Kimaya Diggs
Kimaya Diggs
Student of Opera. Speech writer. Winner of a Fellowship for Poetry. Rescuer of dogs. Vocal surgery survivor. Producer. There’s a lot to the backstory of Kimaya Diggs, and the result is a beautiful body of work that draws upon several genres, with her unique writing and exceptional vocals weaving a steady thread through it all.
If you were to only look at her Spotify page you would think that her artistic career began with her debut release “Breastfed” in 2018. That couldn’t be further from the truth. She was accomplish writer before that and has held down a series of impressive gigs that all point to being a singer, songwriter and producer. While listening to this song you should go read her bio on her website, it’s quite compelling and will give you insight into why this project is named “Qunicy.” Here’s our review of the first single, “I Hafta Try.”
It’s an all start, with drums and a straight beat, upstrokes from the guitar on the off beats and some really cool vintage synth tones that bounce back and forth around my speakers. Key of D, around 119 bpm. Nice happy vibe. Kimaya’s melody comes in on the 5th, floating perfectly above the arpeggiated synth, but you can’t help but feel the heaviness of the lyrics. Great juxtaposition there. Absolutely love when the bass kicks in on her second phrase of the first verse - the choice of starting on the 5 really opens up the spectrum, and the pull off the 3 is a great choice. I have a feeling that that is her husband, Jacob Rosazza on the bass. I’m really struck by the completeness of her tone, the depth of her alto - it’s so well rounded and her pronunciation is impeccable.
It gently rolls into the chorus with an uplifting change to the bass line and chord structure, but the highlight is the simplicity of her line, melody and steadiness of her voice. Pay attention to the guitar riffs in your left speaker, and the changes to the keyboard in the right. Right down the middle is a solid EQ of the drums, bass and vocals and the foundation of a great arrangement. I’m getting hits of pop, soul and Motown, and I love the positive reinforcement of the lyrics.
With the second verse she adds some solid backgrounds on the second phrase to continue the build up, and there’s some slight alterations to the keyboards as well. If you’re not inspired to move along with the track, there’s probably something wrong with you. Second chorus keeps the positive vibes rolling with additional instrumentation and a solid rhythm section.
Love the double-time feel of the bridge, the altered progression, and the build up on the 5 to get out. The set up to the final chorus is a beautiful stripped down section that helps set up some really cool chromatic movements in the backgrounds that hit in the final full chorus. Again, I’m just blown away by the fullness of her voice. If you were to tell me that she had to go through extensive therapy to learn how to sing again, I wouldn’t believe it. There’s also one really brief riff in falsetto she pulls off at the very end that gives you a broader glimpse into her control. Love it! Great job Kimaya and team - the world needs more uplifting songs like this!
Make sure you scroll down to catch her socials and other tracks. “They Can Say What They Like” has a great drum foundation, beautiful guitar work and more of her great vocals. It reminds me of Amy Winehouse a bit. Tracks of her debut “Breastfed” show a softer and more vulnerable side, especially with songs like “Million” and “Bus Stop with their string parts and limited guitar work. But in those arrangements and compositions you can begin to draw a line to this latest release - she’s certainly not one to follow the standard form of songwriting today - and we love it. Best of luck with this release, Kimaya!