Trying To Be Kind, Like Diana: Diana Is Calling Talks Their New Sound, Moving To NYC, and The Importance of Mental Health

The music video for the track “Diana” is an intimate, unfiltered look at both the group behind the song and the woman who inspired it. Diana Is Calling, a jazz/adult contemporary-indie rock group from Philly, perfectly captured the spirit and energy of Diana, lead singer Melanie Juliano’s grandmother, in the jam session/cooking-themed home video. Diana is seen throughout preparing food, laughing, goofing around and, overall, seemingly just lighting up the room. But once she and Juliano lock eyes, grab hands, or anything of the sort, Diana melts into the type of proud, supportive grandmother that would unabashedly and unequivocally label themselves as their grandkids’ “biggest fan.” Their relationship is a center point of this band and what they are about, but there is so much more to this multifaceted group of musicians.

I sat down to chat with two of the band’s members, Melanie Juliano and Bryan Cowan, over iced cappuccinos, fries, and a baked potato, at a cozy diner on 9^th avenue in Manhattan that almost felt like a different world from the always-bustling midtown streets just outside the door.

“She’s badass,” said Juliano, on her grandmother Diana, who, as stated earlier, serves as the inspiration for the name Diana Is Calling. “I knew she would be super cool with the whole idea. But the music is about real shit. It’s about real emotions, mental health, the pandemic, family, trauma… all of that. The band is inspired by my grandmother’s strength and the songs are about being honest with what you’re feeling.” She also used the phrase “wholesome hardcore,” repeatedly, to describe the overall vibe.

To counteract Juliano’s deep, personal definition of the group, Cowan offered a lighter take. “I love the juxtaposition with the name Diana Is Calling,” he said. “The name sounds like one of those, ‘For whom the bell tolls,’ Metallica-esque, metal sounding things, and then you learn that Diana is not only Melanie’s grandmother but her still-living grandmother in a bikini on the cover art for the song.”

All kidding aside though, Diana is, seemingly, as wise as they come. A lyric from the song states, “She actually reads, not Facebook advertising. She’s got the greatest writing on her arm, like a tattooed sleeve”, referencing her love of literature and the mass amount of wealth and knowledge she possesses.

DIC comes off as a chameleon of sounds and styles on “Diana” and other tracks throughout their catalog, but with a significant jazz influence. However, with their new material, the group is heading in a different direction.

“Our love for indie rock is really coming through and that is the direction we want to go in,” said Juliano. “There is definitely stuff that is going to come out, like a song called ‘The Mirror,’ that has a little bit of Bowie and The Beatles.”

Juliano earns those big name drops, as she is trained in both jazz and musical theatre and is skilled and formidable in every way. She showcases vocal elements comparable to Norah Jones, descriptive songwriting comparable to Alanis Morrisette and the shape-shifting technique comparable to Lady Gaga. She also references the “jam scene,” which she latched onto after hearing the track “Syncopated Healing” by Twiddle, as an influence both personally and on the band’s sound.

Cowan is as equally as diverse and multi-faceted a musician as Juliano, and is as knowledgeable and respectful of music history and the artists who paved the way. “Jazz and jam bands are very connected,” he said. “That whole scene arguably never would have happened without your Chick Corea’s, without your Herbie Hancock’s, without your Weather Report… without all of these great fusion artists.” He cited his experience playing jazz and folk music, as well as a litany of genres he familiarized himself with during the pandemic, such as electronic and EDM, as all interconnected, despite appearing to be on opposite sides of the spectrum.

At the time of writing, Juliano will have been a New York City resident for just over a week, having relocated from Philadelphia, PA. She will miss the DIY and community-nature of Philly, but is excited to take on a whole new world of opportunity in the big city, citing Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right venue as a bucket list space for the band to play. Cowan, also originally from PA, is currently a college student in NYC. However, the entire band, as it is now, may not make the same move.

“We’re going through a bit of a transition,” said Juliano. “We started getting a lot of work in New York and at the time, Philly wasn’t bouncing back as quickly as NYC during COVID. Bryan was already here, and I’ve always wanted to go here, so it just kind of made sense.”

However, despite the transition, by no means is anyone being excluded or blacklisted from the group. “We think of it as more collective,” said Cowan. “Some of the people that were playing shows with us a year ago might still record a couple of songs or play with us. Live personnel is probably not going to be the same as it has been, but we’ve already made the changes we’ve had to make. We are lucky to be school-educated musicians with huge communities of our peers that are incredible, so the way I see it is that there’s no reason why we shouldn’t access that.”

Juliano doubled down. “Everyone has their own work and may be in other bands, but I think that is what is great about being in this community,” she said. “Not just coming from our college, but also coming to New York. You get to work with different people, and you respect that other people have important and valuable ideas and contributions to the group.”

When asked if working within a group of top-tier musicians, particularly a young group, causes any tension among the ranks, Juliano’s answer was definitive. “Not at all,” she said. “I think everyone has great respect for each other as their own professional musician and understanding of everyone’s talent.”

The group recorded a project together in June of 2021, taking a week to be completely isolated from nearly everyone but each other, due to COVID protocols. A previous project was recorded separately from home, during the initial peak in 2020. Like any great jazz-inspired band or ensemble, DIC is a group that appears to thrive off feeding off each other’s energy, especially in a live setting. Taking those elements away, while not completely detrimental, is still a significant blow to the overall product. Cowan stated that the separation leads to an overall lack of cohesion, which is critical in a band of this nature. While the pandemic may have led to obstacles to overcome in the creative process, it led to some much needed down time for Juliano. “For me, and for people coming out of college who were going 90 miles an hour, that was the first time in my life that I had a break,” she said. “It was really nice to just breathe and to start to find balance in my mental and physical health, my relationships. I think everyone had a different experience during the pandemic and I think it’s important to understand that and understand that people are at very different emotional places these days and are now really trying to fight for normal life again.”

Being open about mental health is critical to Juliano in all aspects of her life, including music. “My grandmother really did inspire all of this more than I thought because she worked in the mental health field for most of her life,” she said. “Growing up in my family, mental health was equal to physical health. It was super important that we talk about it. I think most people have been more open to talking about emotions and feelings and what’s going on because of everything that has happened.” Cowan dove deeper. “My ability to see people and talk to people and share my love and feelings with these people was taken away in an instant. I think we should appreciate that that is here now and not take it for granted.”

You watch the music video for “Diana” below, and be sure to check out Diana Is Calling on their social media, here:

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