A Diva 24/7
If someone ever asked you, “Who’s Amanda Diva,” and your response was, “She’s an artist,” that would be a criminal understatement.
Before becoming a Renaissance diva, Amanda Seales got her start as an actress on Nickelodeon’s My Brother and Me, playing the role of Dionne. After the show was canceled in 1995, Diva focused on her education and allowed her muse to keep blossoming. She migrated from Orlando, Fla. to the Big Apple in the late ‘90s, was exposed to hip hop, and became determined to stand out from the rest. While writing and performing spoken-word poetry, she was picked to spit rhymes on Russell Simmon’s Def Poetry Jam.
A year later in 2003, she was discovered performing at a political fundraising event and scored a gig as a radio personality on Sirius Satellite, “Breakfast at Diva’s.” While she was interviewing and performing with musicians like Jay-Z, Q-Tip, the Roots and actor Tom Cruise, she completed her master’s in African-American Studies at Columbia University. Diva never disappeared from the television screen as she is the creator of the weekly news and sketch comedy, Diva Speak TV.
Diva created the web series as a response to her fans who missed her radio show. Introducing witty and innovative ideas sprinkled with a tone of social and political understanding, Diva sheds light on current events and her take on them. Diva also has another show, Diva Diva Y’all, which involves interacting with everyday people, and she has appeared on VH1’s Best Weekend Ever as a radio personality commentator.
In 2007, Diva was asked to go on tour with the group Floetry and released the first of an EP trilogy, Life Experience. While some tried to write Diva off as another personality trying to be a musician, Diva soothed their words with her plethora mash-up of the hip hop, soul, alternative and electronica genres and made two videos that confirm her love for her work.
“40 Emcees” talks about how young people look up to figures like Jay-Z and Lil’ Kim and swear up and down that they can reach their level of success on a shorter time span. Diva speaks of what happened to these wannabe emcees as they realized how much you invest in the game depends on if you will win in the end.
“Supa-woman,” much like her supa-woman segment on one of her web shows, speaks for itself. Diva discusses the traits of a supa-woman: extraordinary, strong, self-sufficient, outstanding and sometimes, uncouth … but who said the world was a nice place to live? To experience the complete awesomeness of Diva, you can purchase her music and spoken-word poetry book on her website.
“What Diva can’t undastand what make dem talk bout me …,” she says as she ends the video, which is perfectly fitting for the accomplishments this woman has achieved. The Diva is an actress, singer, emcee, published poet, writer and an extraordinary painter. Diva Works of Art displays her Spectrum Handbags, as well as various artwork prints which expose her Harlem-Renaissance-with-a-twist-of-Diva-funk style that is impossible to duplicate. Amanda Diva is indeed the ultimate diva whose hustle is like no other. To see more music, shows and paintings, check out her website.
Everyday Queens
(Photo credits: Amanda Diva website)
