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Photo By: Wayne Tozzi / www.oprynorth.com

Opry North

Name: Diane Chase

Age: N/A

Birth date: February 18th

Birth place: Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Home town: North Bay, Ontario, Canada

Resides in: Aurora, Ontario, Canada

Pets: German shepherd named Billy.

Group name: N/A

Instruments played: A little guitar.

Started performing at age: 5

Most memorable performance: Diane got a chance to sing the national anthem at a Toronto Blue Jays game at Skydome, and she also performed at Ontario Place.

What do you do to relax:

Finished CD's: “I’m In The Middle Of Something”

Cd's for sale: - “I’m In The Middle Of Something” – released 2000

Management:

The Key Entertainment Group

(Toronto Area Office)

4472 Concord Place

Burlington Ontario

L7L 1J4

Ph: (905) 637-4928

Fax: (905) 333-4364

Contact: Paul Gourlie

Record Label:

Jumbo Records

5 Furbacher Lane

Unit 2

Aurora Ontario

L4G 6W2

Ph: (416) 209-3160

Fax: (905) 713-1661

Contact: Glenn Michael

Website: http://www.dianechase.com

Growing up as the youngest of ten means that you are often the last to get attention, so that just meant you had to sing a little louder. And if you’re going to sing louder you may just as well try to be better than you were before. And then, after so many years of perfecting this technique, you decide that singing is the only career for you, and you put out an incredible album as a result. Right? Of course, if you’re Diane Chase this is the plan and this is the result but it did take a little longer than that to get there. There were detours along the way, music genre changes and a whole separate career before Diane turned her attention to diving in headfirst to see if she’d sink or swim…oh yeah, and along the way she gave a ‘break’ to a tiny little singer named Eileen by leaving a band so they’d get a new singer – who turned out to be fellow Northern Ontario vocalist Shania Twain.

Diane used her determination to earn her Canadian securities license and worked as an investment banker while she kept her singing for nights and weekends, like so many other outstanding entertainers have done. This determination is also what led her to decide that if she wanted to sing, she’d better go and do it – and her quest led her to the Cedar Tree Studios and the incredibly talented producer/musician Rick Hutt. Cedar Tree is the home of some of the best Canadian artists out there, with John Landry, Jamie Warren and Beverley Mahood leading the way with their top-notch material, so Diane would be in GREAT hands. The result would be the release of three songs from her debut CD “I’m In The Middle Of Something” all rising through the charts and making Diane a bona fide country star with her first CD. Determination led her to the CD release party last August and it will lead her into a string of successful releases from this CD – and you ain’t heard nothing yet!

We’ve been fortunate to have been to many of Diane’s performances and have gotten to know her a little bit – getting well acquainted can take quite a while when there are lots of fans, artists and music going on but let us tell you; you’d be hard pressed to meet a more beautiful, intelligent or talented female vocalist than Diane Chase. This lady has got it all! She’s a joy to talk to, blows you away when she gets on stage and seems to get lovelier every time we see her. And the last time we got to see her was just this past Sunday March 25^th, and if you missed it, boy (!) – wait until we get the photos up! You won’t make that mistake again.

We first got a chance to talk to Diane last May, when we attended an Ontario music association’s showcase. I remember being frozen, as the temperature in late May hovered more around March weather and Diane appeared in a spring outfit topped off by a more-than-likely-borrowed John Landry jacket. But boy, did she sing! Flanked on either side by some of Canada’s best male artists she more than held her own. And when she got an unexpected back up via Jamie Warren’s falsetto she burst into delighted giggles…and you had to love her for that. She’s just as she seems, something that the artists that we’ve come to know all have in common.

When we had first broached the idea of having a profile of Diane on Opry North she was very interested, and in due time we got a pretty large package in the mail from her to help us out. So sit back and enjoy your visit with Diane, get to know her a little better and when you get a chance – pick up her CD! You won’t find a better product – and she’s all ours.

Q. Tell us how you relate to the title track from your CD “I’m In The Middle of Something”.

“Well, I certainly am in the middle of fulfilling a dream that I’ve had since I was a little girl. It feels great, it’s taken a little while to get to ‘the middle’ but we’re enjoying it, there’s no question.”

Q. What’s your favourite line in “In The Middle of Something”?

“That would have to be ‘to use a metaphor for how I feel inside, my heart is a door that reads occupied’. It’s pretty rare to be able to use a word like ‘metaphor’ in a song, so I think that would have to be my favourite line.”

