Exclusive Interview
Dinah Jane Reveals The Meaning Behind ‘Retrograde’ & Why She’s ‘Loving’ Being A Solo Artist
HollywoodLife caught up with Dinah Jane for an EXCLUSIVE chat at the 1st leg of the ‘Future of Awesome Tour.’ Find out her 2019 New Year’s resolution, & the story behind her brand new track!
Dinah Jane, 21, is full steam ahead when it comes to her solo career, and nothing is slowing her down! In addition to releasing multiple new songs this month, the superstar has teamed up with Xfinity and Sofar Sounds to create a new epic concert series! The star launched the ‘Future of Awesome Tour,’ and before the first stop, HollywoodLife caught up with the former Fifth Harmony songstress for an EXCLUSIVE chat. Find out the most important thing she’s learned so far this year, and why sometimes, a solo career can be “bittersweet.”
You debuted some new music live recently! That’s so exciting.
I know, I’m so happy. I’m in a hurry, I just want to move on already. I have so many good songs I just want to release!
Can you tell me a bit about “Retrograde” and the inspiration behind that one?
“Retrograde” is an interesting one…I walked into the room with my music producer, and there was a couple writers in the room, and I just remember I wanted to talk smack. I was like ‘huh, I want to get a little petty and talk about some real like events that had happened in my life before.’ I tried to not be too specific..but it’s basically about a past of mine, that I brought up, where I’m still friends with his mother, you can’t get rid of me, I’m still always going to be in the picture, so no matter how many times you try to run away from me, I’m still going to be here. Retrograde!
You released a collab earlier this year with some incredible artists: Ty Dolla $ign and Marc E. Bassy. What was it like working with them?
My boys! It was so exciting. I’ve always wanted to work with them. I believe I found them on SoundCloud. I remember hearing them, back before “Work From Home” ever existed, so I remember hearing this record called “That’s Love,” and it was Marc’s song featuring Ty, and I was like ‘who are these guys?’ So years down the line, we need a feature for “Work From Home” and I reached out and I was like ‘it has to be Ty Dolla $ign!’ Then I was like ‘wait, I need Marc E. Bassy for my own record!’ I thought with “Bottled Up” it would be awesome to bring them together.
It’s funny you mention SoundCloud, because it’s a big platform for emerging artists, as is Sofar Sounds. Why is it important to you to partner with them and stay tapped into that scene?
It’s important to me because I was in there shoes before – I remember being in that moment of becoming an emerging artist. It’s just exciting to me, because I know how excited they are themselves just to step onstage, and to have people discover their talent. I think it’s just very important to be involved and expose them even more.
Is there anyone that would be an absolute dream for you to collab with in the future?
In the way future, it would be Carrie Underwood. I’m a Carrie Underwood kind of girl. And maybe Jhene Aiko, or Miguel. My taste is kind of all over the place, I’m not just one thing, and that’s kind of one thing you can get out of Xfinity and Sofar performance, because I was actually able to curate the performers on this tour. I was like ‘wow, I love how diverse we can go,’ and it’s also a reflection of my taste in music.
It’s almost the new year. As 2019 approaches, is there anything you’ve learned about yourself looking back at the year behind us?
I’ve learned a lot of things this year, especially being you know…I’m stepping into my own as a solo artist this year. I’ve learned so much, I’ve gone through so much, and I’m still learning. I’m so used to having company, and I’ve learned to be more responsible – everything is more on me. I’m the one making the decisions. I don’t have four or five people on my neck like ‘Oh my gosh what are we going to do?’ It’s more now just like ok ‘this is what you’re creating, these are your decisions.’ I think it’s bittersweet, I would say. I’m loving it, and being 21, its not easy, I feel like I’m still a kid at heart, so I’m trying to balance my youth and being an adult, but I feel like the child in me will never die.
Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?
I always fail! I don’t know, it’s always something to do with health. I feel like I always, everybody, that’s the go-to. I’ll start there, start eating healthier, making better decisions, better choices, and maybe even looking at more inspirational quotes, like when you wake up in the morning, that’s what you should read. Something to inspire you and keep you going throughout the day.
