Interview ‣ Dianna Lopez
In Tune with Dianna Lopez
Meet the New York singer and songwriter who wants her music to be received as a tool or a source of healing.
Cydney Lee
Writer
Updated
In 2016, New York singer and songwriter Dianna Lopez began experimenting with music during her undergraduate days at SUNY Purchase. She was a theater major and had no interest in singing until she decided to make an album to help with her friend’s assignment. “Being in art school I was like, ‘I'm gonna make an album and we’ll do this for [the] showcase,’” she explained. “And it was all fun. People were just really supportive and down for it so I was like fuck, I guess I’ll do this forreal.”
Since then, Lopez has released a handful of singles and two EPs. The latest of the latter, Shapeshifting, arrived back in April and is a six song project that showcases her whispery vocals and intimate aesthetic. Dubbed a “bedroom-born” artist by NPR and Adolescent, the rising artist combines elements of pop, r&b and rock to create one cohesive and trance-like sound.
Lopez is experiencing a new chapter within her life right now. She was living in Hawaii where she had been “soul searching” and then she moved to New Orleans, and back to New york - where she currently lives. She is finding her feet in another new world again -and although she misses playing with her band- she has been dedicating time to focus on the intimate aspects of music-making: like teaching herself how to play guitar and writing more songs.
“It’s all learning for me right now.”
We caught up with Lopez to discuss her beginnings in music and how she’s been adapting to the pandemic’s effect on her creative process.
Name, Age, Location, Pronouns.
Cydney Lee
My name is Dianna Lopez. I'm 25 and I'm currently living in Brooklyn, NY. My pronouns are she/her.
Dianna Lopez
Where are you from?
Originally, I'm from upstate New York, a cute lil small town called Rockland County.
How did you get your name?
My dad named me ‘Dianna’ because it's Latin origin means ‘divine.’ And it’s two N’s because it's supposed to be pronounced ‘dee-ah-na.’ In ancient Roman mythology the name Dianna is described as a woman with beauty and swiftness; often depicted as a huntress and goddess of the moon. I like to think of myself in that way.
So what's your earliest memory of music?
My mom used to play this song called “Knock on Wood” by Amii Stewart, it’s this old song from the 80s. When I was like 3 or 4, she played it whenever it would thunder outside, because the chorus is like “thunder, lightning.” She would play it to make us feel less afraid of the storm, and have something to sing along to rather than worry about the sound of the thunder. That's definitely, I think, my first memory. Just dancing around to this thunder and lightning song.
When did you realize you wanted to pursue music?
About 6 years ago in my senior year of college. I was going to school for theater and performance, and I never had the thought of being a “singer”. I was more into acting, and writing poems in my free time. My manager was an arts management major at the time, and she needed to have a talent showcase - and asked me to be apart. Since I had the resources and friends in music, I was just like ‘I'm gonna make an album for fun and perform it for your showcase.’ And it was all fun. Once i released the music, people were just really supportive and down for it so I was like fuck, I guess I’ll do this forreal. Eventually I realized how in love I am with music, and now it is a part of my everyday life from the moment I wake up, to when I go to sleep.
What was your creative process pre-pandemic and what is it now during the pandemic?
Before the pandemic, I was constantly rehearsing with my band in Brooklyn. It was super collective and me and the guitarist, Aren, would get together often and just jam off the head. During the pandemic I was slowly focusing on the more intimate aspects of music-making. I dedicated my time to songwriting and teaching myself how to play the guitar, just so I can feel more musically free and be able to orchestrate what I would envision with a band, on my own.
Can you talk about your time in Hawaii? What sparked your decision to move there?
I was quarantining at home [and] it was pretty soul sucking. Two of my friends who were living in Brooklyn and we collectively were missing mama nature and her healing energies. So we decided to take a chance and moved to Hawaii together. I had been praying for a while, to be able to experience a life in nature - away from cities, noise, and telephone lines. So it’s interesting how it played out. My plan was only to be there for like a month or two, but it just kept aligning and I was able to stay for 6 months. It was quite a time, being fully immersed in nature and connecting so closely to the source of the land. I met lifelong friends, and shot one of my favorite music videos out there, called “Spiraling”.
What's the biggest challenge you face in your music career?
One of my biggest challenges as an artist is being patient with the process. Being patient with myself, and understanding creating a body of work that I really love is going to take time and intention. I’ve run into some bumps along the way in trying to meet like-minded producers and musicians to work with that flow with the direction that I would like to go in as an artist. The way I try to transmute that is just by becoming more skillful. Learning how to play the guitar and the bass. Noodling on my midi board. It's all learning and experimentation for me right now.
How would you describe your sound in three emojis?
🦋 because of what the butterfly represents to me, a constant metamorphosis. In a way, I feel like I'm constantly changing and evolving in to more beautifully colored versions of myself, feeling inspired by so many different people, places, and things.
🍄 because we luv plant medicine
🌱 because nature is the one thing I know I can return to, to reset and recharge my energy.
Who's in your rotation right now?
Currently, I've been listening to this alternative indie band from Australia called Dope Lemon. They are in the psychedelic rock realm, which is similar to the direction in which I’d like to go. I've also been listening to Moses Sumney’s old stuff, which is super experimental. An artist that I can’t stop playing - Kourosh Yaghmaei. Kouroush is an Iranian singer, and named one of the greatest Persian psychedelic rock musicians in the history of Iranian rock music, I’d def recommend you to listen.
Who are some of your influences and dream collaborators?
This is a hard question because so many people inspire me. I can't ever settle on listening to one artist for too long, because I need to discover new artists and feel inspired by something I haven't heard before. The artists I named above are some heavy influences. I can see myself collaborating with some amazing black artist friends I haven't met in real life yet, like Ego Ella May, Cruza, Sudan Archives.
What are some of your hobbies or favorite things to do in your free time?
I became vegan a couple of years ago so I love experimenting with cooking and creating medicinal potions using herbology. I’m always reading a new book, usually spiritual books - on how to come more into myself as a woman and see the world through different lenses.
Are you into astrology? If so, what are your sun, moon and rising signs?
Yes I’m really into it! I’m that annoying girl who meets someone new and asks ‘What is your sign?!’ I'm a Sagittarius, Gemini moon and Sagittarius rising. But I have a couple Capricorn placements to calm my fiery ass down.
What do you want your music to say to the world?
All I want is for it to be felt, and received as a tool or a source of healing - or in whatever form that may show up for people. I pour a lot of love and intention in during my creative process, so in the end I just let the music speak and resonate as it can.
Stream Dianna's latest single Chrysalis