Last year, Bristol-based singer/songwriter Chikaya slowly burst her way onto the UK scene with an interesting style of music.
A mixture of R&B and synthesizers creates something unique in that listeners empathise with Chikaya’s journey of growth, whilst feeling the sensation of travelling through the stars in outer space.
Songs such as New Wave and Himalayas magnify this ideology and slowly let you into her world.
This, intertwined with Chikaya’s smooth vocal presence contributes towards a relaxing ambience, which adds further to the aura surrounding her music.
Subsequently, Chikaya is starting to attract some attention in the mainstream media after she was included on BBC Music Introducing’s 2020 Ones To Watch list.
Her latest track, Stargazing, is a continuation of that journey. However, this time there is an added emphasis on the elements of discovery as conveyed by the single’s vibrant artwork.
Speaking to RWD Mag’s Denzil Bell, Chikaya states that the song is “about a lost lil’ alien who lands on a new planet, in search of great things and a new life to explore and grow.”
2020 is a year associated with vision, and for Chikaya, her visions are strong and could be the difference in defining her as a standout artist of the future.
You can stream Chikaya’s latest single Stargazing now on Spotify and Apple Music.
Diamantina poses for the camera ahead of our interview.
The first edition of our interview series Amplifyre Talks takes us to Kilburn in North West London to meetup with the vibrant Diamantina Osmani.
Born in Germany in 1995 to Kosovan parents, Diamantina and her family would soon seek refuge in the UK in search of a better life:
“My family decided to move for fresh opportunities, as there was a war going on in Kosovo – well, we escaped just before, but the tension had already started. My parents just wanted a fresh, new start to build an empire for themselves.”
“We came to the UK in 1998 and I was two-years-old, and from then on, we’ve been prodding around London and making life great!”
Despite the exotic undertones behind it, Diamantina isn’t a stage name and is in fact her actual birth name given to her from one of her relatives:
“Everyone asks me ‘Is it a stage name?’ It’s not a stage name!”
“It is my real birth name. In fact, my Aunt did name me that in Germany. She chose diamond, as I was born six weeks premature, rare, so I’m still alive, still kicking. And Tina Turner, as she was a diva in her era.”
“So my Aunt used those names to say that I was destined for stardom and that I will become someone. So thanks for the pressure!”
“It’s a pleasure to carry this name around and I have no shame telling that story every single time, as it’s a reminder of who I am supposed to be.”
During the early stages of her youth, Diamantina became drawn towards strong female performers; more specifically, those who were vibrant and energetic:
“From a young age, I was watching stars like Jamelia, The Spice Girls and Beyonce, who were loud, audacious and sassy.”
“Honestly, any female artist that was just out there in terms of stage presence; Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears. All of these empowering females that, when I was growing up, they inspired me to be fierce, sassy and bold.”
“Personally, I’ve always been a fan of colour for some reason and use it to represent my mood; Today I feel like Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat!”
“It makes me feel good, whereas if I’m wearing black, I feel like I’m hiding something and just want to be left alone.”
Around this time, Diamantina also learnt how to play several instruments which have contributed towards her creative nature:
“When I was younger, my Mum would expose me to different avenues, such as buying me a violin, taking me to violin lessons, piano lessons and singing lessons. My singing voice is an instrument in itself, so you have to look after it.”
“Then later on, when I was studying music in GCSE and A-Level, I came across new genres of music. From there, I started exploring the history of music, various backgrounds and everything fell into place and my passion for it was ignited.”
“After that, I was looking at poetry and seeing how that can be used in songs. Looking back, it’s all part of a journey and who knows what else I can get into. As long as it’s creative I’ll fit in, because honestly, there is no question that I enjoy it.”
“I believe that everyone should do what they enjoy in life, otherwise what’s the point? We’ve been assigned something to do in life, so go out there and find it.”
After completing her GCSE’s and A-Level’s, Diamantina came across a Songwriting Course at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP) in Kilburn.
Here she discusses how the course evolved her creative thought-process, alongside the priceless skills that came with them:
Diamantina credits her time at the Institute of Contemporary Music and Performance as an eye-opening experience.
