WORLD EXCLUSIVE - Dinah Jane

It's the flavor podcast network.

Island Roots Auckland Ways.

This one's for the Brown brothers and sisters who want to be one with themselves, their culture, their identity, their roots.

This is Island Roots Auckland Ways.

Boom boom shake, shake the room. Boom boom shake, shake the room. Boom boom, shake shake the room. Tick tick tick tick boom, Island Roots Auckland Ways. This is probably our biggest episode ever.

This is our oh are you kidding me?

Like, but also not just like in terms of like the guest, just in terms of what she means to us and our friendship.

Yes, this is next level.

This is the creme de la creme, Honey, Dinah Jane. So we don't want to hold you up here as the podcast right now and joylessly.

Welcome back everyone to another episode of Island Roots Auckland Ways.

Today.

It is an absolute honor to welcome an absolute princess, Queen Queen, the dream guest of all dream guests.

When we tell you, no, no.

No, it's Dinah Jane.

Oh my gosh, I love you, guys.

We love you. We have no idea, well, I mean you do have an idea because off the mic we were talking about how obsessed we are with you and how great we think you are and how talented we think you are, and also how you are like the third best friend in this friendship. So it's so exciting that you could make the time.

To be here with us.

We are just we're like so jazzed right now, on top of the world.

We are over the moon. Dinah, how are you going, sister.

I'm feeling amazing, so good. I'm doing thisus. Thank you so much for having me. I wish we were in person for this because it's like do for me to be a new zeale and fine now, but again, thank you so much for having me. It's such an honor to be on here with you guys and discuss some fun topics.

He yo for the culture, for the coature. Cissy and you are over do a trip on New Zealand. And when you come here, girl, let's take you out. Let's get an airbnb, let's get busy.

One's a good time to come to New Zealand, Like one's a good season, like time of the month.

Summer for sure, which is like winter your time. So I feel like that's nice.

Around Christmas, New Year's this was probably a really good time to come not noted.

I will keep that in my notes for the end of this year.

Yes, okay, okay, Oh my gosh, you're I am fan girling right now when I tell you my palms are sweaty like I'm imm and there right now. Don't play with me son for so long. Oh, alyssa' is having a heart attach any Every episode we sre what we love about home, So where you currently live, where you were born, where you feel most grounded, What is home to you? And what do you love about it? Dinah, Alissa and I will start off first, and Alyssa, what do you love about home this week? Girl?

Well, I am not tonguan, but what I love about home this week is red, white and brass. There was recently a it was a theater production remake of The Incredible Movie with our friend JP for Yaki rises role. And it was just so good and like that straight my funa, that tongue in energy, it's just different and it just I don't know, I was like fire out, I like you, wish I was tongue right now?

Oh you sure where she were tongue? And huh oh sure you're friends with JP and Dinah your friends with JP for Yaki, aren't you girl?

Yeah, She's such a sweetheart and I'm so so proud of him and everything that he's accomplished and putting our tongue of people on such a map in honor platform with what he's pushing. So congratulations to him. New Zealand's Finest JP teaser.

Tees Gay Tuesday six seven six Baby, Okay, listen, thank you so much for sharing what you love about home this week. I love wearing asay and my hair. Okay, girl, I love a cute flower in the hair. Sometimes it just brings about that island flair. And whenever you're going whereever, you're going well for me, whenever I'm going to a predominantly by Langy event, and I just want to create a little subtlety that reminds every one of where I

That's so true.

Actually, I've been collecting a lot of says recently. I love that you said that. I just came back from Hawaii not too long ago, and I wore say like almost everywhere I went, and I was just like, Wow, this just feels like you don't have to say much.

It's just people already know like an island girls.

So that little signature we got to us is something really special.

Hey Dinah that one. What do you love about Home this week?

What I love about Home this week?

Well, like I said, I've been traveling a lot lately, and what home is to me is Island music. Like no wherever I no matter where I travel to throwing on a little bit of Fiji and Jaybug Common Kings here and there.

It feels like I'm carrying a piece.

Of Home with me everywhere I go, and that it keeps me grounded and humble. The type of music I listen to wherever, whatever room I'm stepping into too as well, no matter who's in the room, I feel like that little reminder that music helps me remember who who I represent and where I come from.

