Amy Diamond

Infobox musical artist
Name = Amy Diamond


Img_capt = Performing live in Norrköping in 2008
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Amy Linnéa Deasismont
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1992|4|15
Norrköping, Sweden
Died =
Origin = Jönköping, Sweden
Instrument =
Genre = Pop
Occupation = Singer
Years_active = 2005 - present
Label = Bonnier Amigo Music Group
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.amydiamond.se/ www.amydiamond.se]
Notable_instruments =

Amy Diamond (born Amy Linnéa Deasismont on April 15, 1992) is a Swedish pop singer. She is known for her debut single "What's in It for Me" which was released when she was 12 years old. The song was a 2005 hit in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland. It was the most-played song in Poland that year; it remained in the top ten for four months. Diamond has released three albums and performed on television.] ]

To date, her biggest hits have been "What's in it for Me", "Welcome to the City","Champion", "Shooting Star", "Don't Cry Your Heart Out", "It Can Only Get Better" and most recently "Thank You".

Biography

Early life

Diamond was born April 15, 1992, in Norrköping, Sweden. She is the second child of an English father, Lee, and a Swedish mother, Chrisbeth. Soon after her birth, the family moved to England. cite web | url=http://wwwb.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,681790,00.html | title=Nu ska Amy vinna världen | publisher=Aftonbladet | accessdate=2007-06-13 ] The family moved back to Sweden when she was four-and-a-half years old, this time to Jönköping, where she learned Swedish. Diamond still lives there with her two younger sisters, Lisa and Holly, and an older sister, Danielle. cite web | last= | first= | url=http://www.amydiamond.se/?sid=article&pid=read&id=2376&setScreenWidth=&setScreenHeight=&bfs=1 | title=Amy Diamond -Still Me Still Now | publisher=amydiamond.se | accessdate=2007-02-18 ]

Diamond started figure skating at age six and won multiple gold medals. She practiced six times a week before embarking on her singing career. News report on Swedish TV4. February 17, 2005.] She went to a dance and theater school called "Blandgodis", and participated in theater and TV productions which gave her experience in public performing. She also appeared in a small television role on the show "De drabbade".

Diamond has loved singing since she was two years old. Interview in "Bettina S." talk show on March 6, 2006, Finnish FST.] One of her first public performances was at age seven on the talent show "Småstjärnorna". She dressed as Belinda Carlisle and lip synced to "Heaven is a Place on Earth", finishing third in the competition."Småstjärnorna", Swedish TV4 (2000).] In 2004, she participated in talent competitions such as "Minimelodifestivalen" in Jönköping and Swedish TV4's "Super Troupers", winning most of them. On "Mix Megapol Summer Idol" Diamond won the main prize: to record a song in a real studio. During recording, she was offered a commercial recording contract.Fan chat with Amy Diamond on February 4, 2007.] Soon after, Diamond recorded her debut single "What's in It for Me". Markus Sepehrmanesh, one of the songwriters for her albums, said in an interview that she sang perfectly. "What's in It for Me" was recorded in ninety minutes and the single was released the following February.

Success as a singer

"What's in It for Me" was a commercial success, although some Swedish TV stations refused to show the music video, arguing that Diamond was too young for the song's theme about adult relationships. Amy, though, didn't see the theme as an adult relationship - in her eyes it was relationships between friends. Nevertheless, the song received extensive radio airplay while she simultaneously went on tour with Elin Lanto. cite web | last= | first= | url =http://www.amydiamond.se/?sid=article&pid=read&id=2382&bfs=1 | title=Elin Lanto & Amy Diamond åker på Signeringsturné! | publisher=amydiamond.se | accessdate=2007-06-14 ] "What's in It for Me" reached number one on the Swedish singles chart in March and eventually went platinum.