“I was very grateful for that experience, because before I went to University, I didn’t want to go, as I couldn’t find anything that catered towards what I wanted to do.”
“Yes there were creative options such as Musical Theatre, Acting and Dance, and I don’t mean to be offensive by saying this, but I don’t want to be like anyone else. I wanted to shape my craft.”
“So when I came across this course at ICMP (a three-year BA Honours Songwriting degree) it offered so much more than just songwriting; it offered music theory, co-writing and collaborating with other artists.”
“Additionally, there were seminars with industry professionals that would come in for talks, listen to our demos and give us opportunities if they enjoyed what they heard. It was a place to really hone in your craft and that’s what ICMP did for me.”
“For example, we’d get homework to write three songs a week and we’d get a new collab partner for each week. Even if you did like that person’s style of music, you had to see what themes we’d come up with when working together.”
“This took me out of my comfort zone, which is a very important thing to do, but not just as an artist, but also as a person.”
“Getting out of that and trying something new, sure you may be hesitant, but may also discover something new that you enjoy and love. If definitely opened my eyes and pushed me out of deep depths of uncertainty.”
“On top of that, we met A&R’s and music lawyers who explained to us the importance of the business side.”
“We learnt about publishing, marketing, building a brand, PRS for Music, all of these terms which I’m aware of and now, I know my worth and I’m a businesswoman.”
“If anyone is thinking of going down this avenue, I’d highly recommend ICMP, based in Kilburn. They have a variety of courses available for aspiring musicians that’ll help you hone your skills.”
Alongside creating music as a solo artist, Diamantina is apart of the Vocal Gospel Choir Uplifted Voices, which opened up even more experiences:
Diamantina’s time with the Uplifted Voices Choir has presented a window of opportunities.
“I love my Uplifted Voices family! When I was 16 and studying at College, they offered me an opportunity to provide backing vocals for several talent shows, such as The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and The Voice.”
“I participated and wasn’t paid, but the exposure and the free food was fun and being up close to celebrities.”
“You’d hold your breath when you see someone like Harry Styles and One Direction or Nicole Scherzinger walk past, and then you see how small Simon Cowell is!” [laughs]
“You really get a taste of that life behind the screen and how artists are very stressed backstage.”
“After that, we formed the Gospel Choir group called Uplifted Voices and I’ve been with them ever since. We’ve done a UK tour with Sister Act Live, and they’ve helped work on my range and strengthen my Soprano voice.”
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity I’ve had with them.”
Diamantina would later get the chance to step into the spotlight when she appeared on the BBC’s All Together Now in 2018.
However, Diamantina’s experience was an emotional one for several reasons:
Diamantina performing on the BBC show All Together Now.
“When I was first approached by a researcher to get me onto the show, I was very sceptical. I didn’t know what it was about, it was a new show and it’s not anything like The X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent.”
“The format saw 100 judges sitting within the audience, and if they liked your singing, they’d stand up and start singing along with you. There were three seats, and the singer with the highest score would get the first seat, the second highest would get the second seat and so on.”
“I got the third seat, only because I was the third person to perform. But for me, having that whole experience of getting glammed up, hair and make up, staying in a hotel, doing sound checks, all of this gave me a taste of what it is like.”
“At the same time, I didn’t feel like myself. I felt like I was being moulded. I was given a song by Ariana Grande and when I got to makeup, they completely transformed my face, I didn’t feel like myself, there was too much makeup.”
“I understand you need to ‘glammed up’ for TV, with colouration and stuff, but then they worked on my hair and wanted me to look like Ariana Grande, but I wanted to be me.”
“Yes, the dress was sparkly, but when you compare that to my performances in gigs, you can see it’s more polished and I’m having fun on stage.”
“I felt like that even before I got on stage as I was already being filmed, because they wanted to capture my emotions in the build-up, so I didn’t have time to relax myself and stay grounded.”
“There was so much pressure sitting on my shoulders and I didn’t feel free; usually when I perform at gigs, I feel free! So when I went onto the stage, and walked across, I had to wait for the producer to give me the thumbs up to go.”
