Diamond Rings

Interview with Diamond Rings - June 9, 2011 By Jennifer Knight Who’s That Guy? That guy is 25 year old synth-pop video sensation, Diamond Rings and we're nearing release of his new full-length album called Special Affections. This is why he was kind enough to let us ask a few probing questions. I don’t think he would mind if I compared him at this point to a pleasant mixture of Vanilla Ice and Madonna with a refreshing baby face canvass, perfect for rainbows of creative expression. I don’t think he would mind, but I’ve been wrong before. What Is That Guy Doing? JK: What’s happening in your life these days? What are you up to? DR: Just living in the weeks leading up to the re-release that I’m four weeks into now and I’m doing a remix of a different artist or a different group every week for the six weeks leading up to the record. The cover for each one is a different color of the rainbow which is kind of just like a prominent motif for the album so far. So I’ve been busy with those and you know, when I’m not working, I’m always kind of puttering around, just throwing ideas out and seeing what sticks. What Is That Guy Thinking? JK: Tell me about your writing process. What does it take for you? DR: Some time alone. For me, it’s a matter of coming up with the chord progression or some notes that I find go well together and then writing the lyrics with the melodies over the top of that. I get pretty fastidious when I’m writing lyrics. That’s kind of the fun part for me, fun in a sort of angst-ridden torturous kind of way. JK: I get it. Trust me. DR: When I wrote [Special Affections] I was in the hospital. I was by myself all day, more or less, with not much to do and not much room to move around. So it was kind of just myself and my guitar and I definitely don’t want to go back to that scenario, but at the same time it did offer a really peaceful and reflective kind of opportunity for me, so… JK: How long were you in the hospital? DR: It was most of a summer when the album was written. I had just moved to the city and got diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease and there I was. My parents were really supportive and wanted to make sure I would have something to do so they brought in all my instruments and a poster of Sting and did whatever else we could do to make my room livable. By the end of my time there [the nurses] had kind of caught on to what I was doing and they would come in on their breaks and get me to do little shows for them. It was quite fun. It was then that I started to realize there may be an audience for what I was working on. I was really only doing it to pass the time and give myself something to keep my brain working, but I found myself thinking “Well, if these guys like it...” What Is That Guy Wearing? JK: Tell me about the ‘Stay Fierce’ shirts for sale on your website. What’s the back story on the front of those fantastic and simple shirts? DR: It had been a slogan my makeup artist and I adopted. I think it was when we were shooting the video for ‘Show Me Your Stuff’ and the back-up dancers were wanting to know how they were supposed to look, what their expressions should be and we would always tell them to look fierce which turned into stay fierce until the shoot’s done and then turned into just Stay Fierce. It became like a mantra or something that we adopted and then it became the shirt. I designed them and it just seemed kind of natural to do them in rainbow colors. Is That Guy With Anybody? JK: You became Diamond Rings during a 2008 break from being John O of the D’Urbervilles. Which do you prefer, solo or band performances? DR: Being a performer (no matter what) is what’s important to me. The more I do of one, the more rewarding it is to switch over to the other because they’re both so incredibly different and compliment the other. Is That Guy For Real? JK: Yes, and he’s really something else… Theconcertscene.com