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19th May, 2012
TIMES WEEKEND INTERVIEWS DIANA
TW: Diana welcome to our office
Diana: thank you very much
TW: I think you look younger in person than your pictures I have seen
Diana:that’s quite through, I had a photo shoot and I had just given birth and so I had put on a lot of weight and my video too was shot not long after that so I guess that’s what made me look older
Tw: how old are your babies now?
Diana:they are one year six months?
TW:About your babies do you mind if I get a little personal?
Diana: don’t worry
TW: I know it took you over six years to have them, how did you manage to handle the pressure from family and close friends.
Diana: I was fortunate not to pressure from family and I was blessed to have this ministry, because of what I was doing, I didn’t pay much attention to it, I was desperately in need of a child and I cried to God always, but when God’s time came he doubled it I’m happy.
TW: your children are still young what do you do when you have to play shows?
Diana: They are with my auntie and they are well behaved, I thank God for that, they are very young but I can say they are supportive, they would stop everything to look at my video on TV.
TW: How do they make you out on TV?
Diana: I show my video at home all the time and so they easily make me out.
TW: are you based in Ghana?
Diana: I’m more here now.
Tw: But most people think you are based outside.
Diana: that’s a notion I’m trying to erase, because I spend more time in Ghana now, if I have to go there then it means I have appointments or have to play a show and once in awhile, I go to visit my husband. For this year and last year, I have being around most of the time.
Tw: But you are not doing any shows so we don’t know you are here.
Diana: I’m doing shows but most of my shows are in churches, I also performed at the industry awards of the Ghana Music Awards, most of my shows will start from June to the later part of the year when I start my tour.I will play in UK and USA and Ghana as well.
Tw: I think you love to perform out of Ghana; is it that music pays better out there?
Diana: No, it’s not like I love being outside; that’s where my husband is and that’s where my kids were, Ghana is home, I started music down here but I think Europe embraced me earlier than Ghana did. I got more friendly with Facebook, YouTube and other networks and its only recently that most Ghanaians started following that.
Tw: Or do you find it difficult to penetrate down here?
Diana: I’m doing well, as you said most people think I’m based in London so maybe that’s why I have not done so much shows here and I think it’s because I started outside.
TW: did you grow up in Ghana?
Diana: yes I was born and bred in Ghana, I started traveling after 2000. Before 2000 I had never been out of Ghana. I schooled and everything in Ghana , I was at Morning Star, then I went to Ghana National College in Cape Coast, then Okomfo Anokye, where I studied nursing.
TW: You worked in Ghana?
Diana: yes I did after my training I had to practice for a while before leaving.
TW: are you practicing your nursing?
Diana: Yes I have practiced since I came out of nursing school but in the last one and half year I haven’t, but I got paid for a year and I still have my job, I can go back any time.
TW: why haven’t you gone back to work?
Diana: the children; I don’t have a nanny so I’m always around them.
TW: What do you specialize in?
Diana: I worked six months on the geriatric ward and end of life care for adults.
TW: why would a nurse decide to sing because I know nursing pays well, especially out of Ghana?
Diana: it’s the passion, I love to sing. I have a passion for Nursing too but that came when I was much older , for the singing, it’s been with me since childhood and I went professional when I was around 13 or 14 years, so you can see that singing came before nursing.
TW: you recorded a song at that age?
Diana: I backed Francis Adjei, I say professional because that was when I started getting paid for singing, I did “MetwereObotan“with him I got paid, I did “Pentecostal Praise” with despite, I got paid.
TW: it means you started a long time ago, and you got money early?
Diana: (laughing) you can imagine what 14 year old would use money for…but my mum sat me down and said, I needed to plan my life; I needed some education and all that. the money wasn’t so big but the exposure it came with. I was on TV and my headmaster was always praising me all the time.
Tw: what inspire you into doing music?
Diana: God,life and family. Every song that I bring out has a story behind it, I sing from aplace I know, I don’t sing fiction or from imaginations, I sing from experiences, sometimes I hear some songs and I tell myself if I had that song I would do it differently. My first song “osorobekasa” at that time we needed the heavens to talk and “ensiwoyie” was a prophetic song, “eye woa” on my blessings album came after the twins and all these are circumstances I faced in life.
