Starstruck: Diandra.

Hello minions.  Are you guys ready for Paramore & Placebo next month? March will be a kick-ass month, oh yes. But let's not forget about February, the month for lovers, caregivers & them florist. Ha ha. Enough about that. Well, Starstruck is a new column which we'll be interviewing a certain band member of a band about their personal stuff.

Yeah. Enough with the group. Let's go personal.

So, for the first Starstruck column, I will reveal a few things about a friend of mine who is blooming like a spring flower in the scene lately. She's an 18 year old bedroom songstress who was discovered on youtube in November 09. She landed her first gig that month itself, and played for Moonshine's fourth anniversary event at Laundry Bar, which led to bigger things including a slot on local music webshow, the WKND Sessions, and most recently, Moonshine again. Currently in her final year pursuing a diploma in performing arts at sunway college, has been busy juggling between college shows, as well as gigs outside of college. Let's hear it for the February's best lover, Diandra.

Q: Tell us your full name, nickname and position in the band.
A: Hello. My name is Diandra Arjunaidi. I guess you could call me Dee or Dian. I sing and play the guitar, with a band accompanying me.

Q: What do you do for living?
A: I'm currently a student at Sunway College. I'm in my final year of my Diploma in Performing Arts. That pretty much takes up all my time, but I try to sneak in a gig or two as often as possible.

Q: Please state 5 songs that you've been listening to lately.
A:

• Don't Rain On My Parade by the Glee cast,
• This Will Be an Everlasting Love by Natalie Cole,
• Right As Rain by Adele,
• Carnival by the cardigans,
• The whole of Paramore's Brand New Eyes album

Q: What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?
A: I would consider my stuff acoustic jazz, slightly folkish, and pop-ish at times. i really like lily Allen, Kate Nash, Adele and Amy Winehouse. They're probably my biggest music influences.

Q:What can you tell me about your instruments? (i.e., Are you subject to brand loyalty or will you play with whatever's available? What made you choose the instruments you have now? Was it cost or was it a style/model/brand/color preference?
A: Haha. Wow. Tough question. I honestly don't know much about instruments. I've got two guitars. One's an old Yamaha classical guitar, and the one I usually play now is a 600 Singapore Dollar Crafter guitar. I picked it cause it looked nice, really.

Q: What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?
A: I usually rehearse closer to the time of a particular gig. Mostly due to time constraints. I'm usually rehearsing for shows in college so I don't have much time to spare outside. But if I'm lucky and I do get a weekend off from classes and work, I do make it a point to try and meet up with the band and jam a little.

Q: What's your favorite place to go eat together? (with your bandmates)
A: We usually end up at Wondermilk, since we jam in uptown. Other times, it's Pho Hoa at The Curve.

Q: Which show that you've played has been your favorite so far?
A: Probably the most recent moonshine gig I played for. I played alongside Liyana Fizi, Reza Salleh and Tilu. The crowd was great and to be playing alongside some of my favourite acts... yeah, it was good.

Q: Hayley Williams, Katy Perry or Zooey Deschanel?
A: Hayley. No doubt about it.

Q: Imagine you’re watching a concert and one of the band members spontaneously combusts. You get called to the stage to replace that band member. Who’s the band?
A: I'd like to say Hayley, from Paramore. But I can't sing anywhere as great as her. But a girl can dream, right?

All the best, Diandra! Check her out HERE. BECAME HER FAN.

Cheers!