I love that so much.

I am a fellow Island music girly, so I've got it going whenever possible, And I agree, there's just something about it that's just like so grounding.

Yeah, and you could go far and wide with it, like Spawn, Breezy, Sammy j Redna Edies Girl Literit. Oh you mentioned Fiji. There, he is the king, I disputed king of Polynesian music, don't you think?

Amen?

Yes, Yeah, I feel like he's the reason why we kind of branched out and have started this movement to begin with. So props for the king himself, for Fiji. Thank you Fiji for everything that you do and everything that you represent. Yeah, I love Fiji. You can never go wrong with a little bit of anything you want.

Why you.

Warrior of Love?

Hey girl, Hey girl? Yeah, Goveolwauki, Oh my god.

But honestly, Dinah, I feel the same way about your music, especially Ocean Song, And I would love if we could talk a little bit about Ocean Song, because I know you've described it as like a call to your ancis and there's something about it to me that is so grounding, this like sense of like pacificness and like strength and our identity that I can't really describe, but I feel like you'll get it, and like you can see it in the visuals girl, in the music video, it's just

What's it?

What's it been like to see it? Reasoning?

This song has taken such a journey, like I created a song first of all, like four years ago in Bali, and it started off as a love song, and then you know, throughout the years, losing loved ones and then still being attached to this song, I felt like I was fighting for something that had some type of representation

Jane, my Grandma Sanie. They have been my prayer warriors.

So to dedicate something to them, I felt like I could create a prayer for many other Pacific Island girls who feel who could feel some type of connection to it of losing a loved one and knowing how hard, how hard of a prayer war they can be for us, that we can be one back to them in a sense.

So visually this also took such a toll. I was like I was fighting for it, and I was like, please, I need my thoughts.

I need a tho Lula in the beginning, I need like the evolution of a little girl, tonguing girl going into a womanhood and then representing all these women all in white was so important to me also as well, to symbolize the purity of our women, our Polynesian women, and how in our culture we value the women in our culture, especially being tongue in. I know the type of I know the type of responsibility I have as being the oldest daughter and then also holding the title

A part of me didn't want to. I was like, oh no.

These kids, like they're a little too much, and I we want you to like show your family, show where you really come from, how they act, and I didn't want them to see the true like sister slash Auntie, I am with my cousins and my little siblings.

But then I was like, you know what.

This is the era of where you just have to be authentically yourself and not be ashamed or afraid.

To show how you carry yourself at it within your home.

So thank you to my team for pushing me to open up a little bit more, stripping back each layer of just opening up of where.

I come from and how I was raised.

I was born and raised here in Orange County, California, and there's a big Polynesian community down here. And thank you to Fiana Lufau, who is the woman that you call to help creatively with movies such as Maana. So thank you to her for being a part of the production, being a part of the choreography, helping me just open up more and be like you said, Mafana with the creative process. And I was like I really felt like I was able to share a piece of home with

Usually girls come up to me, your people tell.

Me, oh, I lover song, bought it up, but lately it's been it's been Ocean Song. So for them to say that really touched my heart, and I was like, you know what, this is the point. This is the reason why we do this. And for me, it's not about you know, the numbers, It's not about you know, people are telling me, we're pulling me to other directions, like you need to go for things that are popular right now, and you can use so much to your voice and you could do so many other things.

Why are you going this direction?

There's a movement here, and why not use my platform for the younger the next generation, And this is my gift to them and to let them know like you can dream big and keep dreaming, but stay humble and keep your feet grounded no matter where you go, because you can go further with your village. If you have that grounded mentality and that home mafauna energy, you can you can do so much more with that. So this is again my gift to everyone, and thank you to

It's your gift for us, like truly, and you're so right, like no point, like Ocean Song has become this whole thing of its own, and at no point have you felt like you've had to sacrifice your tongue in this, you know, like there, it's so tongue in, it's so pacific, it's so entrenched, and like.

I'm so glad to hear that you say that.

I think I've also heard like an identity crisis without within my career, a lot of people have been telling me like, oh, why don't you go this route and this route? You look, you look African America, you look Mexican. Why don't you just go there? I just felt like that's not true to who I am, and why not

So yeah, finally I can just be myself. Is what this era feels like?

