Being a diva may not be so bad

By Savannah Hall

Despite making sacrifices to advance her career and being a mother of a young daughter, Canadian musical heavyweight Divine Brown says touring the country to promote her new album is all about having fun,


“The fun part is always getting to hang out with my band because they are stupid,” Brown laughs. “[Really,] they are a bunch of silly people and we all have way too much fun. I’d want to go on tour with someone I think I would have fun with, that could be anyone.”


Off tour, Brown is still all about her music, getting very involved in the writing and producing her albums.


“I wrote this album, The Love Chronicles, and it felt good to me at the time to write it,” she says. “Me and song writing go hand in hand.”


One of her main frustrations is with radio programmer’s tendencies to misinterpret her music. Whether it is failing to understand her as an artist or what should be on the radio, Brown, in true diva fashion, has no problem laying it on the line.


“An artist never entirely feels that they are completely understood,” she explains. “That is one of the things about being an artist here in Canada. The frustration lies in how sometimes radio programmers have a lacking in understanding of what it is they do or the perspective they have. This industry is always changing so it’s difficult to put your finger on what is going to work and what isn’t going to work. What you think that people are going to dig and what radio programmers are going to go for. Sometimes I don’t think I get to see a lot of people taking a chance in music and that’s something I’d like to see more.”


In addition to the hardships of being a musician, being a mother with a career has come with a lot of sacrifices for the rising star.


“Women can have it all,” proclaims Brown. “Yes, with sacrifices, but any of the sacrifices I have made to get to this to this position and knowing that I have a little girl is well worth it.”


Brown’s perseverance comes through living by a personal motto.


“Never give up,” she says. “Don’t give up. Persistence is key to make something happen. The more persistent you are the more opportunities are going to open for you.”


Brown doesn’t deny that she became successful by being a diva, often giving her opinions and challenging the mainstream.


“Yeah, absolutely,” she says. “Anytime that any female artist that has had diva attached to her name, they have usually been very good. I take that as a compliment.”

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