Diana DeGarmo has “Gone Country,” but what many people probably don’t know is it’s actually Diana going back to her roots. She performed primarily pop music on American Idol, as that is what had mostly been done up until season three. However, Country music is where Diana’s heart is, and she’s thrilled to be making an album in that genre right now. When she went to make her initial album, she wasn’t inspired by the pop artists of the time, and R & B wasn’t feeling like a good fit either. As Diana said, “I was in a musical rut.” After being on the show “Gone Country,” Diana is feeling renewed, and has fallen in love with music all over again. “It just fit perfectly,” Diana said, as life has brought her "full circle."
The creator of “Gone Country,” John Rich, is working with Diana on her current songs, and she has finished four that they are shopping around for a label. She calls John “quite a character” and a great mentor, and says she is “just in awe” of him in the studio. It certainly won’t hurt to have someone who is quite connected in the Country genre, and Diana says that John has been introducing her to a ton of people in the industry.
Something that is genuinely new for Diana is songwriting, and she loves every minute of it, calling it a “wonderful learning experience.” “I get into the heart of being a storyteller” Diana said. Ironically, she has actually been giving out her songs to other artists, while the four songs on her album were written by others. She admits that it’s hard to give them up, but she’s more than happy to do it for the sake of country music. As for when her fans can expect her CD, she says it will be just as soon as she can get a great record deal! On top of the four songs “in the can,” Diana says that they have a bunch of other wonderful songs ready to go. As far as using the Internet to get her music out there, Diana is frankly torn on that, as she has seen the good and the bad aspects of it. Sadly, she says she's acquired a few stalkers over the years, but also says that keeping in touch with her fans via MySpace is one of her favorite activities.
When asked about a possible return to Broadway, Diana says that she would be all over it if a great project came her way in which she could be involved from the ground up. However, when it comes to reprising her role in Hairspray, she says that it might sound bad, but she's "been there, done that." While she loved being in it, the physical comedy aspects of it were extremely taxing on her.
Diana is currently living in the heart of the Country music scene—Nashville, TN. In fact, she says that there is quite an "Idol conglomerate" there these days, and that the season three alums do keep in touch "at a distance." She exchanges phone calls and texts with them whenever she can. She also gets to see some of her fellow AI alums simply because they get paired together to do a lot of events. In fact, she is doing a tour for the holidays with Kimberley Locke, Chikezie, and David Hernandez. AI Music Director Michael Orland is putting it together, and she is thrilled, as she gets to perform some of her own music as well.
With “Idol Rewind” currently taking a look back at season three, Diana is able to really analyze the time she spent on American Idol, and particularly being so young when it aired. As she said, “I grew up pretty fast and got to see more than a normal sixteen-year-old back then.” She says she had a great time and the show gave her a “fresh outlook on life,” but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t do it differently if she were to do it over again. Diana says she might have been more “strategic” if she was older at the time. Whatever she did, it certainly worked, as runner-up is more than impressive!
As for advice for future Idols, Diana says to have a good time. According to her, viewers have a sense if you’re truly enjoying yourself, and are more likely to vote for you if you are. Song choices are also crucial and Diana advises against choosing songs that you don’t know. When nerves come into play, you never know what’s going to happen, and it’s best to stick with numbers you’ve done before.
Diana is certainly in a great spot in her life these days. She gets to perform Country music, which she calls “the heart of Americana music, about your average, middle-class person,” and that is what she loves about it. Diana said, “I’ve lived a different life than most folks, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Diana DeGarmo has “Gone Country,” but what many people probably don’t know is it’s actually Diana going back to her roots. She performed primarily pop music on American Idol, as that is what had mostly been done up until season three. However, Country music is where Diana’s heart is, and she’s thrilled to be making an album in that genre right now. When she went to make her initial album, she wasn’t inspired by the pop artists of the time, and R & B wasn’t feeling like a good fit either. As Diana said, “I was in a musical rut.” After being on the show “Gone Country,” Diana is feeling renewed, and has fallen in love with music all over again. “It just fit perfectly,” Diana said, as life has brought her "full circle."
The creator of “Gone Country,” John Rich, is working with Diana on her current songs, and she has finished four that they are shopping around for a label. She calls John “quite a character” and a great mentor, and says she is “just in awe” of him in the studio. It certainly won’t hurt to have someone who is quite connected in the Country genre, and Diana says that John has been introducing her to a ton of people in the industry.
Something that is genuinely new for Diana is songwriting, and she loves every minute of it, calling it a “wonderful learning experience.” “I get into the heart of being a storyteller” Diana said. Ironically, she has actually been giving out her songs to other artists, while the four songs on her album were written by others. She admits that it’s hard to give them up, but she’s more than happy to do it for the sake of country music. As for when her fans can expect her CD, she says it will be just as soon as she can get a great record deal! On top of the four songs “in the can,” Diana says that they have a bunch of other wonderful songs ready to go. As far as using the Internet to get her music out there, Diana is frankly torn on that, as she has seen the good and the bad aspects of it. Sadly, she says she's acquired a few stalkers over the years, but also says that keeping in touch with her fans via MySpace is one of her favorite activities.
When asked about a possible return to Broadway, Diana says that she would be all over it if a great project came her way in which she could be involved from the ground up. However, when it comes to reprising her role in Hairspray, she says that it might sound bad, but she's "been there, done that." While she loved being in it, the physical comedy aspects of it were extremely taxing on her.
Diana is currently living in the heart of the Country music scene—Nashville, TN. In fact, she says that there is quite an "Idol conglomerate" there these days, and that the season three alums do keep in touch "at a distance." She exchanges phone calls and texts with them whenever she can. She also gets to see some of her fellow AI alums simply because they get paired together to do a lot of events. In fact, she is doing a tour for the holidays with Kimberley Locke, Chikezie, and David Hernandez. AI Music Director Michael Orland is putting it together, and she is thrilled, as she gets to perform some of her own music as well.
With “Idol Rewind” currently taking a look back at season three, Diana is able to really analyze the time she spent on American Idol, and particularly being so young when it aired. As she said, “I grew up pretty fast and got to see more than a normal sixteen-year-old back then.” She says she had a great time and the show gave her a “fresh outlook on life,” but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t do it differently if she were to do it over again. Diana says she might have been more “strategic” if she was older at the time. Whatever she did, it certainly worked, as runner-up is more than impressive!
As for advice for future Idols, Diana says to have a good time. According to her, viewers have a sense if you’re truly enjoying yourself, and are more likely to vote for you if you are. Song choices are also crucial and Diana advises against choosing songs that you don’t know. When nerves come into play, you never know what’s going to happen, and it’s best to stick with numbers you’ve done before.
Diana is certainly in a great spot in her life these days. She gets to perform Country music, which she calls “the heart of Americana music, about your average, middle-class person,” and that is what she loves about it. Diana said, “I’ve lived a different life than most folks, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
