Creativity and the arts flow through Calgary every single day. The arts are the people you meet, the nature you see and the places you visit in our bustling cityscape. Regardless of who you are, where you come from or what your dream is, you have a place here, and the arts have a place in you.
As an artist, finding places in the city that foster creativity, especially for growing small artists, is significant. Peering into the creative masterpiece that is Contemporary Calgary, we find ourselves interviewing an up-and-coming soft indie-pop artist, Diya Dabash.
What are your thoughts on the music scene in Calgary right now, and do you feel like your work is in conversation with it?
I think there’s a lot to the music scene in Calgary. I just got started here, actually. Before that, I didn’t really realize we had such a strong creative scene. It’s really nice knowing there’s something so close to home, where I’m from, that I can be a part of and pursue. There are so many really cool people and musicians that I haven’t had the chance to meet yet. I think it could become something really special if more of us stay here instead of leaving for bigger cities like Vancouver or Toronto. I was even thinking about moving to New York or LA, but I want to help foster the creative scene here because, honestly, I love Calgary.
There’s often tension between the artist wanting to be fully understood and also wanting to remain kind of elusive. I was wondering, how do you navigate that in your music? Or do you experience it?
I’ve never really experienced wanting to be elusive in my music. I feel like a lot of my music comes from my personal experience with just being inter-sectionalized—the struggles that I feel or face when it comes to my identity and my music or my art. So I try my best to articulate it through my music. Because I feel art is all about emotion, and it’s all about understanding the artist. And I want people to understand me.
Yeah, I think that’s huge, too. Even going back to us talking about the Calgary scene, that intersectionality you brought up is so important to me. I think it’s important that people understand that and, when you want them to, associate that with you. I also think that really inspired your song “Stay Away.”
I wrote “Stay Away” with my producer in LA about two years ago. At the time, my ex, who’s now my wife, and I had started talking again. I felt she was villainizing me because of her family’s experiences and their homophobia. In a lot of immigrant and POC communities, queer people are often misunderstood or judged when, honestly, it’s not that hard to understand us. Her family was even stalking me on social media, and I kept wondering, if you think I’m such a terrible person, why do you keep inserting yourselves into my life? It was starting to affect my relationship, and I just needed a way to vent those frustrations.
As a queer Palestinian and queer Indian person in the diaspora, I often feel like I don’t fully fit in anywhere. That’s something I carry with me, and it’s a big part of why I make music. More than anything, I want to help destigmatize what it means to be both queer and a person of colour.
I feel like that’s a lot on your plate, and it really speaks to why, like you said, it’s so important to be known as both a person and an artist. That identity adds so many layers to how people connect with your music and your experiences.
Yeah, I really want to be that representation for other people, because I know how much I needed that growing up and didn’t really have it, especially here. Calgary has so many young queer people, young queer Muslims, young queer Arabs, Indians, and so many others who are looking for that sense of belonging. I just want them to feel seen and know that there is a place for them.
I think people are going to be looking up to you for a long time. Branching off from your art into your personal life, how do you feel your art is shaping your life and your story?
Honestly, in a way that I can’t even fully describe. I started creating art as a way to express my frustrations and cope with some really difficult things happening in my life. Art was there for me when no one else was, and I’m grateful that now someone else can listen to my work, relate to it, or maybe feel seen through it.
That’s what I found in artists I looked up to, like Hollywood Undead. They have songs that are fun and provocative, but they also talk about struggles with religion, family, and society. Those songs helped me through a lot, and I hope that one day my music can be that source of comfort and connection for someone else.
That’s wonderful. There’s always like, so much to learn and to experience from the things and the people that we love, and I love hearing the kind of importance of relationships and people’s lives,
because it matters, like it really does, like, change and and shape everything
Yeah, absolutely. As long as I have my close friends, my wife, and my family by my side, I feel like I have everything I need. That’s what success means to me
“I think how I define success is through the support I receive. It doesn’t necessarily have to come from people I don’t know. Having the support of my family, my friends, and the people who look up to me or who I look up to means everything. To me, success is knowing that I’ve created something meaningful for myself and that I’ve made it in my own way.”
-Diya Dabash
Building on the importance of close relationships in your life and the people who surround you, what advice from those you hold dear has stayed with you and continues to guide you as an artist?
The best advice I’ve ever received came from my mom. She told me that one of the reasons people love her is because she’s able to put her ego aside, even when she feels like she’s been wronged. She taught me that it’s never worth damaging a relationship over something small, and that sometimes choosing understanding is more important than being right.
I really try to carry that with me in every part of my life. No matter how strongly I feel that I’m right, or how hurt I may feel, I try to see things from the other person’s perspective, validate their feelings, and understand why they’re asking for an apology. At the end of the day, a small disagreement isn’t worth losing a meaningful relationship or friendship over.
No, absolutely. That’s really insightful, because while many of us understand that everyone has different life experiences, truly stepping outside of your own feelings in a moment and choosing empathy is a form of love and care for both yourself and others. That’s such meaningful advice.
