“Diyet’s poetic lyrics are heartfelt and true, full of hope and inspiration for positive change in her community.”- DISCourse
Diyet was born in a tent and spent her childhood on the ancestral lands of the Kluane First Nation people in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Coming from a family rooted in traditions but tempered with a good sense of adventurous hippie attitudes, Diyet has created a musical presence that is as diverse as her Southern Tutchone, Tlingit, Japanese and Scottish heritage.
She discovered her voice singing on the school bus, went on to acquire a degree in music, then became a published songwriter in Vancouver, BC. When the pull of the North was too strong, she packed her bags, and her Dutch husband, moving back to her village of 90 people without a plan or even a pub to play in. The result of this unlikely career move has been international collaborations, extensive touring, features in the New York Times, MacLean’s Magazine, and on BBC Radio (Messiah/Complex) .
Backed by the Love Soldiers, she has three acclaimed albums The Breaking Point, When You Were King, and Diyet & The Love Soldiers which received nominations for: “Folk Album Of The Year” at The Indigenous Music Awards, “Indigenous Artist Of The Year” at the Western Canadian Music Awards and won “Indigenous Songwriter Of The Year” at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.
Diyet is alternative country, folk, roots and traditional with catchy melodies and stories deeply rooted in Diyet’s Indigenous world view and northern life. Diyet sings in both English and Southern Tutchone (her native language) and plays bass guitar. Backed by Love Soldiers, husband and collaborator, Robert van Lieshout (acoustic guitar, drums & percussion) and Juno Award winning producer, Bob Hamilton (electric guitar, pedal steel & mandolin); this multi instrumental trio from the Yukon has a sound that can fill a big stage or capture an intimate room.
During the last decade Diyet has performed nationally in Canada and internationally in Europe. Performance highlights include major folk, jazz, world and multi-disciplinary festivals and theatres in Canada, tour in the UK and upcoming tours in Germany & The Netherlands. TV appearances include; APTN Indigenous Day 2019 Live, CTV Atlantic Morning Show, CBC New Years Eve 2020 National Broadcast and Against the Grain Theatre’s Messiah/Complex.
Continuing to live with feet firmly planted in two worlds, Diyet’s adventurous and sometimes chaotic life is on full display in her music. She often says, “yesterday, fishing for our dinner on the ice, the next day, on the stage singing for you!”