Meet Dianna St. Hilaire

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dianna St. Hilaire a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dianna , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

As a child, I was a bit of a procrastinator. I always waited till the last minute, I lost stuff all the time. I never did my homework. I was not a good student. On the weekends, I was in bed till 12 PM and up all night long with my friends. Nothing mattered much, life was just hanging out with boys, parties, concerts, and the occasional learning of a new curiosity, such as skateboarding or dancing. I was always letting people down. Losing my house keys for the 3rd time got a little annoying for my parents, to the point where they took my keys away. I got D’s in my science classes because I never attended them. I was pretty irresponsible. I later chalked it up to a bit of depression from growing up in an abusive environment.

When I got older and I moved out of my parents’ home, I was able to finally learn a bit more about myself and what I needed in my life. With that came the never-ending desire to make all the things I ever wanted happen. The things I was told I’d never do or couldn’t do. To do that, I couldn’t be lazy or do things halfway. I had to put in the time and the effort and keep moving forward. But why?

I guess it’s from the place of not wanting others to feel the pain of being let down. I’ve been let down a lot in my life, and it’s not a good feeling. I always want to make sure I’m on time and following up on my promises. Making sure things get taken care of. It’s also just good practice in your personal life to always get things done promptly because if you sit on them for too long, it can have a very undesirable outcome. This could be the feeling of being overwhelmed by not getting things done ahead of time. It could be financially detrimental if you fall too far behind on bills or expenses.

I also just love completing things. It makes me feel good that I did it. To me, it’s like running a marathon. If something is incomplete, it irks me like no other. I can’t stop thinking about how great it would have been if it had been completed. These emotions fuel my work ethic.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Music is my lifeline. As a child I was brought up in a very strict and chaotic environment. It was hard for me. Things at home were very volatile. There was not a lot of support, so I always found support and comfort in writing and creating. I learned to play music and write songs starting at a very young age. I also found myself delving into all the arts such as painting, drawing and literature. They were my safe place, my escape from the world. But also with this escape came such expression. I was able to let out all those repressed feelings. By the time I got into my early 20’s I was using my music to channel the pain of bad relationships, broken promises, and feelings of loathing and isolation. It was such a powerful release, the feeling of playing in front of so many people on tour and just pouring out every inch of my soul.

There have been many stages to this musical journey. First was the singing stage, which started when I was about 2 and then came the songwriting and piano stage that started when I was around 5. I made my way into choir and solo ensemble in middle school. I sang solo in churches across the state of NM as a 10-year-old girl. I wrote my first songs at home on my Casio keyboard.

By high school I was still in choir but starting to think it may be a good idea to start playing my music on a different level. I wanted to be a singer-songwriter. I worked with a local band called DBE in Albuquerque on their first EP. I was singing backup vocals on the song “Sexy Little Martian” . I was so excited to be in the studio for the first time.

As time moved on I found myself as most of us do living off Hollywood Blvd. I moved here to go to the Musicians Institute. I took audio engineering courses so that I would not only be able to write my music but mix it as well. From there things continued to gradually move forward for my brand “Versailles”. This was my first moniker. It enveloped all my fears, longing, desires and pain into one darkwave style package. I toured and played shows with bands all over the country, it was what I had always dreamed of. In 2012 and 2013 I found myself on the Grammy Ballot for my albums “Targets” produced by (KIM FOWLEY), and “Pages.”

By 2015 I started my new project Opāru. Opāru was in a way the final destination. Opāru means opal in Japanese. I always liked the name, simple and delicate and my birthstone. The Opāru journey has been about sync. Placing my music in film and TV was always something I truly wanted. Now my music has been on CBS News, Shark Tank, The Olympics, Home and Away, Motoamerica, and many others.

I have a new release in the middle of June called “Play Your Cards Right”. This is a six-song EP on A List Records produced by Ian Dwyer. The tracks speak about subjects like witches, magic and the zodiac. The album being mystical in nature really speaks to my soul. I’ve always loved the unexplained, ghosts, magic, tarot. You can find more information on this album or listen to it at oparumusic.com.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I think that I’ve mentioned this before, that having a mentor in life is the absolute best thing you can do for yourself. Your mental health depends on it. I don’t say that because they are your therapist, but because they will show you the exact direction to go in. Show you exactly what to do to get where you want to go. When you’re feeling down and exhausted from trying the hard try they will remind you that you just have to keep trying. It’s easy in this industry and I think in any endeavor to get down especially if you don’t have the right people in your corner. If you don’t have the right people now, then build them around you. Protect yourself and your heart because what you have to offer the world is beautiful and only comes from you.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

I get overwhelmed a lot. I get pulled in a lot of directions. I think that the best thing you can do for overwhelm is take a break. Even if it’s only for 15 minutes. Get up and walk around, watch something on TV, do some breathing exercises, take a shower, eat something etc., just get away from the anxiety and overwhelm for a bit. Then when you’ve had a break try to organize yourself. Give yourself 6 tasks a day. No more. We all get into an intense workflow where we believe we need to work 12 hours a day to achieve goals. Well don’t do that. I know it’s easier said than done but you’ll give yourself some major health problems if you don’t.

Once you’ve figured out your tasks from most important to least important and written them on paper or put them in a list on your phone start with the first task. Don’t do anything else for the allotted amount of time that task lasts for. Then take another break before starting your next task.

Some other things to help you chill out are taking Epsom salt baths. I make some great bath bombs for that in my Celestial Bath Bombs Store. Do Yoga to keep yourself calm, breathing exercises, and stretch out those tense areas between the shoulders.

Just the Yoga alone will have you feeling so much better.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Ilya Ratman
Mark Hanson

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