The alacrity with which Hannah Diamond welcomes you into the world of her second album is disarmingly brilliant and brimming with confidence. A swirling pixelated sophomore whose glittering pop orbits an authentic joy; Perfect Picture feels like Hannah Diamond’s best work yet.
PC Music often runs the risk of being so pristine that any feeling of meaning to derive from it could glide right off like beaded droplets on its high surface tension production. One of the most engaging aspects of this project then is how Hannah Diamond creates a sense of depth within it. Her deeply honest lyricism about perfectionism, insecurities in relationships, and vulnerability in having big dreams cracks this taught environment allowing you to sink into contemplative emotional states of self reflection.
At other points, glistening mountains of pop synthetics burst upwards creating true moments of euphoric joy crystallising into wonderful shapes guided by the hand of David Gamson’s production. There is no doubt this deadly duo of pristine but somehow maximalist production and Hannah Diamond’s gift for emotive hooks is heart-shatteringly good. It’s so lovely seeing an artist go through a process of growth where connection is welcomed and a desire for people to be uplifted feels honest, palpable and deeply uncynical.
As a business woman and your own CEO, how is your Q4 looking?
Q4 is currently shaping out to be the busiest time at HDHQ this year, with the new album just being released, and my US and Europe tour. We’re focusing on IRL experiences and translating all of the digital work that’s been going on this year into the physical world, which is super exciting!
How are you feeling now that your second album is out into the world?
I’m feeling super empowered and embodied right now, which is a really special thing to me, having spent a lot of time feeling the opposite of this. So I’m really savouring every moment and thinking about ways I can hold onto this feeling and harness this new power into making more work that I love and feel this proud of.
How did your approach to the creation of Perfect Picture differ from your debut album Reflections in 2019.
The processes of creating both of these albums was so different, reflections took a long time to come together for various reasons and was a much slower process. It was also a much more interior album for me, a mess to express things I was going through that were really hard for me as a process of catharsis. It was a creative process that was also a search for healing.
Whereas Perfect Picture comes from a much more empowered and happy place, which is where I’m at right now. For me it’s more of a conceptual album this time around, it’s still extremely personal, but this time the focus is more on the things I’ve been thinking about and an exploration of my ideas rather than being solely focused on my emotions. That’s not to say that Perfect Picture isn’t emotional or isn’t inspired by my experiences––it is. But this time, rather than being about my most intimate relationships, this album explores all the multiple dimensions of my self and identity.
Whereas Perfect Picture comes from a much more empowered and happy place, which is where I’m at right now. For me it’s more of a conceptual album this time around, it’s still extremely personal, but this time the focus is more on the things I’ve been thinking about and an exploration of my ideas rather than being solely focused on my emotions. That’s not to say that Perfect Picture isn’t emotional or isn’t inspired by my experiences––it is. But this time, rather than being about my most intimate relationships, this album explores all the multiple dimensions of my self and identity.
It feels like a fair few of the themes you pick apart are by chance encapsulated through one of the most commercially successful and pink films in the history of cinema, Barbie. Have you watched the film, how did it sit with you, and most importantly, when is the unreleased Hannah Diamond Barbie soundtrack dropping?
I know! It’s so true, it was very wild actually to me hearing that the Barbie movie was going to be released around the same time as my album because I already knew without knowing anything about the movie that there would be some synergy there just because of how intrinsically linked to expressions of girlhood and girly aesthetics Barbie is.
I really loved it, and the soundtrack was amazing. I think Lip Sync could have been a really good fit. There were so many scenes and common themes in the story line which surprised me. Barbie losing her sense of self and becoming more real and less perfect (flat feet for example), there was a part too that felt super connected to my lyric “I know sometimes it can feel like, being yourself is hard enough, under pressure to be so much, all these impossible things that don’t seem to add up.” For me that’s about feeling like you need to be perfect and happy all the time and not being able to live up to all these impossible expectations that are expected of womxn.
I really loved it, and the soundtrack was amazing. I think Lip Sync could have been a really good fit. There were so many scenes and common themes in the story line which surprised me. Barbie losing her sense of self and becoming more real and less perfect (flat feet for example), there was a part too that felt super connected to my lyric “I know sometimes it can feel like, being yourself is hard enough, under pressure to be so much, all these impossible things that don’t seem to add up.” For me that’s about feeling like you need to be perfect and happy all the time and not being able to live up to all these impossible expectations that are expected of womxn.
David Gamson of Scritti Politti produced Perfect Picture could you talk a bit about how this experience was, did you teach him any PC Music tricks of the trade?
I love working with Dave, we’ve really found an amazing collaboration together. Dave actually shares a lot of similar sensibilities to all of us at PC Music when it comes to writing and we were all so inspired by his work at the start that actually I’d say it has been Dave teaching us tricks of the trade since day one.
Often artists now travel between different locations in the recording processes, did any spaces have a significant influence on the album or stand out to you?
So I wrote this album between my bedroom and LA, it was definitely funny the first time I went to see Dave at his studio after the pandemic when we were writing primarily on Zoom. It kind of felt like I had travelled through the screen of my computer. I was on the other side of the window - which is a common theme in the album.
You recently described how Poster Girl came about with your friend Oskie and how the track is not only about transformation but during the process of writing it transformed you both. Could you describe how you feel it transformed you during it’s creation?
When you work on music with friends, it’s an incredibly special headspace to be in. It’s super fun but also you learn things about each other that aren’t possible in everyday friend interactions. You get to know how their brain works, they way they feel and experience music and it’s super special. We did a lot of writing together for this album and I think taught each other so much about pop music and in the process we found a true bestie in each other which is super cool. For me, Poster Girl is the ultimate outcome of the time we spent writing together for my album, it really encapsulates the fun we had trying to write pop music together.
You mentioned that for you a key part of pop music is an element of relatability - why is it important for you for people to understand who you are and relate to your experiences?
I think that it’s because that’s how I listen to and enjoy pop music. My favourite songs are always ones that feel like they were written about my life, or something I’m going through at the time. It’s comforting to know you’re not alone in you feelings and I always hope that my music can be that comfort for other people.
How do you keep in contact with the PC Music collective and the friendships you’ve developed, an annual trip to the circus or a fancy dinner?
I text Hyd almost everyday, Namasenda and I always send important crush updates. Umru stays at my place every time they visit London. I feel like I have a routine or different way of keeping in touch with each person!
The final track on the album is titled Unbreakable why did this feel like the right note to finish the project on?
For me Unbreakable is the result of all the inner work I’ve been putting in since reflections, it’s the result of me doing my affirmations everyday, lip-syncing my way through the days where I didn’t feel ok, learning to be ok with all the impossible expectations that I feel are imposed upon me by my self and society, and coming out on top as a business woman and my own CEO.
Finally as someone looking to invest more into myself, what business advice do you have to offer?
Do your affirmations! Never give up! Plan ahead, future build, think bigger even if it feels like you don’t have the resources to right now, believe that they will come!
