you become older, don't go on your walk, like the same route every day or driving to and from work, don't go the same way because you're not exercising the brain.
You go into autopilot. So it's good to take different routes because it really does make those connections in your brain. And before, every time I would hit a challenge, I would interpret that That is defeat. Now, when I hit a challenge, I like look at it as an opportunity. Oh no, this is just like one more thing for me to learn.
And I'll be that much more prepared the next time this happens. Now I'll just be able to go in and troubleshoot it right away. I used to literally feel like I was cursed with technology. I did a shutout that maybe I'm cursed because I keep saying that. So I'm like, let me start to expect positive results.
And let me reframe my thinking. So any time I overcome a challenge, those synapses are firing off like those wires in my brain. And it's like, aha, yes, you did it. When I have fear, instead of a fear of it, I get excited about it. If I get excited about doing something, I find that the fear goes away. Yes. It can be very debilitating for them.
So glad that you came with that message today.
The Importance of Self-Belief
Now explain to our listener what an independent artist is in music and what you do. I'm a free agent. I'm not under a label, which I think obviously there was a point in time where that was a good thing. That was impressive. But the sad thing about the music industry right now is that so much has changed and There are countless documentaries, actually, where artists talk about by the time the record label takes their cut and pays all the people that have their hands in on your project, the artist isn't left with much at the end of the day.
On top of that, the bigger part is that you're left with very little control over your music. And. Just creative direction and the perception of who you are to be perceived as an artist. When the machine gets ahold of it, you looking like something different than one or how you want to be perceived in the music business.
It takes a lot of the art out of it. So much has changed now. Again, back before the streaming days, that was just how things were done. But streaming has changed everything so that now there's all these platforms for independent artists. To just put out stuff on their own. And two, technology has come such a long ways that you can be a bedroom producer.
All you need is a decent mic and you don't necessarily need to spend all this money on high tech studio. All of the tools now have just made it a lot easier to be self sufficient in this game. I do think about actually, if there was even the slightest possibility of being picked up by a record label, would I take it?
Probably not. Because I think it's really short lived. Record labels can blow you up, and the faster you're blown up, the quicker you can phase out. Especially if you're at the disposal of whatever they want to do with you. This is like a long term game for me. And that was another thing too, just taking out certain expectations.
I'm in this for the long haul, so even if I'm a little old lady, sittin there in my studio makin beats, like, this is my retirement plan. I see it like that. Obviously, I have big goals, I want to aim high. If this doesn't render any sort of results for me in the next five or ten years, it's okay. The more thing that I could add to challenges, listening too much to other people.
I can just pinpoint very specific moments in time where there was once a producer. I expressed my desire to learn production. This was 15 years ago before I started self producing. He really talked me out of the idea. He was like, you know what? You should just let the producers do what they do. You're a songwriter, singer.
You just write the music. And I took his advice. It's like, this guy doesn't even know me, doesn't know what I'm capable of. He doesn't know what sort of drive or tenacity I have. Why did I take his advice? And it's just other times too, where people have said some not so encouraging things. And it's like, I, I don't want people to lie to me.
Sure, serve me some truth. But there's also a way to be factual, but also still serve it with some encouragement. It's crazy that sometimes it can take just that comment to totally knock you off track, but I think it's just perfectly human and perfectly normal for that to happen. I owe so much credit to and in my journey and one thing that got me back on the horse.
During a season where I was taking a break, broken up with music for a while and shut it out of my life.
Inspiration from T-Pain's Story
And I read this article about how T Pain went into a four year depression because of one thing that one person said to him. Now, mind you, this was after T Pain's successes. This was after T Pain won Grammys and was a Billboard chart topper.
So he had. Things to show for when he really hit the scene. He was known for using autotune. That was just his sound in that era. That one comment was enough for T Pain to spiral in not just a little bit of a funk, like we all get in our funk. That was like a four year depression, but you know what? I'm gonna spill the beans here.
And it was Usher. Usher said, you've really ruined it for people that can actually sing. That one comment. And again, after all of his successes, but because he really looked up to Usher, he just took it so deeply to heart. And anyway, when I read this article, I cried like a baby. It was such a breakthrough for me because I'm like, see, it's okay to be a sensitive artist.
I'm just getting in my feels. It was so inspiring to see you have a grown man that has all these accolades. And to still see that he was affected by that one thing that one person said, but then he got back on it. Mark my words, one of these days I'm going to meet T Pain, putting that out in the universe.
I want to share with him this story. T Pain, if you're watching, if you're listening, I want you to know how much that story inspired me and seriously was such a pivotal point in my career. But I think that's so important to share our truths because it really can help so many people. And that's why I love doing this podcast.
