Today we’d like to introduce you to Diamond Elyse.
Hi Diamond, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Born and raised in New York, I come from a musical family, on both sides. I’ve known how to sing since I was very little and realized I wanted to be a singer by the age of 8 years old. With my mother’s help, I already had practice being on stages in front of big crowds and in rooms with people who made a name for themselves in the music industry. At the time, I didn’t realize how valuable those experiences were at such a young age, until now.
Starting in high school, I began to learn how to put on my own performances. Many people don’t know this about me, but after I graduated high school in 2015, I got diagnosed with a blood disorder called “aplastic anemia” which is where your body stops producing enough blood cells. I started feeling faint doing simple things like showering. But, one morning I woke up and had a huge blood clot in my mouth. My mom and I immediately went to the emergency room. At first, the doctors weren’t even sure what it was. They thought it may have been cancer. The bad news didn’t stop there. Once they officially diagnosed me, we had to figure out which treatment I was going to have. One option was to get a bone marrow transplant. But the doctors told my mother that because I’d need a donor, which would’ve had to be my sister, she could lose both of us. We prayed on it a whole lot and we decided to go with the ATG treatment, also known as horse serum, which was used to reset my immune system. Throughout the whole journey, I was in and out the hospital for months. For a week alone, I was on treatment. Also, I dealt with tonsillitis, hallucinations, falls from blacking out and side effects from the 16 pills I was taking every day. I couldn’t sing. I couldn’t play the guitar. I was depressed and barely left my bed. My doctors told me I couldn’t work or go to school, which devastated me because on Mother’s Day, prior to graduating, I had been accepted to my dream school, Berklee College of Music. A few months later, the doctors decreased the medicine I’d been on and I didn’t need as many transfusions. I began to do better on my own and didn’t have to see my doctor as much.
Ever since 2018, I’ve been completely healed. That journey is my “why,” especially because I felt like my music was taken from me. Therefore, now that I can sing, dance, perform and do all the things I love to do with my music, I do not take it granted. I give it my all because at one point I didn’t have it and I couldn’t do anything about it. Now I can. With confidence, I know that this is my God-given purpose and I utilize the gifts that He’s given me with everything I have.
It has also taught me and made it even more clear that God is the author of my story. I had a completely different vision for how my life would’ve looked like after I graduated. But sometimes what you have planned isn’t what God has planned for you. For me, that’s okay. I’m grateful because that experience is my testimony. It has given me a stronger, deeper reason for why and how I do what I do.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As I stated previously, being sick definitely has been my biggest challenge. But the lingering thoughts that I’ve had to fight from that time in my life. I thought I had missed out on now going to college when my friends did. I was so disappointed when I couldn’t go to my dream school. I also used to feel like everyone else got a head start and I was just lagging behind. That was really hard to deal with.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an R&B artist. I sing, write, dance. I’m known for being a soulful, angelic singer and a full-out entertainer/performer.
I’m most proud of the hard work that I put into my craft. I’ve spent and continue to spend a lot, A LOT of time practicing, studying, and perfecting my craft.
My skills, my passion and my vision definitely sets me apart from others. My songs are really musical and I’m honest with what I write about. Also, I’m very intentional about giving the audience an experience when I perform… with a band, dancers, production, everything.
I’m such a perfectionist as well and I’m really picky and specific with what I want when it comes to performances, visuals, and the songs my producers create because my music means so much to me and I know what I’m going for and how I want it to look and feel.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
The pandemic has taught me to be adaptable, to make the most of what I have, and to be creative. I definitely learned how creative I was during Covid-19.
Contact Info:
- Email: diamondelysemusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thediamondelyse/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thediamondelyse/
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/thediamondelyse
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCzWwbjscdHDSeob1qo1G-ZA
- Other: https://smarturl.it/1997deluxe
Image Credits
Mike Whitehead
