King's lyrics plead for tenderness

By Marieke van Heek

JAKARTA (JP): The enormous power of Diana King's beautiful deep voice filled Hard Rock Cafe Thursday night.

Famous for singing I Say a Little Prayer from the soundtrack of the movie My Best Friend's Wedding, King performed here as part of her Asian Tour.

The cafe was jam-packed with excited fans who adore King's reggae music. When she arrived on stage the crowd went crazy, yelling and laughing as everyone tried to catch a glimpse of the eccentric dresser.

As she kicked off the show the whole cafe fell in behind her, singing and dancing. Everyone was carried away by her wonderful voice.

So what is the secret behind those famous vocal chords?

"You just have to save your voice. Don't talk in cafes. If you ask me something tonight, I will not answer you in that crowd," Diana told journalists just a few hours before the performance.

Diana began singing in school choirs and a Jamaican church. At the age of 13, she left home because her mother forbade her R&B aspirations. She started singing in Jamaica's plushest clubs and resorts.

"I just liked singing, I never thought it would be my profession, I always wanted to be a doctor."

In 1995, Diana made an impressive entrance with her first big hit Shy Guy, which featured in the comedy Bad Boys, on her debut album Tougher Than Love.

She recently launched her new album Think Like a Girl, which features funky reggae with cheerful grooves.

"...boys will be boys, will be boys, will be boys, if only them could think like a girl...," she sang from the cover song at last week's show.

All the women present clapped loudly in response to her lyrical plea.

"The song is saying that sometimes guys should try and see where we are coming from, and understand us more, because we always try to understand them", Diana explains.

"... and the boys say sex me, and the girls say know me and the boys say want me and the girls say need me," she sang.

"I am a woman and I sing what I feel", Diana said, adding that she usually writes about love, relationships and women's stuff.

As a sister, mother and wife she writes many songs about her family because they are very important to her. For instance, she was inspired to write the song Love Yourself while her sister was in a bad relationship.

Her favorite song, Still, was written for her husband.

"Singing is my job but I also like to spend time with my husband and daughters."

Diana slipped off stage at Hard Rock after singing only four songs. Those assembled went berserk and started chanting "we want more, we want more".

Of course, Diana returned to the stage to sing another two songs, her smash hit Shy Guy and L-L-Lies, a funny but serious song about how men lie.

"I like shy guys, I even married one," she quipped.

Then it was over and Hard Rock's regular band Deviate took to the stage.

But after the band had played a few songs, Diana stepped back on stage to sing along with the local band. It was not only the guests who were surprised, the band members and singers were shocked too

She said she planned her Asian tour long before the crisis.

"When my manager asked me where I wanted to go, I said India, because my mother's roots are there.". She has also visited Singapore and Kuala Lumpur during the tour.

In Jakarta's Hard Rock Cafe there were no signs of a crisis as none of Diana's fans could afford to miss the performance.

Although her new album has been released she is already starting on a new song.

"I have close contact with Cline Dion at the moment and we are working on a song together," she said.