Diyet [windspeaker confidential]

Windspeaker: What one quality do you most value in a friend?
Diyet: When a person is joyful that has a great ripple effect†on everyone around them. When a person is truly joyful they are in a state of honesty, they are caring and supportive and have all the qualities I’d wish for in a friend.

W: What is it that really makes you mad?
Diyet: Gossip. When we lack the ability to communicate clearly and honestly, we often turn to gossiping to share information and to get our thoughts and feelings across. Unfortunately, our society seems to put more weight in the appearance of truth rather than the real deal. I guess it makes a more exciting story.

W: When are you at your happiest?
Diyet: When I am with my family. That can be onstage with my husband and having my children participate from the audience or backstage, or that can be when we are running the fish net in the middle of winter.

W: What one word best describes you when you are at your worst?
Diyet: Consumed.

W: What one person do you most admire and why?
Diyet: Just one? That’s really tough because I have so many role models. Recently, that would be my friend Chief Eric Morris. He is a peaceful warrior and embodies the qualities that I admire: a happy demeanor, inner strength, humour, self-love, humility, leadership and reason and when he gives you a hug he really, really means it.

W: What is the most difficult thing you’ve ever had to do?
Diyet: Be brutally honest to a person that I love. Knowing what I had to say would hurt them deeply and hoping that one day they would forgive me.

W: What is your greatest accomplishment?
Diyet: Having the guts to keep singing after realizing that not everyone thought I was as good as I thought I was! I don’t know if it’s a great accomplishment, but certainly the one that has allowed me the courage to be a better performer and not take myself too seriously.

W: What one goal remains out of reach?
Diyet: It sounds silly, but that would be overcoming my fear of mice. I practically live in the bush, yet my fear of those tiny creatures stop me from doing a lot of things I’d really like to do…like sleeping outside under the stars or going to a place in the world where it would be impossible to steer clear of rodents.

W: If you couldn’t do what you’re doing today, what would you be doing?
Diyet: Something creative. I’ve always been a creative person and love making things with my hands, writing stories, cooking, designing, talking… Actually, I do all those things anyways because I can’t help it. So the answer to the question is probably that I’d be doing the same things as I do now. I guess I’m destined to be an artsy person no matter what.

W: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Diyet: “Kluane First Nation (my nation) is going to keep turning whether you are at the wheel or not. If you want change, change yourself first” My Grandpa Joe said that to me when I was at my most frustrated with being on Chief and Council. What he meant for me to understand is that change starts with yourself and you can’t make others change just because you want them to. If you want to effect change you need to love yourself first and encourage others to love themselves as well.

W: Did you take it?
Diyet: I did and I’ll be working on it for the rest of my life. I realized that artists rarely make successful politicians, so I got off council. And I also realized that I’m not responsible for anyone’s happiness but my own. It doesn’t mean that I’ve disengaged; it just means that I’m not afraid to get to the point anymore and that point is: if you really want change then you have to take a good look in the mirror first.

W: How do you hope to be remembered?
Diyet: That was the easiest question. As a joyful person.
Diyet comes to us from Burwash Landing, Yukon. She was raised by both parents at home in Burwash and Vancouver. She is the middle child of four and is still close to all the extended family of various aunts, uncles and cousins. She says of her extended family, “We live in Burwash and raise our families together.”  Her musical talent seems to be genetic. Her great grandfather was an eminent potlatch singer, her grandmother was an opera singer and her father a musician. Singing came to her naturally.

Diyet said she was away from her Yukon roots for 15 years before she returned to the Yukon to settle. That return helped her focus on her songwriting and has had a strong hand in her debut CD, The Breaking Point. This CD is a collection of songs inspired by experiences and observations of the life led in contemporary First Nations society. She is backed by leading Yukon musicians from a variety of musical and cultural backgrounds, and the result is a groove-filled sound that explores R&B, rock, roots and world beats.

Diyet studied classical voice in university and received her Bachelor’s degree in music. She married a member of her band and has two children with him. They collaborate artistically on the music as well as perform together and parent. Diyet was asked to join a collaboration called The Circumpolar Soundscape for the Adaka Culturla Festival in 2011. The group was such a hit that they have been booked into 2013.

When asked what is near and dear to her heart, other than her family, she answered, “I believe in peace and so support amnesty. I believe in supporting those who make commitments to healing and positive living. Whether that’s through my music, friendship centres, youth organizations or volunteering.” When asked what she does in the way of hobbies and activities, she says that she loves to write, sew, cook and get out on the land and bike.

When in concert, Diyet engages her audiences in an intimate and uplifting experience as she invites them into her world of upbeat and soulful music. She is humorous, serious and emotive and uses a powerhouse voice that conveys emotion, passion, and hope. Diyet is a contemporary Aboriginal artist whose music leaves listeners with a sense of hope and possibility.