What Happens in Vegas Isn't Staying in Vegas As

Dian Diaz

Sets Out to Conquer the Pop Music World by Spreading

“ Colour Everywhere ”

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Renowned Sin City Chanteuse and Featured Former Luis Miguel Backing Vocalist, Who has shared her stage at Her Longtime Bellagio Gig with, Bono and R. Kelly

And is visited by Her Idol Whitney Houston, Set to Release

Self-Titled Indie Debut on Strip City Records

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Collection Features Songs Co-written and Produced by

R&B, Pop Heavyweights Narada Michael Walden, Guy Roche,

Rodney Alejandro and DJ Jazzy Jeff

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“Colour Everywhere” Impacts at

AC Mainstream Radio on August 29

 

The clever marketing line about Sin City goes, “What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas,” but Dian Diaz —a sensation on The Strip since she began headlining The Bellagio's prestigious Fontana Room in 1998—has too much talent, ambition and vision to remain a local legend for long. On August 29, the critically acclaimed vocalist's soaring ballad “Colour Everywhere,” from her highly anticipated self-titled debut,

is hitting AC mainstream stations nationwide. The inspirational song perfectly reflects all of the passion and energy that Diaz has put into a project whose powerful blend of Pop and Latin influences are destined to set new trends in pop music.

During her time as one of Las Vegas' premier, must see club attractions, Diaz has endeared herself to numerous pop legends who have been literally blown away by her riveting performances with her 8-piece band. Everyone from R. Kelly to Bono has come up onstage to sing with her. Another of her fans is her longtime idol Whitney Houston, who once came to check her out three nights in a row! At the big party for the film Ocean's Eleven, Andy Garcia got up and played congas.

With all the star magnetism, it's no surprise that Diaz was able to attract huge behind the scenes talent to work with her on her debut. Contributing songwriters include multiple Grammy award winner Narada Michael Walden (whose credits include Houston, Diaz's other vocal idol Mariah Carey and Aretha Franklin), Guy Roche, (Celine, Cher and Christina Aguilera) and DJ Jazzy Jeff's Crew out of Philadelphia, who have worked with Jeff's former partner Will Smith and Jill Scott, among others. Dian Diaz's other producer is Rodney Alejandro, whose credits include the theme song for Fox's “The Shield” and the theme song for CBS' “Now and Again”; he has also worked with The Temptations and Olga Tañon.

Frustrated with the hot and cold, hurry up and wait responses and all the false starts from major labels, Diaz and her husband Alex Norbert took matters into their own hands, building an elaborate home studio (dubbed Strip City Studios) and financing the recording themselves. Dian Diaz, which will be released under the label Strip City Records, has a nationwide distribution deal with BDG/RED/Sony; Strip City is the only indie label in Vegas that currently has major label distribution.

Diaz and Norbert are managing partners of the very successful DNA Music Enterprises, a production management company that supplies musical entertainment for live performance venues at such resorts as The Bellagio, The Mirage and Monte Carlo . They conceptualize, create and customize acts from scratch, hiring musicians from all around the country to perform 48 weeks a year. Once on board, the musicians undergo an intensive five week “boot camp'; genres range from symphonic rock to classic rock and variety shows.

Though many industry insiders who have heard Diaz's towering voice have predicted mainstream pop stardom for her on the level of her vocal heroes, the singer insists that it is equally important for her to express her Latin roots up front. She co-wrote four songs on the album (including “Lay It On The Line” and “Willing to Love”), but even the ones she didn't have a compositional hand in (“Colour Everywhere,” “Pot of Gold”) reflect the struggles and dreams of her childhood growing up in humble circumstances in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“It would have been easy to just gather a handful of great songs that fit my vocal style,” she says, “but I really wanted to take a more personal approach that tells my own story, and that includes the big ballad ‘No More Tears,' which has an acoustic guitar bolero flavor. ‘Willing To Love' talks about my relationship with my family and moves onto a spiritual level. With the uptempo dance track ‘Just Ain't Feelin' It,' I wanted to create something of a female national anthem in the mode of ‘I Will Survive.' For a long time, my show at the Bellagio featured me doing cover songs, but it's slowly been evolving into my own show, where I use more original material to tell the story of my musical influences, my family and my career.”

Diaz's rise in the music industry is a tale that will inspire not only young girls, but everyone who puts value in the power of dreams. Her mother was a single parent who worked hard to put herself through nursing school, and Diaz often ‘played mom' to her two brothers. Her only father figure was her grandfather, who would play the guitar and encourage her to sing at a young age. Though each of these generations was born in the United States, they were still strongly connected to their Spanish, Mexican and Native American roots, and Diaz's early musical influences were a blend of boleros, rancheras and (thanks to her mom) country music.

As she got older and started singing in bands (she became a staple at local fairs), her biggest influences were Whitney and Mariah, and she started singing rock classics by Heart and Journey. Her goal was to leave New Mexico for Los Angeles , but she got sidetracked to Vegas when she was hired by a band from New Mexico that had a Top 40 gig there. That exposure led to two years of touring as a backup singer for Latin superstar Luis Miguel; the two brought houses down everywhere with their passionate duet of ‘How Do You Keep The Music Playing?' She also met her husband Alex, who worked in production during the tour..

Before becoming the house entertainer at The Fontana Room just after The Bellagio opened in 1998, Diaz and her band created such an incredible buzz that they were often put in the opening slots for superstar artists performing in town; these included acts like The Commodores, Richard Elliot, Spyro Gyra, Chuck Mangione and Jean-Luc Ponty.

Diaz and a host of international music celebrities worked on the Music of Love album, featuring her single, "Spirit is Here to Lift You Up," which has been released in Asia . Other performers on the album include Sting, Stevie Wonder, Yolanda Adams, Enya, Take 6 and En Vogue. She was also featured on the new O'Jays album For The Love with the song "Latin Lover."

“Ambition is a curious thing,” Diaz says. “From the time I was a little girl, I had a dream and a purpose that has driven me, and that has been to share my voice and music with the world. I love the career I have in Las Vegas , but my passions run even deeper and I believe my album is just the first step in the next part of my journey. I feel it doesn't matter how many people say you can't do something, you have to try to do it for yourself. No matter the obstacles, it is important to keep moving forward.

“With success also comes responsibility, however,” she adds. “I want to use music as a basis to give back to my community back home and also help develop youth programs to help kids who don't have these kinds of opportunities. I am determined to lead by example, and to make a difference in my family's life. More and more, I become aware of the enormous power music has to make a difference.”