I feel like it's a real truthful podcast about people coming to Hollywood and going after what they would love to do. Learning about yourself, knowing yourself so well that these people who make these comments are not experts. Nobody in the world is an expert. Everything and anything, and they're definitely not an expert at you.
Yeah. You are your expert. That's right. And what you want, it is up to you. It is, no one else can do it for you. And that's another thing too, that has really helped me is just accepting, not everybody is going to love my music. I love a lot of music. Even artists that I love, I don't necessarily love every single one of their songs.
You're not going to be for everybody and that's the thing. I think a key part of that too is staying true to yourself and your very own authenticity as well because I make music for myself with the audience in mind a little bit. But really at the end of the day, it's not really for you guys, it's for me.
And I think that is what like has power and I think you get a better result when you do stay true to yourself. That's a great message.
Perceptions vs. Reality of Los Angeles
What was your perception of Los Angeles before you got here? And what's the reality for you? Expectations ruin everything. No, I'm just kidding. I think like most people you're like Hollywood, the glitz, the glamor and the red carpet events and on reality television, which we all know is not reality.
Adapting to New Environments
I think because I have moved several times in my life, not just small moves, like Big move from state to state. I've learned that every place has its pros and cons. I think maybe coming to LA, I already had this understanding that, yeah, it's not going to be like as seen on TV. And I think also visiting Los Angeles.
Versus living in Los Angeles is different because when you're visiting, you're in vacation mode and easy to be just enamored by the palm trees and oh, it's sunny all the time here. But then you move here and you realize it's a hustle and it's busy and time moves. Fast here, I've had to start over so many times in my life and I grew up in the same house for 15 years.
I went to four different elementary schools. We never moved, but I went to four different elementary schools because of boundary changes was one of those variables in my life. And maybe this was all to prepare me, but Those experiences really thicken your skin and they give you this independence that builds character.
And you feel so awkward. You feel like you're sticking out and like a sore thumb in these places.
The Journey into Music
But that was training me that I'd be experiencing in L. A. Do you think that the reason you really got into music in the last, what, four years? 2018 was when I invested in all my equipment. It took a few years.
to get things in motion and just learn what I was doing. Do you think it was L. A. that sparked you in knowing people in the industry? Most definitely. It was definitely L. A. that pulled me here. Just knowing that being closer to where things do happen and where things become more tangible. That was a big part of it.
I'm so blessed. I'm so thankful to have friends also on the same journey pursuing music that have really become mentors. And it's so important to have your people, your network, your cheerleaders, and just someone to consult with. Artists, Brains operate a little differently. So you can sometimes feel like a crazy person and it just helps to cross check things with other artists.
And you get the validity on things and everyone gets in their little moments where you're like, Oh, like maybe this isn't in the cards, but it helps so much to have people that are like, no, stop that, keep going. They know what you're going through. When you're around the same kind of artist, that really makes a big difference.
And to have someone to hold you accountable as well.
Advice for Aspiring Music Producers
What would you tell someone who really wants to get into the music business? Want to start producing? What would you tell them? Do it and don't stop. I know that's such a basic, dry, simple answer, but really, and a big one for me was like, I kept getting in my own way to resist the risk of failure.
Failure, feeling uncomfortable. But once I had all of the tools and I wasn't utilizing them, it just was like, okay, you got to really get a clear picture of what the problem is here. And then it was like an aha moment where I'm like, dude, it's me. I think you just need to be true to yourself. Why do you have this desire?
Why do you want to do it?
The Power of Writing Down Goals
And then write things down. That's a huge one. Writing down your goals are really something magical that happens when you, especially now we're in such a digital age that now we just have everything as a list in our phone. It's not in front of your face. Like it would be if you physically write it down on a piece of paper and put it on your fridge.
It's like something that you see that's in front of your face every single day. That's another way that you can hold yourself. Accountable and I've done that. It's also so rewarding to strike a line through that thing that you're like, I did that. Whereas on the notes on your phone, it's like you just delete it and then you're like, Oh wait, you don't have something to show for what did I accomplish?
So it's really cool to look back at all these. goals and intentions that I have physically written down and you come back to it after a year and you're like, Oh my gosh, yes. Like check, check. There were things that I was able to check off the list that weren't even on the list, but that were a by product of something else that I had written down.
Learning and Growing Through YouTube
So when you say just do it, do you mean for them to go on YouTube and learn how to produce music because they might know how to play music, of course, and sing and create their own music, but to produce their own music, I would think. Think like I did for this podcast. I had to go on YouTube and learn the tools and the equipment, and then there was so much training on there and then just do it.
