Dina Ayada: "Gunna wanted to show the world the star he sees in me."

If you had to describe yourself in a few words, what would you say?

Uplifting, genuine, kind, and talented.

You named your album Identity. What does it mean for you?

It means more than a world to me. The album is about me, myself. I'm telling my story to the world. I think a lot of people misunderstood who I am as an artist, as a person, and now I'm introducing myself to the world and showing my real identity, my life experiences, who I am as a person apart from being an artist, what I've been through. In the beginning of my career, I was upcoming and I was young, and I didn't really get to live life, I didn't really get to see or go through things. But then, as soon as I started taking off on social media and with the music, I started experiencing a lot of stuff.

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“Mainly New York artists really inspired me because of the style, the culture, what they're talking about, and the lifestyle.”

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And could you talk to me about your experience in LA?

Yes, definitely. I've always looked up to Los Angeles because that's where the music comes from as well. A lot of artists live there, but my experience in LA is way different from Europe. I feel every time I'm in LA, I can really be myself. There are a lot of creatives I'm connected to. It's the perfect place to get to know other artists, producers, or people you can work with on a business side. And I feel like if I didn't go to LA, I wouldn't be where I am right now. I'm very thankful that I took the step or the decision to go without overthinking it.

I also noticed that you’re really inspired by hip hop music, American hip hop…

I remember when I was young, where I went to school, I used to watch MTV Cribs, the music videos on TV. I used to see Aaliyah, Kanye West, Jay-Z, DMX, and all those. Mainly New York artists really inspired me because of the style, the culture, what they're talking about, and the lifestyle. To me, the superstar lifestyle, I felt attracted to it already back then. And then, as soon as I started educating myself about everything, about the whole industry, about music, I really started getting…I started falling in love with music and everything around it.

Could you tell me about your collaboration with Gunna?

So Gunna, he’s like a best friend to me. I met him on tour. He invited me on tour personally. He discovered me, and he wanted to give me a chance to perform in the US with him. Ever since then, me and him started talking backstage on tour, and I felt more than a connection. I felt like, apart from the artist stuff, he's a real genuine person. I feel energies, and I feel like we were meant to work together or even just hang out because he's just so amazing. Ever since the tour, me and him started staying in touch and hanging out, going to the studio every day, but I would just hang out and get to know him better, having deep conversations about the industry, about me, who I am, who he is apart from music. Then we started linking up in Dubai or in London. And then, yeah, one day he approached me in the studio a couple of months ago. He told me: "Dina, you're my baby. Aaliyah would love to executive produce your album." I thought it was a joke, I'm not gonna lie. I was just there, looking at him, and I was just like, okay, yeah. Next day, I go to the studio again with him. I'm sitting on the couch, listening to his music because I love him as a person, but I truly support him and his message. So it's more than just being artist friends. It's like, from the bottom of my heart, I wish him the best in life. And he told me that he could feel it too. He sees it in me, I'm always there for him. I was sitting on the couch, and he approached me. He said: "Dina, I'm being dead ass I really do want to executive produce your album. You're a star, and I need the world to see who you are. I need the world to believe in you, as I do, and I want to make it happen." And that's when we started. I started telling him, like, yeah, let's start with listening to demos and let's start doing this… And then everything started going real smooth.

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“I support the females in the industry. I see them as my sisters and I want to push them to be better, to do better, and to just be at the top because we deserve it.”

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There is a big hype around Belgian art. How would you explain that?

I don't know any Belgian artists apart from Stromae, Angèle, Hamza and everything, but

I feel like we have a different sauce, we have a different way of making music. I feel like we are different from American music, and that's why I think a lot of people connect with me because I sing in English, but I bring it differently than all the English artists, you know? So, I think it's just... a culture.

In the musical industry, are there female artists that you like, whose style you like or with whom you would like to collaborate?

I have a good friend, Saweetie. She's amazing, a genuine person, and I love her energy and her music. And then, apart from that, SZA—I recently met her here in Paris at the Kenzo Dinner and she's so cool. She’s super genuine, her mom too. And then I like Doja Cat, very, very talented and of course Aaliyah. And, yeah, that's it. I listen to the same artists every day, to be honest, but I support the females in the industry. I see them as my sisters and I want to push them to be better, to do better, and to just be at the top because we deserve it. Music isn't about gender, and I feel like a lot of people misunderstand it, you know what I'm saying? But we’re just human beings. We all make music, we all got style, we all got melodies, everything. So we can all just respect each other… that would be really cool.

So, you’re in Paris for fashion week and I saw that you will be the next face of Salomon will be the next face of Salomon. Can you tell me about this collaboration, and your opinion about fashion in general ?

First off, I'm very honored to be able to work with Salomon. I think they're very upcoming. Like, they're already known in the market, but I see it more and more and more, and I like that. The whole team is really genuine. They approached me, they like my style, they like what I represent, my image. And I thought from the jump, I told my manager: "I think this makes so much sense", because I'm representing, sending something that has the same message as me, which is just, not in music, but in fashion. And I'm a huge fashion fan, so being able to work on this project has been a big opportunity for me, and I can't wait to collaborate with them more in the future, or maybe designing shoes, for example, or clothes, because I'm into fashion. Apart from music, I think fashion is my next thing. I think it's important to be dressed well to come different, and that's why Salomon is cool. If you know Salomon, you're cool, and you're a real fashion icon, and you study fashion.

Our name is named S-quive, meaning to avoid in English… What do you try to avoid in music?

Negative energy, people I'm not supposed to be around, all the bad things like violence and disrespect. But I don't think I personally have to avoid it because I don't surround myself with that energy or with those things in the first place. I'm just doing, I'm in my own little world, in the industry even, you know?

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"Identity", Dina Ayada.