Q. Do you have any memorable moments of recording your first CD?

“In The Middle of Something is my first CD and so every moment I’ve had up ‘til now is probably pretty memorable. If I’m gonna give you some specifics I’d certainly say there’s been great people that I’ve had an opportunity to work with, some great musicians…working with Beverley and Giselle from Lace…working with Rick Hutt. He is an amazing producer; every day in the studio is like an education. I’m enjoying every moment of it and I think that when I look back, when I’m seventy, hopefully I’ll be able to remember the highlights.”

Q. Describe the path of your career to this point.

“I would have to say that I new from a very young age that I wanted to sing, because while most of the neighbourhood kids were setting up lemonade stands, I was organizing little neighbourhood concerts for our parents. It was instilled in me very, very young so I guess at fourteen it was my first paid singing job. From there I joined a band at seventeen – the band was called ‘Flirt’. Took a little pit stop in the investment banking industry and decided that that was definitely not for me, I had to sing. Definitely had to sing. I was watching a video one day and it was a girl, that I’d sung with when I was younger. Her name was Eileen Twain and when I saw what she had accomplished I decided if that’s where I wanted to go I had to make a commitment. Made that commitment that very same day – and here I am, enjoying every minute of it!”

Q. What makes Diane Chase unique?

“I think what makes Diane Chase unique would be my perspective; although I grew up with traditional country music and do have a great love for it, I think my love has evolved into a more positive end of country music which I think we hearing a little more these days and really reflects my life today.”

Q. What do you love about country music?

“It’s about real life and real people. It’s very genuine; it allows a forum for an artist to connect with listeners while relaying just everyday experiences. Another thing that I really enjoy about country music is that singing country music and writing country music is the tongue-in-cheek flavour. There usually is a humorous side and something very light hearted. All in all it just, it makes me smile.”

Q. What inspires you to write a song?

“Some days it could be something that moves me in more an emotional sense, it could remind me of a memory or it could just be a state of mind. Or it could just be a funny joke or a situation that, you know, someone has relayed to me. It would all come down to my mood.”

Q. What’s the best part of your job?

“The creative process. The concept of taking a thought or an idea and personalizing it, turning it into a song that hopefully other people will be able to identify with. Performing, is I would have to say my second favourite. To be able to get out on a stage and connect with your audience. Look out, have ‘em singing your lyrics, making ‘em smile.”

Q. Do you have any hobbies or skills that would surprise your fans.

“Um, surprising? I don’t know – I like to roller blade, I love skiing, water skiing. I’m a big fan of beach volleyball; I love to play that any time I can. A little more on the surprising side I figure skated, I was a figure skater for many years and I actually taught for a few years.”

Q. What do you sing in the shower?

“You know, it’s that song that’s in your head when you wake up in the morning and not only do you sing it in the shower but you end up singing it ‘till about five o’clock that day.”

Q. What would you be doing if you weren’t singing?

“I think I’d be working with animals. I’m quite a big animal lover and my mind has gone there on a few occasions and I think that if I couldn’t do what I love to do the most, which is sing, I’d do my second love.”

Q. If you could start all over again what would you change?

“If I had to start all over again I definitely would have done it earlier than I did. It’s been such an adventure and I’ve had so much fun actually being able to fulfill something that you’ve, you know, wanted to do since you were a little girl. It’s just been a great time.”

If the world ever gets tired of the exceptional talent we have to contribute to country music I will be so surprised with artists like Diane out there. Not only is she tall, blonde, beautiful, smart and a great vocalist but she packs one heck of a songwriting punch and is a great duet partner – just ask Jason Barry. With that much in one package you MUST make it a point to see her when she comes to your area, and take some time to say ‘hi’. After all, she’s there to see you too (and just tell her Kim & Wayne sent you).

We’d like to thank Diane, Glenn and Lori for their help and encouragement with this profile. It’s always a delight to see you and we look forward to it every time, knowing that we’ll be in for a real treat. Diane, you’re a secret that’s too good to keep and it’s only a matter of time before the world finds that out…Glenn, Diane couldn’t have a better supporter than you (and your secret is safe with us). Lori, we can’t tell you how much you are appreciated for all you do to help out with these fantastic folks, thanks.

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