Oh that's so special. Hey, Dinah, how long has this era been coming? Have you been sitting on this for a while, these feelings of wanting to embrace your identity as a tongue and as a proud Basufka woman, Because yeah, I assume that people would have from your many many years in the music industry would have assumed that Dinah Jane would have gone through this path and she was singing with these singers, so she's going to sing this

I've been itching to like go this for out and it's just only because it was just for myself, Like I just felt like the little girl and me like wanting to wanting that type of representation. I didn't really have much besides Aradna the queen herself and so being a brown skin queen an Island girl.

I was like, what else can I do?

There's so much more I know I can do without just being your typical like you know, American pop star.

And for me to be in this in this.

Type of space now, I'm grateful for my team for amplifying this idea into my mind of like just being authentically yourself and so going this direction with the music, It's there's so many music.

There's so much songs.

In my catalog that I have not yet to share, but they have been resurfacing and it's just a whole representation myself and I just want the music to just tell you what it is and show you make you feel exactly what type of direction I'm going and who I've always been.

So I love it.

Yeah, you mentioned a bottle up before and I bottled apps sorry, And I like when I was coming up with what we could talk about in this episode, I was thinking back to the start of your solo career and songs like Bottled Up. It seems so, I mean, it's not drastically different, but it does seem quite different to the new music that you're making now, like Ocean Song, falling in Love with Ja King, and then Road Least Traveled, which is about to be released.

What does become becoming Up?

It will be coming out for you guys a day early then over here, So I hope you guys like that one of my babies.

Yeah, what does this No, No, you're fine, You're fine.

What does this new era of music?

You've kind of touched on it before, but what does it really represent to you?

I think it's just representing everything that I've listened to, like everything that I've endured.

I'm a lover girl, and I feel like I'm just writing out I'm writing out music that comes from like my journal. So this song really speaks about a time where I really was in love and it's at this certain time a point my life, not right now, but at the time I was such so in love that I was willing to go the road that's traveled with this guy who lived overseas and whatnot. And so yeah, I just feel like with this new era of music, I'm just peeling a layer as I go with each

Record coming out as well, another one.

Part two one. But yeah, everything is just me storytelling. All these songs mean something very special to me and I can't wait to like unfold it more as we go.

And and EP is on the way.

So so you are giving us all the equal D right now.

And I was literally going to say road leys traveled from the snippets I've heard, it's just such a fun summer love a girl box. So the fact that we're all love girls on this core right now feels feels feels right. But can you take us to like I love, I love, I love love, and they love.

And when they're out loud with their love their lover.

But you know, sometimes to be tricky too because you don't want to be posting them and then they like fumble, god dang it.

But you know what, that's part of the journey, that's part of the story.

Like whatever l' do you take or whatever real love you're you're embracing, like at least live in it and thriving it type of thing.

Why do I sound like a therapist?

No, I just.

Got out of a situation with a tongue in man and he's broken my heart essentially, so I'm currently on the.

I'm so sorry.

There's no way he's related to girl. You uh you uh? Tem This man was a one. I don't know why.

Red flag? What was the red flag?

What was Oh my god, there was so many. There was so many that I just you know, when you're just in the haze. I was like, we can work on that later, don't worry about it. And then now I'm like, wow, I really shouldn't have ignored those things because I wouldn't be sitting here upset it.

You know better, you know exactly?

I feel like sometimes certain people come into your life to give you that type of They give you a lesson and then you've learned it, because if you haven't learned it, the universe is gonna hit you back and be like, oh well, here's another lesson. Yeah, and they're gonna place another man in your lap and be like,

This is not what I'm entertaining.

Bank Sister Love advice from the Queen right now.

Oh my gosh, I think Diana j needs to host Love Island Maya Jama. You need to maybe vacate the premises real quick. Let out girl, Dina come in some sort of Wow you don't want to get the rose. Oh no, someone needs to sign Dina girl.

We need we need a pacifica quisachel please that would be Icona.

I would be too shy, Okay, I'll do yeah the topic.

Maybe she can go on the Bachelorette after Roadless Travel is released. So make sure you keep your eye on that love that.

New Zealand host one. I would love to be on it.

There.

You guys got some cuties you Rick and girl. I think so well, at least I think, Oh.

