Diana uncovered

November 13 promises to be a special night when Diana King delivers her special performance at the Spend an Evening with Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds charity event at the National Indoor Sports Centre. The Gleaner recently sat down with the international songbird for a one-on-one interview in which she spoke of her musical career and artistes she admires, among other topics.

The Gleaner (GL): Is there anything in particular you're looking forward to doing in Jamaica this time around?

Diana King (DK): I was looking forward to eating up some whole heaps of food! But I'm actually on a diet, so I'm very upset. I'm trying to eat healthier. But just to be here is a big deal because all my family still lives here. I'm the only one who lives in America; all my brothers and sisters are here, all my good friends, so I just feel like I'm at home. I know everywhere, I recognise everything; it's always a great feeling to come home.

GL: You have an upcoming performance at Babyface's concert, what's your view on him?

DK: I wish I could sing a song with him. I have a lot of respect for him. He's a very good writer, producer and singer, so it's great to be on a show with an artiste like that. I like that kind of music. Quality.

GL: How did you begin your musical career?

DK: I grew up in Spanish Town, St Catherine. I moved to Kingston when I was about 19. I dropped out of school when I was a teenager. I used to go to Wolmer's and that's how I actually started singing. A lot of things were going on in my life at that point in time and the only thing I could do was sing, and that's how I started to sing. So my whole teenage life I was singing. I was 13 when I started singing professionally.

GL: Which artistes inspire Diana King?

DK: I go more for like the Babyface generation of music, the Anita Baker, the Chaka Khan, the Whitney Houston sometimes ... the earlier Whitney Houston, and Mary J Blige, that kind of stuff. Then I'm all across the board, like I love Coldplay, Linkin Park. There are so many artistes I admire, but not many Jamaican artistes. I respect what they're doing, but I haven't seen an artiste in a long while who made me feel like, 'Oh, wow!'.

GL: What makes you say wow?

DK: I like artistes who are different, not doing the same thing that everybody else is doing. Kinda like me because I mix it up. I don't just do one thing, but you can always tell that I'm a Jamaican in my music. I love artistes with a little edge that's separate from the pack.