Singer/songwriter Anna-Diamønd releases her sincere and heartfelt single "Strong." Enduring a variety of unfortunate events at a young age, Anna-Diamønd turned to write music to help cope with these hardships. While enrolling herself in the Level 2 Music Performance and Production program at City of Westminster College in 2017, she got her groove back and returned to the industry. Her recent release "Strong" in the aftermath of dealing with your problems and moving forward to better yourself. Also, a self-produced track, we can thoroughly hear every ounce of Anna-Diamønd emotion as she lets us know that we all have a special place in this world.
She wastes no time and lyrically jumps right into "Strong" at a down-tempo pace overtop heartwarming acoustic guitar. Anna-Diamønd's breathtaking vocals stand so clearly, as she sings her woes and allows us to relate with her. It's refreshing to come by an artist that portrays such vulnerability and gracefully tugs at our heartstrings, Anna-Diamønd brings her years of therapeutic songwriting only to provide us with a healing sensation of our own. Her angelic falsetto rains down on the steady acoustic guitar, while she begins to speak inspiring and motivating words of faith and inner-worth for the last minute. Anna-Diamønd's music is truly a breath of fresh air, inspiring every one of us with "Strong," and helping us fight our inner and outer battles.
You can listen to "Strong" here.
Hey Anna-Diamønd, welcome to BuzzMusic! We’re incredibly moved by your heartfelt songwriting within your single “Strong”. Could you expand on what helped you write from such a personal and vulnerable space when creating “Strong”?
Hi BuzzMusic, firstly I hope everyone is staying safe and positive during this challenging time, from the bottom of my heart I thank you for allowing me to share my story to those who don’t know me yet. Back in February, I wrote another song {Change Me} deeply influenced by “Justin Bieber’s Changes” track, one night I experienced a panic attack thinking I caught Covid-19, I thought that I was gonna die. Fast forward we are in April, the virus is pretty serious and we are all in lockdown, and again this time I actually caught Covid-19 which made me stay at home for a good two weeks. One day as I was learning to use SoundTrap for my music project, I decided to give another try on this song, using a guitar loop and a notepad on my phone, I decided to write down my past experiences and feelings, but with a message that was inspiring and empowering to the listener.
Within the last minute or so in “Strong”, Anna-Diamønd goes more into a spoken word approach to let her message standout. Why did you want to create such an inspiring and personal song that lets people reflect upon themselves?
I see a lot of people struggling with mental health and self-esteem, trying to be perfect while forgetting to love themselves and in constant searching for someone to make them happy. I myself struggled with anxiety and self-esteem in the past thinking about what others were thinking about me and trying to please them. I experienced an infatuated heartbreak with my first crush at 18, I was trying to find happiness in him and fill the void of loneliness, but was forgetting the fact that I was enough by myself and happy with who I was, and that I should learn to love myself before anyone else. That’s why I wanted to remind people to find happiness and love themselves for who they are before anyone else You are loved by God and are never alone (even if it feels like it).
We’ve heard the after attending the City of Westminster College, Anna-Diamønd's career changed for the better and you were inspired to create again. How did your program help expand your career, and what was the driving force behind you getting back in the studio?
When I enrolled in the course I didn’t know much about music, and was very shy singing to people and didn’t have a clear idea of who I wanted to be, but I had an open mind and was eager to learn and grow as an individual. While on the course my teachers were very supportive and encouraging, I’ve learned a lot from the projects we had: especially putting up gigs and performing on stage was a great advantage to me as it contributed towards my self-confidence. There I got to experience with songwriting and emotion, and got to find my own voice. Naturally there were challenging times working with other creatives, but from there I got to experience what is like working as a collective... and also with this new way of remote learning I get to be more independent in my craft.
Anna-Diamønd went into detail about how you were bullied in high school and how people weren’t who you thought they were. Is there anything you’d like to say to our readers who might be experiencing something similar, and how music helped you recover from these situations?
Looking back I now see that I was just misunderstood and wanted some company after my father passed away, I was trying to find that in my peers but they weren’t really there for me. At times I felt left out and was very traumatized by the comments made about me. It came to a point where I left school and hid in my home, I didn’t want to see anyone I knew on the streets, I was scared, and so had to return to my country. But Music has been therapy to me, and helped me dream that anything is possible: simply put, it helped me escape from reality. Listening to Justin Bieber and other artists have helped me to cope with anxiety and overcome it. My advice for anyone going through anything in life, you’re not alone (even if it feels like it, don’t lose hope, and never give up. Speak to someone if needed, please don’t feel like you’re to blame for something that you are. True friends will always be there for you and accept you for who you are. And remember if no one is with you, God is always with you all the way.
What can we expect to see next from you?
This is just the beginning and there’s more I have in store for this year, but you just gotta wait and find out on this journey with me. Thank you again for having me, take care. All love, Anna xoxo.
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