Daina Demillo is not just a sound – she is a sonic essence.
Daina was always destined to be an 'artist'. She first pursued her passion for creativity with painting, acquiring a Fine Arts degree. But soon she realised that her canvas was sound and thus began her journey to becoming the artist she is today.
Having trained diligently in the extremes of jazz singing and music technology, Daina has been able to continue the legacy of her former professional singer father. Her music is strong yet seductive, a heady addictive pulse that entrances like an opiate. She pushes the boundaries of electronica and jazz, melding them together to create a unique blend of fresh beats and retro cinematic tunes.
2001 saw Daina explore different music styles and scenes internationally, performing shows in Germany, London and in Australia.
In 2003, Daina joined the Sydney music collective Celebrity Drug Disasters; a collaboration between Sean Lowry (Def FX) and Rob Taylor (ARIA Award multi-nominated producer), and was an important contributor to their album release 'Art or Porn?' in 2006. The album garnered critical acclaim and a great amount of exposure via international film and TV placements. This opportunity allowed Daina to further hone her talents live as the vocal force on stage up and down the east coast, including an impressive support slot for George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars - a task many artists would not be able to manage.
By 2007, Daina Demillo was ready to step forward and become the solo artist she was destined to be.
Daina draws from a broad and varied pool of inspiration for her tracks that includes the work of artists; film directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick; and musicians such as John Barry, Bernard Herrmann, Bjork, Massive Attack, Portishead and Shirley Bassey. And it is this collage of poignant, artists visualisation combined with the new technology of creating electronic sounds that gives this music such weight.
"I want to create timeless works" says Demillo.
However, frustrated in trying to find musicians to create her specific concepts, Daina took matters into her own hands and painstakingly taught herself the intricate music programs of Logic and Reason to build the exotic electro jazz that is now her signature sound.
Daina cites "arts and culture of the Thirties though to the Sixties" and "films of the art-house, horror and noir genres" as major influences for her and her music. "I'm intrigued by the mechanics of the human psyche" says Daina, and in particular "what motivates a person to perform an unjust act". This illustrates the underlying darkness in Demillo's powerful lyrics, reminiscent of the powerful screen sirens such as Bette Davis and Lauren Bacall.
"...Bang, bang, straight to your head, I've got an S & W full of lead..."
Producer Lee Groves (Depeche Mode, Basement Jaxx, Goldfrapp) provided an additional layer to this epic offering, aggrandising her tracks 'â€Monster of the Idâ€, “Silence Is Goldenâ€, “Dragonwoman†and “Folie a Deuxâ€.
Daina Demillo's destiny is unfolding like an engaging movie plot... Don't miss it.
