Interview with Diane Arkenstone–a singer with a difference

Diane Arkenstone wrote her first song at the age of three and started playing guitar at the age of seven. Her album, “Jewel in the Sun,” No. 11 on Billboard’s New Age charts. In 2005, her album, The Best of Diane, went No. 1 on the New Age radio charts. In all, she’s worked on more than 45 albums, producing 28 under her own label, Neo Pacifica.

Diane’s music embraces many styles, from Celtic, Trance, World and Native American, to techno, rock and folk. http://www.dianearkenstone.com

We had an email interview with Diane.

Q1. Back to childhood! Tell us how you grew liking music.

Hello Vivek, I am honored to be a part of this interview with you, thank you!

Yes, I remember at 3 years old, singing and writing songs and I loved it so much, I have never stopped since.

Q2. How it came that you became a singer—did somebody inspired you or it came as a matter of choice?

We had horses, where I grew up on a ranch, and I would ride everyday and sing to my horse to keep him calm and happy.

Q3. Tell us something about your training and tutelage—what was the schedule that you followed and how fulfilling it was?

I am self-taught and because music is such a joy for my soul, I easily practiced many hours a day and still do.

Q4. In singing, the throat clarity plays a major part. How do you think you keep your throat clear from infections, even a common cold and other minor hiccups?

I never think about it, the voice is always there. I never warm up for a recording session or live performance, I just go out and sing.

Q5. Tell us something about your collaboration with different artists and musicians. How you feel it brings a lot of creativity and insight to your own music?

David Arkenstone and I have written and recorded many albums together, and he is extremely fun to create with. He brings in rhythm and percussion while I bring in an ethereal energy. I have not collaborated with many other people because I am inspired by anything and everything in life, and have released many different albums to reflect that. Some of the albums are Native American, Celtic, World, African, Brazilian, Middle Eastern and Trance.

Q6. Which one of these two do you like more—singing on stage live or recording the music in a studio? Tell us also why you like any of these?

I love them both so much, yet they are very different energies. The studio is creation, the stage is connection.

Q7. What is the most important aspect of singing and making a successful career as a professional singer?

The freedom I feel from creating, which forges a strong connection with my own soul. And there I find peace. I find God.

Q8. In the recent times, music has crossed boundaries and helps bring people together. Have you performed with some foreign artists and if yes, how has been the experience?

I have written and recorded music with artists from different countries in Europe for film scores, and love the simplicity and depth they have. There is no ego, just a sense of the soul and the same vulnerability that is in all of us. It brings us all together, realizing every one of us is the same inside.

Q9. Tell us the most memorable incident of your life as a singer.

When I used to sing in hospitals for people who were dying, and they would cry because they told me I helped them find their peace. I was the one who cried the most though.

Q10. Any advice to young and budding singers who would like to make a career in music.

Start right now and never worry what the next step should be. Something or someone always appears to guide you in the best direction, always. And then very soon, the world will be uplifted by your beautiful music. The world needs you.