TW: you write your own lyrics?
Diana: I write most of them and I have a friend, Nana Boateng who writes some of my songs with me, my little sister Adelaide also chips in some line and that’s it. I didn’t study music at school professionally but I think God himself teaches us what to do every time, when I sit and read the bible, the songs come to me.
TW: How long does it take to come out with a song?
Diana: forever, for me it takes time, I’m very careful with my lyrics, I spend more time to understand what the message is.
TW: Does the gospel industry pay?
Diana: no, it doesn’t at all.
TW:so why do you keep investing?
Diana:that’s why it’s a passion, we are in a world that thinks Christianity should be free because salvation is free, we forget that we take the songs the studios and the engineers charge like any other song, you take it to the TV stations and you pay for it too but when the money have to get into your hands it’s a struggle.
TW: Then it means your team is pumping plenty money into what you do without gaining.
Diana: we are working on it,
TW: Do you regret doing gospel music in Ghana?
Diana: never, apart from money, we have invested passion into what we do, and the feedback is good, people look up to you or your songs for inspiration and that alone is encouraging. Your passion is that people will get results so if you see all the feedback people give, that is the reward.
TW: the latest trend of gospel music is a little worrying, some gospel musicians dress and sing like those who do circular music just that they mention God or Jesus in their lyrics.
Diana: gospel is a message, sometimes you have to adopt the style the people understand in order to spread this message, that is not to say you have to compromise, if I have to sing in reggae for people to get the message I have that’s ok but let’s say if I have to be nude to please people in the name of gospel the I wouldn’t do.
TW: before you leave your last words to your fans.
Diana: I’m blessed to have people who have loved me naturally , I appreciate people who are ready to give constructive criticisms because this is people’s work and so we have to take what people say into consideration, apart from the peace tour I am involved in the ..you can follow me on a lot of social networks; I am on facebook and I tweet as well. We also pray for people and therefore you can leave your messages and we will pray for you.
TW: Diana thank you v ery much for coming
Diana: thank you very much
TW: I think you look younger in person than your pictures I have seen
Diana:that’s quite through, I had a photo shoot and I had just given birth and so I had put on a lot of weight and my video too was shot not long after that so I guess that’s what made me look older
Tw: how old are your babies now?
Diana:they are one year six months?
TW:About your babies do you mind if I get a little personal?
Diana: don’t worry
TW: I know it took you over six years to have them, how did you manage to handle the pressure from family and close friends.
Diana: I was fortunate not to pressure from family and I was blessed to have this ministry, because of what I was doing, I didn’t pay much attention to it, I was desperately in need of a child and I cried to God always, but when God’s time came he doubled it I’m happy.
TW: your children are still young what do you do when you have to play shows?
Diana: They are with my auntie and they are well behaved, I thank God for that, they are very young but I can say they are supportive, they would stop everything to look at my video on TV.
TW: How do they make you out on TV?
Diana: I show my video at home all the time and so they easily make me out.
TW: are you based in Ghana?
Diana: I’m more here now.
Tw: But most people think you are based outside.
Diana: that’s a notion I’m trying to erase, because I spend more time in Ghana now, if I have to go there then it means I have appointments or have to play a show and once in awhile, I go to visit my husband. For this year and last year, I have being around most of the time.
Tw: But you are not doing any shows so we don’t know you are here.
Diana: I’m doing shows but most of my shows are in churches, I also performed at the industry awards of the Ghana Music Awards, most of my shows will start from June to the later part of the year when I start my tour.I will play in UK and USA and Ghana as well.
Tw: I think you love to perform out of Ghana; is it that music pays better out there?
Diana: No, it’s not like I love being outside; that’s where my husband is and that’s where my kids were, Ghana is home, I started music down here but I think Europe embraced me earlier than Ghana did. I got more friendly with Facebook, YouTube and other networks and its only recently that most Ghanaians started following that.
Tw: Or do you find it difficult to penetrate down here?