“When I looked and saw the judges, I saw their faces and their expressions, I’m not gonna lie, was very intimidating, cause it was like ‘Wow, I now have to stand up and sing, in front of all of these people, who will be watching this and judging me.'”
“The only thing that was going through my head was ‘Don’t mess this up’, ‘Stand Up Straight’, ‘Fix Up’.”
“All these thoughts were all controlling me and then I started the first note off, because where i’m usually thinking about how free I am, instead I thinking about how to be perfect.”
“I started off shaky and but slowly regained my confidence, but then I see not many people are getting up, so I look up out of desperation like ‘Oh my God, what am I doing wrong?'”
“Eventually, I end up blocking out the judges and close my eyes to try and reconnect with myself and take a deep breath. I see not many people standing up, but I was okay with it, because I know my worth, I know I’m good enough.”
“After I went off stage, someone else got my seat and I did cry a little. But, when I got back to the hotel, I felt a sense of self pride, like ‘Diamantina, you’re amazing. You got this far and this is an opportunity for you to keep soaring and go for it.'”
“And here I am today, I don’t care. I’m here, I’m breathing, I’m doing what I love. What I would say is don’t feel that pressure to be perfect, because that’s what happened to me.'”
“I felt pressured at that moment and suddenly thought about what people were thinking. Just be great, be you. That’s where you shine.”
“When I look back at my time on All Together Now, I see a brave, courageous woman who made it onto TV and met a Spice Girl!”
“[laughs] I think I said to Geri that I used to be a fan of hers and that I used to have a lunch bag with the Spice Girls on it, but they didn’t air that!”
“But the whole experience made me stronger, level headed and made me realise that TV shows are not for me anymore. I think most artists feel that.”
“Even when I did backing vocals on The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, I could see people backstage shaking, saying ‘I don’t want to do this!’, being forced to wear things that they’re not comfortable wearing. You could see on their face that they were unhappy.”
“I’m very grateful that I had that experience, because I now know that I don’t want to do that. I know what I’m here to do and I’m not focused on how long it’ll take.”
“I’m shining already, and whoever wants to come on board and support me can do so.”
Diamantina then reflected on when she was fortunate enough to tour Italy with her songwriting course mates at ICMP, and why the experience made her feel free on stage:
“That was the best part of my life! A very big highlight.”
“We were offered an opportunity from an Italian promoter to exchange some music students to London to perform, and in return, some music students would go over to Italy to do the same.”
“Some of my classmates, myself and some of my friends were selected and we toured around Valgaino, Milan and Sicily.”
“The gigs weren’t held on big stages or anything dramatic, but was more intimate and allowed us to connect with the Italian crowd. When I look back at it now, compared to when I was on TV, it felt so free and liberating.”
“I felt that I belonged and that I was accepted, and although they didn’t speak much English, their energy spoke to me so much more than the TV judges.”
“You could see it in their faces, when they say ‘Bravo!’, and not just the applause after, but when they hugged me after the performance, you could feel the warmth of that energy.”
“It made me realise this is what I want to do.”
On top of all of this, Diamantina also holds Vocal Coaching lessons to Performing Arts students at St. Charles Catholic Sixth Form in Kensington:
“I studied at St. Charles Catholic Sixth Form College and became quite close to the Performing Arts teacher there, I’d describe her as my second Mum.”
“When I started studying at ICMP, she asked if I could help out with the students a little bit and so I did. From there, it evolved and I ended up giving them vocal lessons!”
“I want to inspire them and help build up their confidence in their own voices, regardless of what personal aspirations they have. Additionally, I also help out with recording techniques, and helping them put together shows for their own performances.”
“I’m trying to connect with the youth because when I was at that age, I was fortunate enough to meet industry professionals. So then for me to then go back to College, it’s kind of a way of giving back.”
“I see hunger amongst these students, I see their passion and I just want them to have it all! I want to share what I have. Not just my music, but also want to share my skills, my knowledge, my talents and my love to people.”
“I love what I do and I love connecting with young people.”
Now at age 24, Diamantina has a wealth of experience to refer to when going through the process of creating her music. So how has this all influenced her style?