Before long, Diamond appeared on Swedish TV4 and used her artist name for the first time. Although she sang to a pre-recorded backing track in the studio, on the program she sang her single and Alicia Keys' song "If I Ain't Got You" while accompanied by a live band. The band included a drummer, guitarist, bassist, background singer and a keyboard player, who also sang backgrounds.Television show "Nyhetsmorgon", Swedish TV4, February 16, 2005.]

in Sweden at the time. The success led to television appearances, such as on the weekly chart show "Trackslistan" and on the children's competition show "Vi i femman". By the end of 2005, she had appeared live on more than 20 television shows. A concert tour in Sweden was organized for her in the summer, and some of the shows were also televised. cite web | last= | first= | url=http://www.amydiamond.se/?sid=article&pid=read&id=3031&setScreenWidth=&setScreenHeight=&bfs=1 | title=Amy succé i TV | publisher=amydiamond.se | accessdate=2007-02-18 ]

Although Diamond's fans are typically school children, the album cannot be described as children's music. [ [http://www.arbetarbladet.se/PGarticle.php?id=311753&avdelning_1=111&avdelning_2=157 ARBETARBLADET - På Gång/Nöje ] ] The style of "This Is Me Now" is mainly happy pop music with synthesizer backgrounds, but it includes the theme song "Tomorrow" from the musical "Annie" and a live recording of the song "If I Ain't Got You". The songs in the album were made by the producer team Tysper (Tommy Tysper), Mack (Marcus Sepehrmanesh) and Grizzly (Gustav Jonsson), who are all from Stockholm. They form the core of the production company "TEN Production" and have produced successful pop tracks before working with Diamond. Other "Ten Production" songs seeing popularity were performed by the A Teens and Helena Paparizou. Diamond's albums were published through Bonnier Amigo Music Group. cite web | last= | first= | url=http://www.ten.se/?sid=article&pid=read&id=820 | title=Songwriters and producers | publisher=TEN songs/productions | accessdate=2007-06-13 ] cite web | last= | first= | url=http://www.ten.se/?sid=extras&pid=TMGdiscography | title=Tysper/Mack/Grizzly Discography | publisher=TEN songs/productions | accessdate=2007-06-13 ]

Diamond is a talented live singer and sings without a playback tape in her public performances. Her debut album included a live version of Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You", which was described in a review as "sweet and impressive at the same time". cite web | last= | first= | url=http://www.svd.se/dynamiskt/rec_skivor/did_9766504.asp | title= Amy Diamond This is me now | publisher=Svenska Dagbladet | accessdate=2007-06-13 ] In "Super Troupers", where she reached the final by singing Shakira's "Underneath Your Clothes" at age twelve, the judges characterized her singing voice as secure and balanced, and also said that she sang the song better than the original singer. A review in "Svenska Dagbladet" described her voice as fine and secure, and her record label advertised it as "shining and characteristic".

Outside Sweden

Diamond signed a distribution deal with Warner in July in order to promote the album internationally. She never appeared with her band again, instead performing with a background track and dancers. The album became popular also in other Nordic countries and Poland during the following summer, and "What's In It for Me" was heard frequently on the radio, becoming the 19th most played song of 2005 in Finland. [cite web | last= | first= | url=http://www.iltalehti.fi/popstars/200604134388635_ps.shtml | title=Green Day viime vuoden soitetuin | publisher=iltalehti.fi | accessdate=2007-04-15 ] More singles followed from the album: "Welcome to the City" and "Champion" were released in the summer. A special edition of the album was released for the Central European market. It contained two previously-unreleased songs which would later appear on "Still Me Still Now".

Diamond was sent on a promotional tour throughout Central Europe in late 2005. Her record deal allowed the whole family to travel with her whenever the concerts were abroad. Therefore, her family appeared on television in Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands.

Diamond was nominated for several awards in 2005. At 13, she was the youngest person in history to receive the Nordic Music Award for the best Nordic hit "What's in It for Me"."Nordic Music Awards" 2005 on Danish TV2.] Further, she is the youngest artist to receive two simultaneous NRJ Radio Awards and the youngest to be nominated for the Swedish Grammy Awards. At the Grammy Awards, she won Best Swedish Female Artist, Song of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year. Diamond received a Nickelodeon award for Hit of the Year, and had nominations for the Swedish Rockbjörnen. [cite web | last= | first= | url=http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/noje/story/0,2789,762929,00.html | title=Diamond - yngst på galan | publisher=expressen.se | accessdate=2007-04-15 ]