I don't know, I feel like where you are at. No, that's with a man, that's all another.

I don't know if like the American streets.

But oh yes, I'm like a I love my.

Island boys like I'm a big boys. Yeah mm hmm, but.

Please can we I want to keep ching about road they traveled? What was this song writing process?

Like?

Who are you riding it with? Who was producing? And then girl, was there someone? Obviously you said there was someone in mine when you were writing the song. But I'm I'm assuming that he's not in the picture anymore.

I always had a picture, no more, like I can't remember. Some people come into your life for a certain reason.

He was here to particular listen and then now.

He's on his merry way. He was here to make you a bad girls.

That hard.

No, but the song played a really big part in my life in like around twenty eighteen, twenty nineteen, And you know, like that talking pace when you're with someone and super work on that honeymoon phase, and being that he lived overseas, like oceans away, taking the road let's travel, meaning aka something that's uner of like, which like not a lot of people do dating someone from overseas, the fact that he was able to like always fly out

No.

I say that because I was like playing hard to get but then not really and I'm not really a flowers type of girl. But he kept sending flowers to me, and I think that's probably like made him excited that I wasn't excited about flowers.

I don't know. And like I said this song.

I'm personalizing it a lot, and the fact that he was willing to put an even more effort like trying to win my love meant a lot to me. So if you got a lover out there and he's willing to go to the road, let's travel with you here, keep her okay.

Advice because some of them, may I be seeing, girl, they be taking the road that everyone travels on, just like all these are the red flags. Girl.

But speaking of red flags, yes, the tongue flags.

Oh yes, girl? Can you take us back.

To the moment the ticket I'm so good at segways and I think you know this is.

Too each question, thank you?

But the mt when you did the tongue and ash anthem? How special was it to sing that in front of such a passionate crowd.

And meant everything to me? Oh my gosh, I feel get chills about it. Like almost every time I anyone brings it up. I remember so vividly my grandfather who I mentioned in the music video, who's in the music video?

Amoni? He like made He was like my Simon Cowell.

So I was nervous before I flew out because he told me, like, hey, make sure you're you're speaking it correctly, you're singing it correctly. I thought I was gonna sing it wrong. He realized my rendition and he was like, Okay, I think you're ready to go. I get out there, and then I see like all the people just like roaring while I'm singing, and I'm like getting nervous because

Top that game, if that makes sense.

No offense to anyone else, but I feel like that was like my favorite MMT game ever, not because I performed there, but because of the passion the people had there watching them perform hymns. While I was at the game, while they're about to score. Like, that's something you don't see in everyday games. So shout out to the tonguins, drop your teas, shout out to the Red Sea. Especially out in New Zealand. That was such a fun experience. And that was the last time I was actually in New Zealand.

We need to change that.

We need to change that.

Girl.

You know, me and Alyssa, we're gonna get our coins together. We're gonna get you flued out. We're gonna put you in a hotel. Why not, let's just tell the boys play another rugby game, so el Sis can't come and sing again.

Okay, yeah, another game, and I'm trying to come out and jump off that what's that called the Khalifa?

Is that? Girls, it's called the bungee jumping. Do you mean the sky shower?

Oh yeah, the skytower.

Girl, I.

Think that's the one in Dubai.

Yeah, girl, you think way too jump off of Okay, but Marina just did a bundee jump off the Auckland Harbor Bridge, so we've got a pro in the midst.

Yeah. Oh girl, it was forty more.

We just don't tell my dad. I just don't tell my dad because my husband sucked me out of it.

Yeah, your dad is going to be worrying for his princess. But we'll try to organize a little something something for when you come back to New Zealand. What's your relationship like with the culture did you? Alerded alluded to earlier that there were heaps of islanders out in Orange County where you were raised, But tell us about how life was like as a Pacific islander where you were growing up in Kelly, growing up.

Here in southern California. I grew up in a very dominant Mexican Asian culture down here in Santa Anna, California. So and then also having some of my mom's best friends they were samone and then we grew up with this someone family. It's very communicative like down here, so down here in Orange County, it's been nothing but sweet and musical. I grew up in a very musical home here in Orange County. My mom plays a piano, she sings. She likes to claim that she still sings better than me,

Just like a whole bunch of layers.

