Diana Flynn Visits Section 36 Music!

Photo by Jeremy Willis

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Diana Flynn is a talented singer and songwriter, and I was so glad she wanted to visit with us and discuss her music, her future goals, and more. I’m sure you’ll love everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when Diana Flynn visits Section 36 Music!

You’re currently working on the tracks for your debut EP. When can we expect to hear it?

I’m hoping during the year 2021, but with this pandemic who knows! 

What has the experience of creating the EP been like?

An emotional rollercoaster for sure. I started the project at the end of 2018 when my priorities were very different from where they are now. My co-writing process often looked like throwing a big pity party and crying a lot. 

The EP was supposed to be released in 2020. I had flights booked to record it in Nashville + Chicago, but then the pandemic happened and changed it all.

After that, I unknowingly let OCD take over every one of my decisions. I dropped music, canceled the project, and became someone else entirely in an effort to fix intrusive thoughts. It was so bad. I had no idea OCD could make anyone’s life crumble that fast. Thankfully after a lot of treatment, I can look back on those days and laugh thinking, what was I doing trying to become a private investigator and living in church?!

I’m just so incredibly happy to be myself again and bring this music to life after that jarring experience. I absolutely love writing about things that are raw on my heart, and I’m so glad I came out of that situation to really appreciate what I do so much more. The EP will definitely be different than I had planned because I’m no longer that sad girl. 

Who/what would you consider to be your biggest musical influences?

Avril Lavigne, Brandi Carlile, and John Mayer. Three

Photo by
Chris Mendoza

completely different artists but I’ve come to realize my favorite artists are people who truly feel what they are performing, do music for the joy of it, and don’t change who they are for anyone else. That’s what inspires me the most.

Your YouTube channel is full of your wonderful cover videos. What do you enjoy about creating those?

I like finding songs with lyrics I relate to and music that inspires my writing process, but other than that, not much honestly haha! 

Songwriting is where I feel my soul glow, so singing covers isn’t really my favorite thing! I just love writing about ridiculous experiences I get myself in and laughing with my co-writers about it. What I love most about music is being able to take a real-life situation and turn it into this magical piece that makes ordinary life come alive in this beautiful scene.

Other than COVID, what would you say is your biggest career challenge?

Photo by
The Nat Lens

I’d say my biggest career challenge would be music companies telling me who I am supposed to be. It bothered me a lot when people told me things like my experience having an eating disorder was “gold” and “going to be what sells my music”, or that having crippling OCD was a “superpower” and “fantastic for my brand” because these things do not define me, I never want them to, and they are not something to glamorize.  

When I was just starting out as an artist I truly took each opinion to heart and did whatever I could to be successful. People told me how to dress, what to sing, how to act, what makeup to wear, etc and I did it all. Then, when I started getting successful for this persona they built up, it felt horrible. Like people loved this version of me that I didn’t even recognize.

So now my main goal is to be as authentic to myself as possible and completely disregard what anyone else thinks or how many followers I lose. Part of growing as an artist and human has been understanding that my value is not tied to any number-- not my number of followers, not my weight, not how many comments I get-- none of it matters at ALL. I’m learning that as long as I like what I’m doing and the music that I’m making, then I’ve made it. 

What are your immediate career goals?

The past has taught me that no amount of success equates to

happiness. So now my only goal is to make music I love regardless of whether it's marketable or not, have fun working with genuine good-hearted people in the industry, and move to Nashville as soon as possible because I love being in the writer's rounds so much and I miss the people there!

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That sounds like a solid goal! 

As always, I want to thank Diana for visiting, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I know you’ll all want to follow along with Diana to see what she's up to. The best way is to follow her online on Instagram, and visit her website. They’re great ways to make sure you don't miss a thing!

You can also visit her Section 36 Music page. There you'll find more links, music samples, and pictures. It's a great way to enjoy everything Diana has to offer all in one place.

Thanks again Diana, and good luck reaching your goals!