econd album

Diamond started recording her second album in February 2006. Her producers sent her songs and she chose which ones she wanted included on the album. The album was recorded over four weekends at a pace of two to three songs per weekend.Interview in "Gomorron Sverige", 2006-06-19, SVT1] The album "Still Me Still Now" was published in May and the first single "Don't Cry Your Heart Out" was released a couple of weeks prior to the general album distribution.cite web | last = | first = | url =http://www.amydiamond.se/?sid=article&pid=read&id=3906&setScreenWidth=&setScreenHeight=&bfs=1 | title = Inspelning av nya albumet | publisher =amydiamond.se | accessdate = 2007-02-18 ]

Although not much was heard from her in the spring, the second album was highly anticipated. Two days before the announced release date, she was interviewed on the morning talk show "Nyhetsmorgon" on TV4. The host surprised Diamond by handing her a gold record for the album; it had already sold enough copies on pre-orders alone to be certified.Interview with Amy Diamond in "Nyhetsmorgon" May 22, 2006, Swedish TV4.] "Don't Cry Your Heart Out" was a radio hit in Sweden, but not elsewhere.

"Still Me Still Now" continued in the same style as the previous album, being mostly light-pop music. "Don't Cry Your Heart Out" was radio-friendly pop, but songs such as "Diamonds" and "No Regrets" were arranged in a style reminiscent of musicals. [cite web | last = | first = | url =http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=4494 | title = Amy Diamond, "Still Me Still Now" | publisher = Burlee | accessdate = 2007-06-17 ] Some reviews wondered about the song selections, but Diamond's voice was praised nevertheless.Fact|date=January 2008 The selected songs were alleged by some to be unsuitable for Diamond and her audience, but on the other hand her potential was appreciated.cite web | last = | first = | url =http://www.svd.se/dynamiskt/rec_skivor/did_12754431.asp | title = Amy Diamond Still Me Still Now | publisher = Svenska Dagbladet | accessdate = 2007-06-13 ] cite web | last = | first = | url =http://www.arbetarbladet.se/PGarticle.php?id=405223&avdelning_1=111&avdelning_2=157 | title = Amy Diamond | publisher =Arbetarbladet | accessdate = 2007-06-13 ]

In mid-2006, Diamond took part in the Diggiloo tour, where she performed, among other songs, Edith Piaf's "Je ne regrette rien". Although "Still Me Still Now" wasn't as big a success outside Sweden as "This Is Me Now", it was still popular in her home country. She also held concerts beyond the Diggiloo tour; readers of the largest evening newspaper, "Aftonbladet", voted her 2006 Summer Tour Queen. Diamond released two more singles in late 2006, "Big Guns" and "It Can Only Get Better", and continued to appear on television, including appearances on prime-time shows such as "Sommarkrysset", "Gokväll", and "Vinterkrysset". In January 2007, Amy Diamond started a fan club that publishes a quarterly fan magazine called "Amy Diamond Fanzine". Lastly, in September 2007 she sang on "Elvis - The Original Cast". [cite web | last = | first = | url =http://jonkoping.expressen.se/Nyheter/1.734471 | title = Elvis ersättare: Amy | publisher = Expressen | accessdate = 2007-05-26 ]

Third Album

Throughout the second half of 2007, Diamond recorded her third album called "Music in Motion". The album contains tracks done by some renowned producers such as Max Martin and Alexander Kronlund, who have worked with for example Britney Spears.

Diamond's first single called "Is It Love?" from the new album was released on September 26, 2007. Additionally, she has performed her new song on some TV-shows like "Bobster", "Bingolotto" and has even won "Best Female Artist" at "Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards".

Diamond's new album "Music in Motion" was released on November 28, 2007 and her second single "Stay My Baby" (from the new album), written by Max Martin and Tommy Tysper, was released on November 23. In the beginning of December 2007, Diamond began autograph sessions in Sweden.

