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Diana Hamilton

A Bahamian from Paris - Diana Hamilton Music

About Me

Diana Hamilton is a Bahamian-born, Parisian by choice, and an instinctive songwriter whose voice carries the echoes of migration, resilience, and ancestral rhythm. Her music blends the soul of Billie Holiday, the quiet strength of Nina Simone, the raw emotion of Amy Winehouse, and the playful grace of Joséphine Baker when she sings in French — all infused with Bahamian cultural roots and an unwavering sense of identity. Hamilton often jokes that music found her, not the other way around. For years, she lived in Paris, working as an English teacher, never imagining she would become a singer. But life — with its strange turns — revealed otherwise. The defining moment came unexpectedly, while watching her young son, Nairobi, face racism in a Parisian park. Overcome with emotion, Hamilton instinctively began to sing — an ancient instinct passed down by those who survived through music. “It came out of nowhere — rhythm, refrain, the whole text… I believe this is how our African ancestors survived — they sang their way through suffering.” That moment led to her first song, “Nairobi,” and eventually her debut album, A Bahamian in Paris. The album, blending Bahamian percussion, Junkanoo, Parisian café culture, and global sounds, quickly attracted critical attention. WOMAD, the influential world music platform, described A Bahamian in Paris as: “Charming genre-crossing from the Bahamian chanteuse… Calypso, reggae, lounge jazz, chanson, zydeco, and Junkanoo gently waft out… Her voice, equally charming in English or French, sounds not unlike a Bahamian cross between Ella Fitzgerald and Macy Gray… a refreshingly unpretentious record.” Though proud of her Parisian life, Hamilton’s heart remained anchored in the Bahamas — her birthplace, often overshadowed in the Caribbean musical landscape. Encouraged by French musicologist Daniela Langer, Hamilton returned home for the first time since age nineteen. The trip rekindled her connection to Bahamian spirituals and ancestral songs, leading to the formation of The Diana Hamilton Trio, performing Rhyming Spirituals and work songs at Musicaor, Radio France, and beyond. In 2020, after nearly a decade of life’s interruptions, Hamilton released her second album, Babylon Café, produced by DJ Dang — a bold project merging tradition and modernity. Dan Behrman, TED Audio Magazine, praised the album: “Anything but trivial… Babylon Café is a virtual bridge between two generations — Dang’s beats and Diana’s soulful, nostalgic voice — creating hybrid music that is vibrant, interesting, and harmonious.” The album features standout tracks like “Motherless Child,” where Hamilton infuses a spiritual rooted in history with a contagious groove, “Seeline” honoring Nina Simone, and “Rake 'n Scrape Please,” celebrating the 100% Bahamian style Hamilton has helped revitalize. In 2013, Hamilton created the Cat Island Accordion & French Camp, a completely free initiative offering workshops with world-class accordionists and Bahamian tradition bearers — the last pole bearers of a musical legacy born from the accordion, goatskin drum, and carpenter’s saw. Her mission: to ensure that young Bahamians from all walks of life recognize their shared ancestral roots and cultural inheritance. The gift Hamilton received for her efforts was profound — a renewed, matured voice, a deeper intuitive ability to channel songs, and the unexpected embrace of audiences in her own homeland. Now, after years dedicated to preserving endangered traditions, Hamilton returns to the musical and jazz scene of The Bahamas, grounded in experience and guided by the rhythms of her people. Her latest project, The Bahamian Trilogy, is more than music — it is a socially engaged artistic statement, designed to shake, awaken, and revitalize her people, using rhythm as both reflection and a call to action. As French songwriter Florian Lacour affirms: “Diana Hamilton brings kindness, humour, and mischief… this Bahamian in Paris sings with rhythms all her own — jazzy, calypso, reggae — while reminding us of the history of her people.” Today, Hamilton’s music bridges continents, traditions, and generations — carrying forward ancestral songs, while creating new rhythms that heal, connect, and inspire.

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My Jazz Story

I met Nina Simone, Fela Kuti, Don Cherry, Archie Shepp, and Manu Dibango in Paris, France. Nina Simone- Unique, intelligent, one-of-a-kind I think Nina Simone is a complete artist, mixing Jazz and classical music with African rhythms, and created a whole new sound. Fela Kuti Anikupalato - The Black President Fela Kuti was a genius, sang songs of freedom, and denounced corruption in Nigeria. A powerful musician who dazzled the world with his African dance troupe and his carefully selected musicians. Fela Kuti created afrobeat by mixing Jazz with native African Rhythms. He remains the Black President. Don Cherry - Sensitive, generous, inspirational I got to see Don Cherry in concert a number of times, and enjoyed each concert immensely.

My House Concert Story

I attended this amazing concert with Nina Simone in Paris. I got to meet Nina, who called me herself after she read the letter I wrote her. I rode with her in her Cadillac and spent time with her in her suite at the Grand Hotel in Paris. She told me all her woes, and I continue to feel for her and other artists who get exploited and hurt because everyone wants a piece of their skin. I remember an impromptu concert I hosted at my producer's place in Montreuil, France, with Archie Shepp. It was amazing. Unfortunately, my then- producer spoiled everything by recording Archie without his permission that night and then refused to let him have a copy of the video. Archie had planned to bring me on stage with him, but ended all communication with me after that.