And my mom was trying to tell me, like, girl, if you want to if you really want this life, this is what comes with it. This is the hustle, this is what you have to sacrifice. And if you really believe in it and you love it, then I'm all for I will, like stop working, have dad work two jobs, and then you can go and be this artist. So very grateful for my mom and my dad for making these sacrifices for little only to be who I am today, and especially my grandmother who raised me in

Oh, what a blessing to have such a support of family. Sister. Just to close off out interview before we go into a little game, Dina, I just want to ask you for any little girls right now, little brown girls, let's thing and they want to take up music. What would your advice be to them? What are your geams of wisdom that you want to impart upon young Pacifica girls wanting to dream big?

Do you want a dream big? Your whole heart has to be in it, Like you have to love it. You have to love singing so much that you do it in your sleep. You know.

I feel like if the passion is there, you will go further in life. And to also keep your grandparents, keep your parents with you the whole ride through. Because its industry can also be a little scary. As pretty and dreamy as this life may be, you have to understand that there's a lot of sharks that do exist.

And if you keep God first and your family surrounded by.

You the whole way through, you will conquer anything in any room you step in. So safety first, keep your parents around you, and keep they will keep you humble. And love what you do, love music, lovel with your whole heart, and never be fifty fifty about it. Once you know fifty fifty about it, you're not really happy, then pick.

A pause, Pick a pause until you're ready to come back.

Well said Dinah, Oh my gosh, I think a lot of young little girls will resonate with those totally okay, So we aren't coming to the innoville and TV, which I'm so sad about. Buck. Before we go downa Jane, we are going to play a rapid fire Kim, a rapid fire game with you. So Elsa's going to leave this.

So we've centered it around the road least traveled, and for us to SoCal La is the road least traveled. So we want to know your best spot's in La. If one day we decide to take the road least traveled, we'll know where to go catching my drift, Dinah, I.

Get are you talking about food? Are you talking about okay?

Let us give you some prompts and we'll see what rapid fire comes off the dome Oay, okay, So if you you want to take the road list, travel to La. Where are we going to get somewhere to eat? Mmm?

To La? It would be.

So if it's somewhere bougie, you would have to go to.

Such as a c catch bogie. That's a cute spot.

But if you want to be like me and a b bougie, I like to go to other spots too. I like Korean barbecue. Y, my grandma's calling. Oops, Grandma, stop calling me. But can you hears hear me? Yes, we can hear you, girl, Korean barbecue. I like to go to gens g e n s or kicking Crab.

Yes. Okay, so we'll go somewhere to eat. But how about somewhere to go and eat somewhere with some dope as views? Dina, Where should we go if we want to catch a view of where you're from that's nice and beautiful and serene and pretty.

I would say.

There's a really beautiful scenic spot down in Laguna Be. I'll have to take you there because I don't know the streets. I just know where I'm going when I drive down there, but somewhere and we're going to beat Okay.

And girl, where are we going to shop?

Where are we going to shop?

Yeah? Girl, what shop? We're heading up for some maybe for yeah whatever.

We would have to go to South Coast Plaza because that's my local mall down here, South Coast.

Okay, South Coast Plaza. Hey, guys, my name is Maths. We're going to South Coast Plaza with our girl, Dina Jane out in so Cow.

Please never do that next you belong here.

Yeah, girl, I live in Calabasas with the Kardashians of carl.

Nor. Oh my gosh, Dina, it comes to the end of our chat. But we I mean, in case you didn't express it enough, we're obsessed with you. We love you, and we're so so so grateful that you took the time to chat with us. And we're so excited to take you around Auckland. You just seen us say, missage, when you are going to be in town, and we'll book the hotel, we'll book everything we got here.

We'll come for a good time. We're here for a good time. Make memories.

Yeah for having me, Dinah Jane Hanson has a special place in.

Our hearts and she was so lovely and we ha one hundred senter taking around next time she's an awkward.

I'm buzzing out that we actually got her no and like she loved our energy. She said it felt like she's known us through it. We made everyone to stop, but we are like, yeah then everyone at the moment, so literally you can't touch this.

Oh my gosh. Okay.

Videos of the chat will be up on Island Roots, awkwand Ways, on our Instagram and our TikTok Follow us, oh my gosh, bye guys,