UK Producer – Diamond Eyes, speaks to us exclusively about his new single, and how it came about.
T.H.E – Hi Josh, welcome to The Music Essentials. Have you ever been to India? If you have, what was your experience? If not, would you like to?
Diamond Eyes – Hi guys! First off, thank you so much for having me! I’ve never been lucky enough to come to India, I love the culture & your food is on another level, so perhaps one day life will take me to India.
T.H.E – You’re dropping your new cut ‘Gravity’ this week on NCS. Can you tell us a bit more about the single and how you produced it?
Diamond Eyes – I am & i’m so excited to share it with everyone! The single came out of thin air during a time where I felt very overwhelmed by life, so much was happening around me & I needed to take a step back & breathe, that’s how gravity was made. In terms of production, I started with a vinyl crackle sound, looped it & played some piano over whilst singing until I got a hook down which is now the chorus! From there I let my vibe take over & built the song with beautiful instrumentation & polished sound design until done!
T.H.E – Is this the first time you’ve released on the NCS label?
Diamond Eyes – NCS & myself have been working together now for about a couple of years, I was introduced to them by UKF’s ‘Sampo’ (He’s an incredible human) who listened to an early version of my song ‘Everything’ & asked if I’d like to talk with NCS about a release. Fast forward two years & I’m releasing many singles later & couldn’t be happier.
T.H.E – You sing on the track – is that something you do on the majority of your work? Are you a producer who likes to have vocals on top of most tracks? Who would be your dream vocalist?
Diamond Eyes – Yeah so the majority if not all of my songs have my voice on, it’s not something I’m always set on however, my main goal with diamond eyes is to be as ‘real’ as possible & tell the most honest story possible. As most of my work is based on real life, i’ve felt the pain or challenges so when I sing, I sing having lived through the event I’m writing about. My dream vocal would be Lewis Capaldi, Oli sykes (bring me the horizon) & Adam Young (Owl City)
T.H.E – What made you gravitate towards the theme of ‘Gravity’?
Diamond Eyes – Haha, I like what you did there. Well when I was feeling overwhelmed, i had the feeling of such heaviness on my chest. The first thing my mind went to was associating the heaviness as gravity. Ta da!
T.H.E – If you had one big, hairy, audacious career goal, what would it be?
Diamond Eyes – Oh lord, big goal huh? To be a career artist with world wide recognition. Not for the fame, I couldn’t care less about that. I genuinely want to be a voice to those who need support, who are alone during hardships. I want to be able to release music about life & give fans a lifeline.
T.H.E – We understand you worked closely with the US singer Christina Grimmie. How much has what happened to her influenced your recent work?
Diamond Eyes – Well Christina was my best friend, she meant the world to me so when she passed away, it made me re-evaluate what was important in life. When I came back to making music again, I made sure that I was doing it for the love of music & never for any false or shallow reasons. Music is a blessing to us in life & I believe it connects people of all races & circumstances together.
T.H.E – How did you cope with what happened? It must have been extremely traumatic for you? Were there times when you thought you might not return to music or was it actually something that helped you through?
Diamond Eyes – It was like having my heart ripped out, the worst part was it was through gun violence & not something natural, which took me a lot of time to deal with. I stopped releasing music for two years however… I must’ve written over 80 songs/ demo’s in that time so yes most definitely, music helped me through & I’m so thankful to music for carrying me through that time of my life.
T.H.E – What advice would you give to any of our readers who are going through dark times themselves right now?
Diamond Eyes – Reach out, find help & be the change you wish to see. If fighting against something bigger than you was easy then we’d never feel weak. The truth is, in accepting your weaknesses you then can turn them into strengths. Life is pain but life is bliss & pure joy. Understanding your emotions can help you have a happier & fulfilled life.
T.H.E – Thanks Josh, hope to hear much more from you in the future!
Diamond Eyes – Thank you, this was such a pleasure! Much love.
