The Horror Within the Glamour: DIIMOND’s Rise Above

Many people were first introduced to Dezmond Meeks by two massively popular, talent-seeking reality shows, American Idol and America’s Got Talent. Gaining fame and notoriety as an undeniable talent and personality, the artist who now goes by the name of Diimond was seeking the limelight. However, he quickly discovered that the romance of Hollywood is often laden with tragedy.

The award-winning soul, R&B, pop, and rock recording artist Diimond has turned out a Neo-noir musical miniseries, The Truth About Fairytales, when he embodies the character of a struggling singer who’s life becomes intoxicatingly glamorous upon meeting his Prince Charming manager/producer, Damion, played by actor Emryhs Cooper.

In Part 1 of the miniseries titled Bad Attitude, Diimond delivers a song and music video that is full of depth and darkness, unafraid of shining a necessary light on the issue of LGBTQ domestic violence and the controlling nature of the entertainment industry. The stunning visuals of the video paired with the passionate urgency of Diimond’s performance provides a beautiful delivery of the serious nature of the subject matter that “Bad Attitude” addresses.

In a candid interview with Diimond, he shares the story of how the song evolved into a journey of empowerment, weaving in a lot of his own personal experiences into the narrative of the music video.

Can you tell us about where the idea of “Bad Attitude” came from?
The song and the video came at two different points of my life. The song stemmed from a lot of things that had been building up between me and random guys, and then it just evolved from there.

I’d always had this daring of myself to do the actual video about the story that I went through, but I was really afraid for a long time. I was engaged to this really nice, European man who wanted to be my manager, and I just didn’t like the idea; for whatever reason it didn’t feel right to me. It turns out that he really just wanted to posses me; he wanted to own me.

What happened with that relationship?
I ended up having to go through a lot of unnecessary drama as a result of our relationship. I ended up having to move from the place we lived together to Paris; I literally escaped from his house. He ended up following me around Europe a little, basically stalking me. A lot of the writings and things came during that time, so being on the other side was now, it’s kind of trippy to see, but at the same time, I’m glad I went through it. But, at the time, girl, I was like Tina Turner leaving Ike.

Your performance in that video feels very real. Have you ever acted before?
I studied acting in college; I was a musical theater major, and I did that whole thing, but then American Idol came along, and when I got on the show, I took a step back from the acting world.

I’ve shot music videos before, and there’s so much on the acting side that’s required. But, for this, there was definitely, you know, an awakening that I had to have as an actor, as an interpreter of a feeling or of a story. Thankfully, I’m working with some really talented people like Emryhs Cooper; when he came in, he brought in such a set level of standards as an actor. That really brought it out of me as well.

Can you talk about your experience living that duality of glitz and glamour and then what was actually going on behind the scenes?
I often say that there’s definitely a difference between Diimond and Dezmond. When I moved to the south of France, that was really where I had to put on the face because my ex was very Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. There would be times where we’d be having dinner with people and even something at the dinner table (would happen) and he would give me a look that was basically a, ‘Wait until we get home.’ So, a lot of the times I had to put on this face like nothing was going on.

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How does it feel to be releasing such personal songs and stories?
It feels like the first time that I’ve been able to be honest and transparent about who I am, what I am about, what my passions are, what my loves are. I’m a very, very private person; the family I come from, we were taught to keep our cards close, to keep our business to ourselves, which in some ways, I think, it’s been a blessing and a curse.

It’s allowed me to stay private, but then I think that’s why things haven’t really come to full fruition for me because I haven’t been completely transparent with my audience until now. A lot of the things that have transpired in this world have really opened up the floodgates for these types of conversations.

How has it been navigating the entertainment industry since you opened those floodgates?
Oh, it’s definitely a roller coaster. As we know, nothing in this industry is polished. I sold out to the idea years ago that I can make a million dollars, or I can just make enough to live. What’s important to me is the art and having it last long after I’m gone. I’ll say I still get a little side-eye here and there because I’m queer and a man of color.

I mean, I’ve been told that it’s more difficult for us, but I don’t think it’s really any more difficult for me than the next person … but it’s still difficult.