| Diamond Rings | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John O'Regan |
| Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Pop, Electronic |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | Astralwerks Secret City Records Tomlab One Big Silence Hype Lighter |
| Associated acts | The D'Urbervilles |
| Website | diamondringsmusic.com |
John O'Regan (born July 6, 1985) is a Canadian artist and musician best known by his stage name Diamond Rings. In addition to writing, recording, and producing his own music, he is also noted for transcending traditional representations of gender and identity in his live performances and videos.
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O'Regan got his start in music as one of the founding members of post-punk quartet The D'Urbervilles,[1] where he was known as John O alongside Tim Bruton, Kyle Donnelly and Greg Santilly. He also formed the Casio-pop duo Habitat[2] in 2006 with his partner at the time, Sylvie Smith of The Barmitzvah Brothers.
O'Regan began writing Diamond Rings songs in the summer of 2008 after graduating with a degree in Studio Arts from the University of Guelph. The inception of the new moniker and his earliest songs were written during a lengthy hospital stay while being diagnosed and treated for Crohn's disease.[3]
His first release was a limited edition split 7" vinyl single titled "All Yr Songs" that was distributed through his own boutique label Hype Lighter in August 2009. His friends PS I Love You were featured on the opposite side of the single. A music video for "All Yr Songs" was featured by CBC Radio 3, Exclaim!, and Pitchfork Media.[4][5] The music video attracted controversy in December 2009 when it was removed from YouTube at the behest of Sony/BMG on grounds of copyright infringement. Apparently this was due to confusion between O'Regan's stage name and the song "Diamond Rings" by UK based rapper and Sony UK artist Chipmunk. When word of the slip up caught on throughout the blogosphere Sony/BMG withdrew its claim and issued O'Regan and Medley a formal apology.[6]
In March 2010, Diamond Rings released a new 7" single with German label Tomlab entitled "Wait & See", which features backing vocals from Toronto musician Gentleman Reg.[7] The B-side features a cover of Sebadoh's "On Fire". The video for "Wait & See" was premiered on Pitchfork Media in February 2010.[8] His next single was a 12" Chicago House inspired dance track titled "Show Me Your Stuff", which was released in June 2010 on Fucked Up guitarist Mike Haliechuk's One Big Silence imprint. The corresponding video also featured a cameo from Fucked Up vocalist Damian Abraham and has drawn comparisons to disparate artists such as Klaus Nomi, Nirvana, and Britney Spears[9]
His debut full length album, Special Affections, was released in North America on October 25, 2010 by Montreal's Secret City Records. Thus far it has attracted positive reviews from Pitchfork, Exclaim!, and AllMusic and he has been called "a genius" in several reviews.[10][11][12] Lead single "Something Else" was released a month prior and features a cover of the Milla Jovovich song "The Gentleman Who Fell", with string arrangements by Canadian musician and Polaris Prize winner Owen Pallett. Following the album release Diamond Rings opened for Swedish pop star Robyn for the duration of her North American Body Talk tour in the winter of 2011. He also toured with PS I Love You in support of "Leftovers", a single that was cowritten by both O'Regan and the band and released on Toronto based Paper Bag Records.
In May 2011, Diamond Rings began a six-week remix series entitled, "Remix Rainbow." Remix Rainbow was conceived as a thank-you to a select group of musicians whose recent work gave Diamond Rings a sense of new-found inspiration. Among those featured in the series were Theophilus London, Junior Boys, Handsome Furs. The artwork for each remix represents a different color of the Diamond Rings rainbow.[13]
Diamond Rings has since signed with New York City based Astralwerks Records, who rereleased Special Affections on June 21, 2011.
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Diamond_Rings Diamond Rings] at Wikimedia Commons