Yeah, my mom really pulled through, haha!
Looking back on your journey as both a model and a musician, what are some moments or accomplishments that you feel most proud of in recent years?
I’m most proud of my music. It’s something I’ve dreamed of pursuing since I was very young. Coming from a strict Muslim family where music was viewed as something negative, it never felt like something I would actually be able to do. I picked up the guitar later in life, when I was around 17, and a lot of people have told me they don’t know how I learned at that age. I wouldn’t say I’m an amazing guitarist, but I know enough to write songs and express myself, and that’s all I need.
That’s all you need.
I’m really proud of that because I never thought I’d have the opportunity to pursue music. Being able to create and share it now is something I’m incredibly grateful for.
You’ve shared so many personal and important parts of your identity with your audience. What has it meant to be able to tell your story, advocate for yourself, and provide the representation you wish you had when you were younger?
I try to share that as much as I can online, even if it means facing criticism from people who disagree with me or believe I’m leading others in the wrong direction. For me, it’s important that young people who feel like they don’t belong can see that they do have a place in this world. When people don’t feel accepted, it can lead to them turning that pain inward, and sometimes that creates cycles of hurt within families and communities.
I think breaking those cycles starts with learning to love yourself. Even when I’m struggling, I try to remind myself and others that there are people like us out there, and that with community and support, we can truly thrive.
I think loving yourself publicly is an act of care for the community because, like you said, it shows that people with similar experiences and intersections of identity can thrive. It also becomes something you give back, because you’re not only sharing struggles, you’re sharing love, joy, and the life you’ve built. I think that’s one of the beautiful things about the community you’ve created online.
Yeah, I love that I can finally show my wife off after years of not being able to. It really feels like things have come full circle, because it shows that love, marriage, and building a life with someone who understands you are all possible. I think that gives a lot of queer people hope.
Unfortunately, even here in Calgary, there are still a lot of queer people who feel pressured into hiding themselves or choosing a life based on expectations from their families or communities rather than their own happiness. That can create cycles of pain that continue through generations.
Yeah, the goal is to start loving yourself, and that goes back to community. It’s about continuing to pour into that joy and creating spaces where people can feel supported.
Doing my best!
And you’re doing amazing!
Thank you, haha!
As you look toward the future, what are some hopes you have for yourself as an artist, and what do you hope to see grow within Calgary’s creative scene and other intersectional artistic communities?
I’d love to see more people like me share their stories and exist authentically without fear of judgment. I saw a lot of that during the lockdown era, when people were openly advocating for queer, Muslim, and Palestinian communities and embracing who they were. I’d love to see more of that now. There was something really powerful about that moment where people felt, “No one is stopping me from being myself, so I’m going to live openly.” It was probably the closest thing to world peace, haha. I know a few queer Palestinian and queer Muslim creators who are living openly and sharing their stories, but I’d love to see many more people feel comfortable doing the same. It’s one step at a time.
I think you’re doing pretty great already. You have been.
Thank you. Looking toward the future, I think modelling will always be a part of my life. It’s something I genuinely enjoy, whether it’s creatively fulfilling or something that supports me financially. With music, my producer is currently based in LA, but I’d love to connect with more producers here in Calgary. I’m also learning how to produce myself because, eventually, I’d love to take more control over that process. I want to be able to create on my own time and bring ideas to life whenever inspiration hits, rather than having to coordinate every step.
There’s something really rewarding about being able to look at something and think, “I put so much work into this, and this is what I created.”
Yeah sure. I’d also love to collaborate with more artists here. That’s one of the things I love about Calgary’s creative scene: there are so many emerging artists to learn from and grow alongside. Building something from the ground up and continuing to nurture those relationships is such an important part of creating a strong artistic community.
I mean, like, it’s, it feels so rewarding when you get to see, like, “I put so much work into this, and this is what I have”.
Yeah, no, I’d love to get there at some point. But I’d also love to, just like collaborate with more artists here, absolutely. And I think, to come, full circle. That’s the beauty of the Calgary scene. Is that we get to experience so many up and coming creatives, and we get to learn from so many people. And I think building it from, for lack of a better term, from the ground up, and staying here and nurturing those relationships is, is huge in just the general success of any artistic industry.
I think that’s such a beautiful way to put it. That really is the beauty of the Calgary scene. We get to experience so many up-and-coming creatives, and building those connections from the ground up is such a huge part of growing any artistic industry.
Exactly. You said it perfectly!
Thank you. It’s been so wonderful getting to talk with you and hear your perspective.
Thank you. This experience has been amazing, and I’m really grateful for the opportunity. It’s honestly something I can check off my bucket list.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. We’re excited to see all the amazing opportunities ahead for you. We’re rooting for you!
Story by: Frankie Mingle
Photography: Hector Omooba
Styling: Charlene Cm
Location: Contemporary Calgary
Production: Robert Solomon
Production Management: The RCJ Company