Diamantina – pictured during the video shoot for her song Origami – likes to include vibrancy and colour within her music.
“Sometimes, I feel like I’m living with a dual personality. I have my strong Albanian roots and I have my strong British roots. So, I’m trying to put them together and there are some traditions and misogynistic ideas that say I should be a certain way.”
“All of these labels that I’ve come across in my life, I instinctively rebel against it [laughs]. So without thinking too much, when something doesn’t sit right with me and my energy, I rebel and write about it in a song. I’ll let people know that I don’t fit in a box.”
“They try to shape me, try to create me and I say no. I’m me, I don’t fully know who I am yet, but I’ll still embrace what I am right now and I don’t need anyone’s opinion, ’cause they don’t pay my bills, which is already in my next song!” [laughs]
“I try to combine that sassy attitude with a loving side to it. If I could be compared to another artist, it’d be based on who I listen to. So, if you were to mix the styles of Jojo, Tori Kelly, India Arie, Jazmine Sullivan, Kehlani, Jessie J, that’s me.”
“That aura of independence, and being strong-willed, merged together with this sassy, sparkly, pervacious songbird.”
With strong Albanian roots within her family, Diamantina also discussed the idea of potentially producing music in her native style, as well as how she evolved as an artist:
“My family have brought it up the idea of producing Albanian music and working with Albanian producers and going to perform there at some point.”
“I’m open to it, I’m not going to say no, but I can’t see it happening anytime soon. I just need to connect with it first, because Albanian music is quite different. Again, my instinct wants to rebel because the way they do things is completely different to the way I do things.”
“For my parents, I feel the pressure of ‘When are you going to make it? Come to Kosovo, you’ll be famous over there!'”
“I know what fame means to them, which is either standing in front of luxury cars like a BMW or a Merc, or making music which is sort of come and go, in the sense that it’s quite fast and then you’ve made it.”
“With me, I’m a bit different. So if I were to collaborate with an Albanian-based producer, they’ll have to meet my level of expectations. When you listen to my music, you know it’s Diamantina and I’ll make it my own.”
“It’s about having that balance for me, but I’m open it . Right now, I’m just waiting for the right moment.”
“I’ve changed in terms of ownership, I’ve owned my identity more and started out singing covers. “I’m learning to own who I am and put it into my songs. My songwriting has gotten so much better!” [laughs]
“I listened back to my old demo recently, I would say anything and none of it made sense! For example, I was singing about petrol; why would petrol come in a song? Why?”
“But what I would say has stayed the same is my fierceness.”
“Even when I look back at my 16-year-old self in my head, I was still fierce. I would get off the stage with my microphone and serenade the audience and was very out there.”
Looking ahead towards the future, Diamantina is planning to release some more music:
“Definitely some more music, for sure. I want to create more music that feels more vulnerable this year. I want to bring out more of my feelings to the surface, as I feel that will be a relatable topic amongst my audience.”
“Especially [my] relationship with my Dad, and for me, that is very crumpled and I would like to iron out the creases and put that into my music. I don’t like to think too far ahead though, as I just know what is best for me, will be.”
“I’m also planning to do more shows and appear at some festivals too. I do want to perform in my home town in Kosovo.”
“There’s one called the Sunny Hill Festival, which Dua Lipa and her Dad started two years ago. I feel like I need to somehow get my foot in there, to connect with my Albania/Kosovan fans as well.”
“If I could get a slot there, that would be amazing!”
“I would love at some point to work on an EP, but I’m still discovering my own sound and with each single, I’m analysing what people are liking a bit more.”
“Once I have those answers, I think that’s when I can work on an EP that has that collective sound, and then put it out there for those people who’ll really enjoy it.”
“Although I’m still experimenting and I would describe myself as a Pop/R&B artist, I’m not putting many labels on it. I’m a singer/songwriter and I can go into anything. I’ve got a songwriting degree and nothing can stop me!”
“I love whatever I write, because I feel, and whatever I feel translates into sound. So, no labels this year, just good music that comes from my heart.”
Diamantina will be performing at the Bermondsey Social Club on Thursday 27th February 2020.
The Amplifyre 