Diana: I’m doing well, as you said most people think I’m based in London so maybe that’s why I have not done so much shows here and I think it’s because I started outside.
TW: did you grow up in Ghana?
Diana: yes I was born and bred in Ghana, I started traveling after 2000. Before 2000 I had never been out of Ghana. I schooled and everything in Ghana , I was at Morning Star, then I went to Ghana National College in Cape Coast, then Okomfo Anokye, where I studied nursing.
TW: You worked in Ghana?
Diana: yes I did after my training I had to practice for a while before leaving.
TW: are you practicing your nursing?
Diana: Yes I have practiced since I came out of nursing school but in the last one and half year I haven’t, but I got paid for a year and I still have my job, I can go back any time.
TW: why haven’t you gone back to work?
Diana: the children; I don’t have a nanny so I’m always around them.
TW: What do you specialize in?
Diana: I worked six months on the geriatric ward and end of life care for adults.
TW: why would a nurse decide to sing because I know nursing pays well, especially out of Ghana?
Diana: it’s the passion, I love to sing. I have a passion for Nursing too but that came when I was much older , for the singing, it’s been with me since childhood and I went professional when I was around 13 or 14 years, so you can see that singing came before nursing.
TW: you recorded a song at that age?
Diana: I backed Francis Adjei, I say professional because that was when I started getting paid for singing, I did “MetwereObotan“with him I got paid, I did “Pentecostal Praise” with despite, I got paid.
TW: it means you started a long time ago, and you got money early?
Diana: (laughing) you can imagine what 14 year old would use money for…but my mum sat me down and said, I needed to plan my life; I needed some education and all that. the money wasn’t so big but the exposure it came with. I was on TV and my headmaster was always praising me all the time.
Tw: what inspire you into doing music?
Diana: God,life and family. Every song that I bring out has a story behind it, I sing from aplace I know, I don’t sing fiction or from imaginations, I sing from experiences, sometimes I hear some songs and I tell myself if I had that song I would do it differently. My first song “osorobekasa” at that time we needed the heavens to talk and “ensiwoyie” was a prophetic song, “eye woa” on my blessings album came after the twins and all these are circumstances I faced in life.
TW: you write your own lyrics?
Diana: I write most of them and I have a friend, Nana Boateng who writes some of my songs with me, my little sister Adelaide also chips in some line and that’s it. I didn’t study music at school professionally but I think God himself teaches us what to do every time, when I sit and read the bible, the songs come to me.
TW: How long does it take to come out with a song?
Diana: forever, for me it takes time, I’m very careful with my lyrics, I spend more time to understand what the message is.
TW: Does the gospel industry pay?
Diana: no, it doesn’t at all.
TW:so why do you keep investing?
Diana:that’s why it’s a passion, we are in a world that thinks Christianity should be free because salvation is free, we forget that we take the songs the studios and the engineers charge like any other song, you take it to the TV stations and you pay for it too but when the money have to get into your hands it’s a struggle.
TW: Then it means your team is pumping plenty money into what you do without gaining.
Diana: we are working on it,
TW: Do you regret doing gospel music in Ghana?
Diana: never, apart from money, we have invested passion into what we do, and the feedback is good, people look up to you or your songs for inspiration and that alone is encouraging. Your passion is that people will get results so if you see all the feedback people give, that is the reward.
TW: the latest trend of gospel music is a little worrying, some gospel musicians dress and sing like those who do circular music just that they mention God or Jesus in their lyrics.
Diana: gospel is a message, sometimes you have to adopt the style the people understand in order to spread this message, that is not to say you have to compromise, if I have to sing in reggae for people to get the message I have that’s ok but let’s say if I have to be nude to please people in the name of gospel the I wouldn’t do.
TW: before you leave your last words to your fans.
Diana: I’m blessed to have people who have loved me naturally , I appreciate people who are ready to give constructive criticisms because this is people’s work and so we have to take what people say into consideration, apart from the peace tour I am involved in the ..you can follow me on a lot of social networks; I am on facebook and I tweet as well. We also pray for people and therefore you can leave your messages and we will pray for you.
TW: Diana thank you v ery much for coming
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