Known on stage by just her first name, Daiela, the singer, songwriter, drummer and music producer Daiela Simon-Seay ’26 has already left her mark on the music industry. She’s amassed over six million Spotify streams, nearly 60,000 Instagram followers and a devoted fan base — all before finishing her undergraduate studies at Brown.
The Herald sat down with Daiela to learn about her artistic process and goals as she enters her last year on College Hill.
While her love for the craft began long before her time at Brown, Daiela said the University has left a defining mark on her musical journey, helping her find community, performance opportunities and some of her favorite collaborators to date.
Although balancing her classes and music career has been a challenge, Daiela has been able to find the overlap between the two. Assistant Professor of Music Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo — one of the co-creators of the Brown Art Institute’s Black Music Lab — has served as a mentor to the singer while she navigates her life as a full-time student and a full-time artist.
Lumumba-Kasongo has “taught me so much about bridging the gap between being an academic and an artist,” Daiela said. “I feel really blessed to be at a school that supports me both creatively and professionally.”
Larson DiFiori ’08 PhD’18, a visiting assistant professor of religious studies and associate director of undergraduate studies in contemplative studies, has also been an influential figure for Daiela.
DiFiori “completely shifted how I understand myself and my connection to the natural world,” Daiela said, pointing to his teachings of internal alchemy in Daoism — a concept that has served as inspiration for much of her thesis.
After she finished her first year at Brown, Daiela began work on her debut EP, titled “Dancing With My Shadow.”
For her, “Dancing With My Shadow” was “a way to express really living with yourself and loving yourself and learning how to do that,” she said.
One of the EP’s four singles, “HYPER DAI,” was featured in Apple’s promotional campaign for the new iPhone 17 Pro. After being contacted by one of the company’s music supervisors, “it all just kind of fell into place,” Daiela explained.
The feature reminded Daiela that her art can “carry (her) to places bigger than (she) can imagine,” she said.
The Herald also spoke to some of Daiela’s peer collaborators, who underscored the depth of her talent and character — both as a musician and a friend.
“That’s bestie, that’s twin,” J.D. Gorman ’26 said. “She’s such a genuine person and has such a kind, pure heart and wants the best for the people around her.”
Outside of Daiela, “not many people sing and play drums at the same time,” said Julien Deculus ’25, a collaborator and producer on “Dancing With My Shadow.”
That talent is “very rare to see, and I feel like that gives a unique edge to her performances when she hops on the drums,” Deculus said. “It’s very surprising to a lot of people.”
Daiela’s next project — which is also her senior thesis in contemplative studies — explores her understanding of the four seasons and their relation to womanhood and the menstrual cycle.
Throughout the project, she has collaborated with other Brown students and alums including Gorman, Surya Gopal ’28, Marcus Grant GS, Moana Marx ’27 and Dori Walker ’24. Daiela added that Walker has been her “true partner in crime.”
Involving dancers, choreographers and a videography team, the upcoming project is “a community effort,” Daiela said.
The first of four singles from her short film visual album will be released in February. Her senior thesis performances — which she said will combine “live music, visuals and movement” — will be hosted in venues ranging from on-campus locations to Museum of Natural History and Planetarium in Roger Williams Park.
While reflecting on her undergraduate experience, Daiela said her time at Brown has taught her the value of slowing down, reflecting and “letting connections between disciplines, people and experiences emerge over time.”
After graduation, Daiela will be opening for various artists across the East Coast before moving back to her hometown of Los Angeles to further expand her team. She wants to travel the world, lean further into dancing, “branch out into the film space” and continue sharing her music “with as big of an audience as wants to hear,” she said.
