‘[Beyonce] entrusted a lot power into me,’ the music vet says.
Its a far cry from her 2010No.
The one thing that I know is concrete that I will be continuously releasing music, she tells EW.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: The poem you shard when you released your single is really moving.
I think they would have questions.
No more playing, no more sugar coating stuff.
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Why did you decide to use your given name Diana now, in 2016?
Ive always wanted to change my name.
I dont associate myself with them anymore.
I had a breakdown a year and a half ago.
It was the deciding factor.
As Wynter Gordon, I felt like I did a lot of things that werent my truth.
I didnt speak up on topics I knew I should have spoken up on.
I didnt talk about things that were bothering me.
I wore a lot of things I hate now.
I look back and I cringe.
They didnt seem authentic to my being.
I spent the last three years trying to not wash it away, but trying to be myself.
No one was really paying attention that much.
Until you do something in a new light, people are always going to go back to it.
That was bothering me.
Were living in a time of wokeness and thats whats on my mind.
I was freaking out about all these things like, What am I going to do with my life?
How can I save face?
I just lost my mind.
Where did you go?
Nicaragua with my friend.
We went for three weeks and we just took a van and drove.
We did chanting on the beach.
I also took a sleeping pill for, like, a month.
I dont remember what it was called but it put me to sleep.
I felt like I was in the Caribbean.
[Laughs] It was like I took a little vacation.
I was like Im going to write down my ideas and my goals in a notebook.
Then after a while nothing that I was scared of mattered.
What do those songs sound like?
I have songs about anxiety.
I have a song called Fences and thats the only love song I have about myself.
One day, I was 20 songs in.
With The Legend Of I wanted to tell my story.
If you dont know me, todays the first day youre going to hear Diana.
Heres what I am.
Its funny and true and youre using it to your advantage.
I respect Beyonce but Ive been working with legendary artists since I was 19 years old.
There are also very clear threads between that song and the songs you wrote forLemonade.
Did you come to Beyonce with those songs or did you collaborate with her?
Beyonce is a scientist of songs.
Ive never seen anyone work the way she works.
She definitely changes the song structures.
Its more of a collaboration.
You never know what shell like.
But she definitely doesnt take things as is, at least not from me.
I came in on the Jack White song [Dont Hurt Yourself] and helped finish it.
What did you think about peoples reactions to the Becky with the good hair line in Sorry?
I laughed, like this is so silly.
Where are we living?
I was like, What day in age from that lyric do you get all of this information?
Is it really telling you all that much, accusing people?
Did you and Beyonce ever talk about the response?
I dont think she expected it.
I saw her at her Formation tour.
She had a pajama party; we laughed, we danced, we hugged it out.
But I didnt say much about it at the time because I wanted to give her space.
The idea started in my mind but its not mine anymore.
It was very funny and amusing to me to watch it spread over the world.
With Beyonce, I feel like the songs we worked on were specifically for her.
Youd written that whole song before you worked with her?
When I played it for her, I was like, This is one of my favorite songs.
She was like, This is my life.
I told her, You know what, take it, do what you want with it.
She went and re-produced it, she changed some words, added the bridge, its hers.
She didnt talk to me about her father.
We didnt go into details.
I see their relationship in the media just like everyone else.
I watched the HBO special just like everyone else.
When you do work closely with an artist they touch on things and she touched on it.
Beyonces been in our homes for nearly 20 years.
Ive loved her since she was in Destinys Child, so yeah I know her story.
She entrusted a lot power into me.
She made me[Parkwood signees] Chloe x Halles performance coach.
Shes the perfect person to help me tell my story.
