Diva Smith Is Dancing Through the Doubt

With “2 Step,” Diva Smith is stepping into a brighter, softer and more self-assured chapter. The LA-born, New York-based singer-songwriter describes her sound as “therapy pop,” a fitting phrase for music that turns anxiety, vulnerability and emotional growth into something warm, melodic and deeply human. Her latest release captures the uneasy beauty of falling in love while still carrying the fear of being too much, moving from self-doubt into surrender with a dreamy sense of optimism.

For Diva, music has always been a place to process feelings. Raised in a musical household and inspired by everything from Hilary Duff and Fleetwood Mac to The 1975, Lana Del Rey and country storytelling, she writes with a sincerity that feels both nostalgic and current. Away from the stage, she finds balance as a part-time preschool teacher and avid crafter, grounding herself in creativity that exists without pressure or expectation.

As she continues to build her world, Diva is embracing colour, comfort, vulnerability and the confidence of her younger self. In conversation with House of Solo, she opens up about “2 Step,” falling in love, the challenge of building a music career, the influence of New York, and learning to take every chance.

For people discovering you for the first time through “2 Step,” how would you introduce yourself and the world you are building as an artist?

Hello world, I’m Diva, and I love to write songs and sing them. First of all, thank you for being here, because getting to share my music with you is one of my favourite parts of all this. I make music to help myself process and grow from my experiences, and I put that music out into the world in the hope of finding people who may need to hear those stories. “Therapy pop” is what I have come to call it, because my music is therapy not only for me, but in a dream world, it can be therapy for the listener too.

I once wrote in a college paper that I wanted to create a world around my music “where people can feel safe enough to get lost.” I think that remains true. I want us all to be able to work through our feelings and create a community to help each other along the way.

“2 Step” explores insecurity while falling in love. What was happening emotionally when you first started writing it?

I had just entered my first real relationship, and I think doing anything for the first time comes with a lot of insecurity, especially when it is something so emotionally involved. It felt like such a good thing from the start, so I was immediately afraid of losing it. That is what this song is about.

You have spoken about the fear of feeling “too much” for someone. How has that feeling shaped the way you write about love, vulnerability and self-acceptance?

I was a really anxious kid. It was a feeling that came over me at a young age, and I wanted more than anything for it to go away. But my anxiety was never really something I hid. It kind of became a part of me, which, for better or worse, has taught me a lot. I think it has also given me this complex that I am “too much” because I wear my heart on my sleeve and am really emotionally aware and involved, which I always thought would scare boys away.

The song moves from anxious, self-deprecating verses into a euphoric chorus. Was that contrast intentional, and did it mirror something you were experiencing in real life?

I wanted to write about surrendering to love. The verses explore my insecurities, and the chorus captures a full submission to the whimsical, exciting side of my relationship. It is about how, when I was alone, I would get in my head and let my anxiety run wild, and how when we were together, all of those negative thoughts faded away.

“Sunny Surrender” and “2 Step” both feel brighter, bolder and more optimistic. What has changed in the way you are approaching your music in 2026?

The main answer is that I was in a happy, healthy relationship for the first time. The other aspect is that I have gotten really into country music, which inspires me a lot musically and energetically. I was worried that feeling secure in a relationship was going to make me less inspired to write, but it ended up inspiring me to write songs with a different tone than I had before. I wanted to prove to myself that I could write songs about things other than heartbreak, which I am proud to say I was able to accomplish.

Growing up in a musical household, what kind of music first made you want to become an artist yourself?

Hilary Duff. I remember watching her on TV and just thinking, I really want to do that. I wanted to be a pop star as a kid, which I pushed away for a while as I became older and more self-aware. Then I started discovering music on Tumblr in my early teens, artists like The 1975, The Japanese House and Lana Del Rey. Becoming a fan of those artists made me realise that I wanted to make music.

You have mentioned influences like Bread and Fleetwood Mac. Who else has shaped your sound, either musically, emotionally or creatively?

Country music has had a huge influence on me over the past two years. I love how country music tells such concise, intricate stories and keeps you so engaged. The kind of country I love takes you on a journey and is tied up in a perfect bow at the end. Making music with that feeling in mind is really satisfying. Putting the puzzle pieces of a song together is my favourite part of what I do.

The other thing I attribute my music to is moving to New York for college. I had a lot of separation anxiety as a kid, and moving to New York was something I had always dreamed of but did not think was possible. When I bit the bullet and moved here, I wrote my first song on my acoustic guitar in my dorm room. I had always loved writing and took guitar and vocal lessons, but I had never really brought all of those things together until I moved here. Something about the city makes everything feel so possible and exciting. It continues to inspire me every day.

What have been some of the biggest challenges you have faced while building your career in music?

Social media, for sure. It is such an incredible tool, but also incredibly daunting. Trying to figure out how to portray yourself online can be paralysing, especially because there are millions of singer-songwriter girls out there doing the same thing. You often worry about what sets you apart. Over time, I have learned to limit my time online, catch myself when I am doomscrolling, and only post things for myself, because if you are not being your authentic self, your audience can feel that.

Has there ever been a moment where you questioned whether you could keep going, and what helped you move through that?

I used to think having those questioning moments meant I was not meant to be a musician. But I have come to learn that it all stems from how much I care about what I do. Playing shows in NYC has definitely thickened my skin in the live world, but in the beginning, I found it devastating to play to a crowd of people talking amongst themselves. Performing has become more of a meditation for me now, and something that I do for myself and for the ones who care to listen. Practice makes it all easier.

As an emerging artist today, you are expected to be a songwriter, performer, storyteller and visual creative all at once. How do you balance all of that without losing the personal side of your artistry?

Honestly, a huge thing that has saved my sanity over the past year is being a part-time preschool teacher. I started to find that doing music all day, every day was not benefiting me creatively, especially because I was doing most of it alone. I really wanted to find something that made me feel like I was in the present. Being a musician in the early parts of your career, all you do is think about, write about, talk about and sing about yourself, and being in a room full of three-year-olds does not let you do that. It is amazing. I have absolutely fallen in love with teaching and being around such pure creativity and unadulterated fun.

Do you see a connection between the way you dress, the way you perform and the way you write music?

Being comfortable is always number one. Whether I am in a writing session or on stage, I need to feel comfortable in what I am wearing in order to be my best and most authentic self. Sometimes that is a tracksuit, sometimes it is a tutu. It depends on the day. But I always prioritise comfort. Wearing colour always puts me in a better mood. You will rarely find me wearing black.

Outside of music and fashion, what hobbies, rituals or simple pleasures help you feel grounded?

Other than being a preschool teacher, crafting. I am an avid crafter. I like having something to fidget with and do with my hands, so right now I am obsessed with making origami stars. Grabbing a craft instead of your phone is a game-changer. I love to draw, collage and paint, even though I am definitely not great at it. But creating things with no expectation is so liberating.

Looking ahead, what does this new chapter of Diva Smith represent for you?

The main thing I am aiming to do in this chapter is make my younger self proud. As I said before, I wanted to be a pop star from a young age. Now that I am making music, I would not say being a “pop star” is the goal right now, but I think embodying that confident, fun, uninhibited little Diva who wanted to sing and dance all day is at the forefront of my mind. I have spent so much of my life being anxious, and I have also spent a lot of time working really hard to fight through that. I want to be as authentic as I possibly can in all aspects of my art, take all the chances, and do the damn thing.