Diamond entered Melodifestivalen, the Swedish selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, in February 2008. Her song was called "Thank You", [ESCtoday.com (15 January 2008). [http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/10130 Carola and Andreas unite] . Retrieved on 16 January 2008.] and it earned her a 8th place in the final round. [cite web | last = | first = | url =http://www.pitea-tidningen.se/artikel.aspx?artid=69707&arkiv=False | title =15 år och redan på toppen av karriären | publisher = Piteå-Tidningen | accessdate = 2007-05-26 ] The song was later included on the re-release of her album, entitled "Music in Motion - Gold Edition".

Christmas Album

In September it was announced that Amy was to put out a Christmas album called En Helt Ny Jul or "A Brand New Christmas" in

English. It has a release date of November 19, 2008, and will comprise of all Traditional Swedish Yule (or Jul) carols.

The Style is described as being a classic styled Christmas album, but with a dose of Pop. This will be Diamonds first

album to be sung completely in the Swedish language.

Life outside music

Diamond keeps her private life separate from her singing career. She wants her real surname to remain unknown to the public. She took on her stage name, Amy Diamond, when she released her first single "What's in It for Me". She has said that she chose Diamond because it's her birthstone. [cite web | last = | first = | url =http://archive.corren.se/archive/2005/4/12/i4mu6z4q8yyoiwv.xml?category1=1096984640-27& | title = 12-åriga Amy ett äkta stjärnskott | publisher = Östgöta Correspondenten | accessdate = 2007-06-26 ]

Despite her singing career, she goes to school and only rarely misses a day. According to her, there are promotional jobs only every now and then and most are on weekends. If there are gigs on the weekdays, she does the schoolwork as homework. She has mentioned in interviews that math, PE, and sewing are her favorite subjects in school. She regards her education as important, as it will allow her to do something else if the music doesn't work out or if she doesn't want to sing anymore; she has said that she wants to sing as long as it is fun. She has mentioned hairdressing as her future dream hobby. Despite her gigs, she has time to have holidays and she says the entertainment business hasn't been harsh on her. Her manager-father deals with the business side, and her parents support her in her career.

In 2006, Diamond received requests to do print modeling and television work in addition to her musical career. She appeared in a mail-order catalogue for Ellos, and did promotional work for Statoil and the sport store chain Stadium. [cite web | last = | first = | url =http://www.resume.se/nyheter/2006/08/10/amy_diamond_stadiums_nya_a/index.xml | title = Amy Diamond - Stadiums nya ansikte | publisher = www.resume.se | accessdate = 2007-03-11 ] In December, she appeared as an ice princess in the Swedish Christmas series "Lassemajas detektivbyrå". ["Lassemajas detektivbyrå" Dec 2006, Swedish SVT1.] The show let her demonstrate her figure skating skills, which were left unused since her music career took off.

In 2008, The Jewellery Company Tussilagosmycken decided to launch a Diamond-Jewellery called Amy's Diamond.The jewellery is made out of silver and has a diamond in the middle , and Amy's autograph on the back.The Jewellery did get launch in May 2008.

Discography

tudio albums

* "This Is Me Now" (2005) (#2 SWE)
* "Still Me Still Now" (2006) (#2 SWE)
* "Music in Motion" (2007) (#8 SWE)
* "Music in Motion Gold Edition" (2008) (#3 SWE)
* "En Helt Ny Jul" (2008)

ingles

s-ttl | title = Norwegian VG-lista number-one single: What's In It For Me (first run)
years = 31 August 2005 – 7 September 2005 s-ttl | title = Norwegian VG-lista number-one single: What's In It For Me (second run)
years = 12 September 2005 – 21 September 2005

Filmography

* "De drabbade" (2002)
* "Lassemajas detektivbyrå" (2006)

Trivia

*Miranda Cosgrove covered the song "Stay My Baby" for the .

References

External links

* [http://www.amydiamond.se/ Official Site (Swedish)]
*
* [http://www.youtube.com/user/amydiamond Amy Diamond Official Youtube Page]
* [http://www.myspace.com/amydiamond Amy Diamond's Official Myspace Page]

Persondata
NAME= Diamond, Amy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Child singer
DATE OF BIRTH=April 15, 1992
PLACE OF BIRTH=Norrköping, Sweden
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=