When did you first realize that you wanted to work in the music industry?
It started in childhood. The first phase was in preschool, when I enjoyed dressing up and singing on a chair or bed at home. The second phase was in primary school when I began actively dreaming about music videos and my own songs. The third phase was in secondary school when I realized I wanted to study music more deeply in a music high school. This desire to be involved in music came naturally and effortlessly.
Who has been a significant source of inspiration in your career?
My career wouldn’t be special without my songs, so I believe that my songs are a big part of my career advancement. Thus, the source of inspiration for my music is my life, experiences, and adventures. Dreams have been a significant source of inspiration on my path to success, evolving over time from preschool days towards even greater goals.
Another major source of inspiration and desire to continue what I've started has definitely been the appreciative feedback from family, friends, and teachers, as well as the interest and positive evaluations of my work from other musicians and representatives of the cultural industry.
Some artists believe that their creative career is also a form of self-discovery. Do you agree with this view? How has music helped you understand yourself?
Sometimes, old song sketches are continued because there was something good in those initial songs, but often these sketches don't have completed lyrics. Thus, working through the song's story can lead you to new or previously experienced emotions, prompting further conclusions. Living in the past story that a song is created about is not always an easy process.
Self-discovery also happens when you look at a song written long ago through the lens of the present and realize that you are "stepping on old rakes," meaning you might notice that the past is repeating itself.
For me, music is also a kind of meditation and diary, helping me understand my feelings, emotions, and thoughts about a particular life situation for which I have created a song. All emotions are not only written in words but also defined in musical sounds – melody, whether melodic or rhythmic, mood, whether minor or major, and so on.
What are your favorite events to attend? Do you prefer concerts, festivals, theater performances, or other cultural events?
Lately, I have attended quite a few events. I definitely enjoy events where I can hear, see, or meet familiar faces. Festivals, as a spectator, aren't really suitable for me because large crowds and partying among strangers aren’t my thing. I very much enjoy attending concerts and theater performances. My favorite events are those where I can also entertain and delight the audience and listeners myself.
How do you come up with concepts for your music videos? Do you collaborate with directors, or do you already have a clear vision beforehand?
Music videos are another facet where I can express my creative potential and convey the story of the song more precisely, bringing it as close as possible to my life and song story. Sometimes it's a pleasure to collaborate with a professional director, combining ideas to find a middle ground for the music video. However, directors are not always flexible and accommodating to my ideas, so one of my future goals is to learn this profession more professionally.
Which of your original songs do you enjoy performing the most and why?
Perhaps "Sīknauda" ("Small Change"), because it is melodically the easiest of all. For some reason, I always end up writing melodically quite challenging songs, though catchy. Many of the songs performed in concerts require a lot of energy and emotional capacity. "Sīknauda" is relatively flowing and relaxing, yet as important as others in terms of content.
If you had to introduce yourself with one of your songs, which one would it be and why?
Honestly, there isn’t a single song that describes me from A to Z. Each song has a bit of me. For a first song, I could mention "Sasistie trauki" ("Broken Dishes"), as it is one of the rare ones not about relationships but about my inner emotional state, which can sometimes be quite depressed and self-sacrificing. The song "Marionete" ("Puppet") describes how I can sometimes be quite "blind" and overly devoted in the stage of infatuation.
The composition "Bez skābekļa" ("Without Oxygen") speaks about how communication is very important in relationships; being ignored by the other person is a significant "red flag" for me. "Pulksten 12" ("Midnight") expresses strong feelings of infatuation, but unlike "Marionete," they are positive. As I’ve mentioned, when I fall in love, I do so wholeheartedly, and if I end up disappointed, the pain is deep. Therefore, those who know my work well understand that I have more sad than happy songs because creating something new is often easier on this wave of sorrow. Similar to life – when things are good, you just live and enjoy, but when it gets worse, you start to appreciate the moments when things were good and feel sad that they are now bad.
Check out Diona's newest track "Atpakaļ sauc"
We’ve heard that you have a talent for yodeling. How did you discover this skill? Do you plan to use it in any of your songs?
Yes, this is probably one of my more unusual talents. Even if I don’t do it in everyday life, my vocal cords remember this yodeling skill over time, but it wasn’t like I was born knowing how to yodel. When I was about 7 or 8 years old, I watched a talent show where a girl sang songs with yodeling motifs, and I really liked how she yodeled. I watched her performance on YouTube and tried to imitate her so many times until I learned to yodel myself. During my teenage years, yodeling was more of a downside than an advantage because girls also have voice changes; thus, I had to learn to control my vocal ability even more, as carelessly singing could accidentally result in some yodeling that didn’t sound good. Yes, I’ve thought about writing a song with yodeling motifs, but so far, such a song hasn’t been created.
Do you have any creative projects you would like to pursue outside of music? Perhaps in film, theater, or another field?
Yes, of course. I have many different projects I would like to get involved in. As I’ve mentioned recently, one of my future dreams is to combine a singing career with an acting career in film, similar to how I am currently combining a singing career with a content creation career. I’m not putting too much hope on becoming a film actress at the moment; for now, I’m just dreaming and unsure where to start, but I hope that the right moment and time will come for that.
If you could go back in time to when you were a little girl, what advice would you give yourself?
I would place a hand on little Diona’s shoulder and tell her that everything will work out, not to give up. Just as I was afraid of dreams back then, which have now come true, I am still afraid of dreams that haven’t yet been realized.