Is that what you're referencing? That is definitely a big part of it. I actually did take, it was a very short, but really effective, almost. Bootcamp style online production class. So I had to take like a crash course on music production. That was something that I needed to just get over the hump and learn what the heck I was doing.
And from there I was able to build, thank God, University of YouTube. And even then, sometimes it's tricky because you don't know what you don't know. So sometimes it was also very challenging to know the right way to ask the question to get. But one thing that has been really effective for me is honestly, this is probably the most.
effective part of everything in this whole process is, in addition to writing things down, breaking things up into micro goals. Yeah. Because some goals require several hundreds of steps sometimes. Reduce everything down to just literally every single step. It's a little bit of a brain hack as well because you're able to check more things off the list and you're feeling accomplished every time you do it.
And again, we were talking about the brain synapses. And like when you're learning something new, neurologically it does the same thing where you're like, ah, yes, like another pat on the back. Oh, more kudos. Like I'm checking all these things off the list. Like I'm cruising, but it builds up your confidence and it builds up that momentum for you to keep going task.
And again, you can easily fall into that vicious cycle that we talked about earlier. It was just too much. You're paralyzed. You're like, Oh, I don't know what to do. But like you said, if you take one little step at a time, it's so good just for everything in life. Another big thing, too, is literally, again, so simple.
I think we have a tendency to overcomplicate things, just start, because there were a lot of times where I felt held back because I'm like, Oh, but I don't have time. This or, Oh, I want to wait till this thing is just right. Now it's just start. I agree. Another musician told me to that point is you figure it out as you go along.
I was actually dawdling on releasing my finished music. I had completed seven songs that were done, mixed, mastered, ready to go, but I wasn't releasing them yet. And fellow musician was like, what are you waiting for? I'm like, I want to put together a little bit of a plan. I want a strategy. Your plan is going to change.
It's literally just start. You figure it out as you go along. When you learn just trying again, once you started, if you're like, okay, this was a disaster, but now the next time you restart, you can execute with that much more ease and conviction. So, and I like that you said, this is the long haul. This is your life.
This is a lifestyle for you. Your music and your producing now is a lifetime. thing that you're never going to get too old for it. It might change. Yeah. Because we all change. I think that is so important than to be like, I have to be this at this age. It could be a lot of stress. Yeah. And if it doesn't bring you joy, then what's the point of doing it?
And that for me might shift later. I may step back and maybe won't want to be an artist. But may eventually want to just make beats for other people and produce for other artists. Who knows? So that's actually one thing that helped me to hop back on the bandwagon was being open to the idea of just making beats and of just producing for other artists, but then once I got that ball rolling again, it was like, all of a sudden I had been realigned and all my music cells in my body came alive again.
And I couldn't help but to then. Attach lyrics to the music that I was playing. And then I was like, I could always sell this song. I could, this could be a demo, but I need to record at least demo vocals in order for me to pitch these songs. Oh, and then once I recorded these demo vocals, I'm like, gosh, darn it.
I really liked this song and now I want it for myself. And so that's like how it became a slippery slope where I'm like, no, I am an artist. But sometimes it takes a while. And that's again, why you just have to start. You can't be like, I'm just going to wait to become an artist. To get back into it. No, it's the other way around.
Thank you. I could see you doing some commercial singing. That is actually my next quest is to eventually get lined up with the sync placement realm. Sync placement is having your music placed on commercials. Television movies, video games, there are agents that do the help you get that placement. I'm working on my catalog currently, so I just want to complete a little bit more.
So that way I have a little bit more to pitch, you know, for placement. That's great. Where can everyone find you on social media? So all social media platforms, Diana Daydream Music, Instagram, TikTok. So anyone who's interested in following Diana and using her music, checking her out, please do connect. Yeah, and you hear it too here on Up and Comers of Hollywood.
I love my jingle. I just love the joy that you're bringing out in social media. I love your posts. Oh, thank you.
Balancing Creativity and Social Media
That's been a whole nother undertaking that I've had to develop, shifting things from sound. Like my, when my brain is in sound mode and creation mode to then having to shift gears into the visual mode.
Nowadays, it's a blessing and a curse being self sufficient. Like today's artist is very hands on and does so much on their own. So It's great that we can, but it is a lot. Doing our own photo shoots, half of which are currently just shot with iPhones. Like it's Reels, all this content really is just very DIY.
Our hair, makeup, styling, all that. It takes a lot. It's an entire day of shooting for content and then all the editing and then the post. Just the social media part of it is a lot. It's a juggle. When I started releasing music, then I had to focus on marketing those songs. And that kind of took on a job of its own.
