Playmate, Producer and DJ
Diamond Makes the Scene Shine

By Sarah Palmer

   In an industry where it can be very tough for a woman to earn the gigs she deserves, the beautiful, Hawaiian-born DJ Diamond has become one of the most sought-after DJs on the planet. And, much like her namesake, this gem’s recent performances have been earning her flawless praise. Here’s a glimpse at the dazzling DJ and the reasons, beyond her beauty, that she’s been lighting up the scene.

Globe Trotting
   DJ Diamond, who keeps her real name private, remembers an idyllic childhood spent between the small towns of Kaaawa and Kailua, Hawaii. “Hawaii is really laid back, very slow,” Diamond says, “My back yard was a waterfall, and my front yard was the beach.” Diamond’s father was a fireman whose side job as a magician piqued her interest in the performing arts. “He got me up on stage at age seven,” Diamond says, and a lifetime love of performance followed.
   Diamond became a theater major at the University of Hawaii, but due to her athletic nature and her proficiency in the science courses she was taking, she ended up switching her focus to a degree in sports medicine. A job in this  field eventually took Diamond to Manchester, England, where she reconnected with her artistic roots as a regular attendee of the Hacienda — a club known in the early nineties for its innovation in Electronic music. “I came back from England with all these CDs,” Diamond says.
   “I decided I didn’t like being in a hospital office all day, and I was heavily getting into the rave scene. So, I gave up medicine, bought myself a turntable and taught myself to play.”
   Diamond’s first gig was at Nocturnal Wonderland in Lake Havasu, Ariz., in 2001, and she soon realized the tricky situation of being female in the music industry. She explains that the upside has to do with marketability; female DJs are fairly rare, and surely the picture of a beautiful blonde woman on a promotional flyer or Web site has the potential to draw a crowd.
   “The downside is that people don’t expect a lot from you,” Diamond says. “They don’t think you’ll have what it takes. But then when you do bring it, people are really pleased.”
   Diamond has been asked to showcase her talent on the turntables in more than 12 countries, including Singapore and Russia.
   “One of my favorite experiences was playing in Johannesburg, South Africa in front of 15,000 people — it was a day party at a water park,” she says. “And the response I got in Indonesia was amazing. The people there are lovely, lovely people.”


Beyond Bella 
   As if her travels haven’t kept her busy enough, Diamond has been featured in several leading magazines, including Playboy and Maxim, and she started her own label, Bella Music.
   “I want to do it all myself,” Diamond says of her label’s advent. “I want to know the ins and outs of the industry.”
   Her 18 year-old sister, Maxe Starr, is a vocalist on Bella, and Diamond says she will continue a collaborative relationship with her. As far as preparing for a successful show, Diamond encourages club owners to provide the top equipment possible for their DJs. “If they get what they want,” she says, “they are going to perform their best.”
   Beyond her international experience and entrepreneurial ideas, DJ Diamond insists that the people she works with have had a hand in her success, as well. “I have been very fortunate to work with talented, down-to-earth people,” she says. “For that, I thank the music gods.”               

NCB