And I wasn't spending as much time in the studio wrapping up projects. So it's a tough balance because now that I'm back in the studio wrapping up these things, okay, now the Instagram and TikTok are lagging a little bit. It's a lot of work. I'm thankful that I can create any time an idea pops in my head.
I can lay it down. When I'm feeling creative and inspired. And again, that has been the most powerful tool that I've given myself because just not having to rely on other people. That's been a game changer for sure. Diana, are there any books that you recommend? Yes, there are several, but I would say one that is such a good read, such an easy read too, because I enjoy reading, but I don't have a lot of time for it.
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. He's a music producer and he was actually. Deemed as music's most important producer of these last 20 years, because he's worked with really 20, 30 years now, because he's worked with Beastie Boys, Run D. M. C., he's worked with Johnny Cash, Aerosmith, but then even Kanye and Jay Z, Straight Up Therapy.
It was such a good book. Well, thank you for that. You're welcome. I love book recommendations. Yeah. Or any recommendations you have for our listeners.
Inspiration from Unexpected Sources
My nephew, he's 15 years old. These past few years he's been doing the LA Marathon. He started when he was 13. It's so insane. He inspires me so much because it's not just the marathon itself.
It's all the runs that he has to do, like, prior. The preparation. Training. Just that alone. I'm like, oh, today was just a training, but you ran 18 miles. No big deal. I'm like, I run two miles and I asked him, how do you do it? And he's just keep going. You just keep going. And he was like laughing about it too, but real talk.
That's it. And that's wisdom coming from a 15 year old. It's so profound. And even though that was his very direct, literal answer in how to complete a marathon, but that applies to so many arenas in life. Not to be cliche, but it really is. Just keep going.
Never Give Up: Stories of Perseverance
This is another story that inspires me so much.
Did you know that Colonel Sanders, founder of KFC, that's Kentucky Fried Chicken, he really believed that he had the best fried chicken recipe. He's like, you know what, I'm going to pitch my recipe to all these restaurants and maybe we can work out a deal. I'll get a little cut in exchange for them using the world's best fried chicken recipe.
He was rejected so many times. And I had to actually relook this up recently because in my head, it was like, I don't know, a hundred times, which that's a lot. And I think most people after maybe 20 times, maybe after 50, how many times would it take you before you finally gave up and just threw in the towel and said, you know, no one wants this fried chicken recipe.
When I looked it up again, it's insane. One thousand and nine. Times the Colonel Sanders pitched his recipe and finally someone picked it up and now look at KFC now Most people would be like you're crazy, right? You're Delulu. Are you not getting the point? You've tried this hundreds of times and can't you take a hint?
Like people don't want your fried chicken recipe, but guess what? He didn't listen to that noise. And he's just like, keep going, just keep going. And it's just a simple science. You just keep going and eventually something will stick. They say you miss a hundred percent of the opportunities that you don't try.
I know with actors here in Los Angeles, one in 84 auditions, you might get bucked. One in 84. It's a numbers game. It really is. And there's so many different reasons. But you just keep going as an actor, especially in today's world. And that's the same as music. You keep producing music. There's that one song that everyone like, wow.
Yes. That could really catapult you. Yes. You don't know. Just a one hit. And that's what's fun about it. Is this going to be the one? I don't know. Maybe not. But it's just fun. Fun not knowing and maybe the possibilities. Maybe that's what's so fun about it. Yes. Being something big and sometimes they can take years because another inspiring story was Kate Bush, you know, the running up the hill song that's like really popular on that song was repopularized from the show stranger things.
And I was not familiar with that song. I don't, that song is from the eighties. I don't recall. That was a huge mainstay. stream hit in the eighties. I didn't even know who Kate Bush was, but this is so cool. And this actually goes back to what we were talking about with a label and the benefits of being an independent artist.
Kate Bush never sold out. We probably would have heard her on the radio. She probably would have been a household name had she sold out. Sold out, but she did not wanna surrender the ownership and rights of her music. And because of that, decades later, she just had that one song that was placed on Stranger Things.
I don't know what her current numbers are, but at least when it was on Stranger Things, she was generating million dollars. You never know. And that inspired me so much. So we could be the year 2064 when one of my songs finally blows up, but yeah, but she. It's because she protected the rights to her music.
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
The motto is never give up and Diana didn't give up and look at her now and she's doing great and we're going to be watching her even further with her music and I'm so thankful that you're here. Thank you so thankful to be here. Thank you for listening to our journeys and stories and I hope that it inspired you.
So with that, stay safe, be kind, and be happy going. Up and Comers of Hollywood provides a short version of this podcast on its YouTube channel. Please follow and subscribe to receive amazing interviews that you just can't miss.
