“I Just Wanted to Have Fun”: Lady Di Mega Diva Adds a Track About Work to Pop Girl Summer

By Calli Ferguson

In a summer dominated by popstars with everything from the rise of Chappel Roan, to albums from Sabrina Carpenter and Addison Rae, and of course, the phenomenon that was Charli XCX’s “Brat summer,” a similar cultural/social undercurrent seems to have influenced music on a local level in New York City. Certainly, that was the case for Lady Di Mega Diva, whose latest single, "Perks," is an spontaneously hyper-poppy departure from her usual sound, serendipitously written just before the wave-making release of Brat, capturing a certain carefree spirit that came to define 2024's summer of the pop girlies.

"I was working with my producer one day, and I was like, ‘Fuck it, let's just make a dance song and see what happens,’” she shared when we caught up before her set at Arlene's Grocery last month. Lady Di wanted a track about work that felt totally unlike work. Fun and dancey, the sound of “Perks” sits in stark contrast to its inspiration: juggling three jobs at a bar, a tanning salon, and a yoga studio. "I just wanted to have fun. I have been working like a bitch this summer… I have to see the positives of always being on the clock because, at the end of the day, I work to make my dreams come true."

"Perks" has an infectious, unapologetic energy—a "fuck it" anthem (in both process and product) that stands alone in Lady Di’s discography. “It’s 2007 again,” she joked, as we reflected on the resurgence of bold, carefree pop music that we remember growing up with. Her approach to the song’s release was similarly spontaneous: “My producer said multiple times… ‘Fuck it! There’s no point in stressing.’”

Noting her early influences of Motown music from obsessions with The Jackson 5 to Stevie Wonder, Lady Di also acknowledged her embrace of popular music. “I fucking love pop music. I’ve never been someone who’s listening to the most niche shit,” she admits. Crediting her talented family for her introduction to music, Lady Di’s artistry and performance quality seem to have been cooked into her soul. "I started singing in church when I was six years old... everyone in my family is super musical, but no one's a diva like me."

Lady Di Mega Diva’s playful performance at Arlene’s Grocery captured that sparkly stage presence perfectly. If you ever get to catch one, know that the LDMD show is full of surprises. She improvs songs on the spot, with some help from the audience for prompts and fun ideas. A silly moment, amazing vocal run, or dirty joke could be around the corner at any moment. In the artist’s own words, “We strap in, see what goes down, hope for the best, and we make it out the other side together.” 

That spontaneity is super intentional, as is the fact that it allows a little more room for error than your typical live music set. Lady Di acknowledged openly, “I fuck up every show, multiple times a show,” she says. “But I own it, because that’s part of live music.” And that’s exactly why walls come down in the space she creates for her audience. Like the release of “Perks” or the spirit of Brat summer itself, the fun is in the letting go. At her Arlene’s Grocery show, it happened as soon as the artist came on stage and showed us her hand-drawn X/Y‘Knows What Sex Is’ vs ‘Fucks’ diagram. On which, if you were curious, Lady Di Mega Diva (as an artist, a project, a persona) sat at the top right. Then we went immediately into some sung improv. With more where-are-we-gonna-turn-next moments throughout the set, the audience would shout out some words and chords. LDMD’s wonderful band would build a tune around that. “And make it sexy,” she said to them once as they whipped up an improvised ABD progression. 

She played two yet-to-be-released tracks for us, and a beautiful cover of Bieber’s “You Smile I Smile”, which she referred to as “a modern-day classic.” It was, as she told me confidently it would be, a really fun time. 

The simultaneously playful and impressive live improvising made all the more sense after hearing about Lady Di’s songwriting practices. On top of three jobs, she has committed herself to writing music every day. Which, honestly, sounded like more of an impulse than a commitment.   “I sing when I’m in between tables and I’m desperate to get to my phone in the back. And then I go home drunk at 2 am, I get on the piano and I write it.”

As she looks ahead to an EP release featuring a lot of that spontaneous writing this fall, Lady Di Mega Diva confirms that “Perks” will remain in its “own fucking world,” a standalone track that embodies an unfiltered moment in her artistic journey.

And if her set at Arlene’s Grocery was any indication, the future looks fun for all of us who may be alongside Lady Di Mega Diva. “You’re just gonna have fun. You’re gonna laugh. It’s silly!” she says of her shows, which are ripe with moments that remind us why live music is magic. With a new upcoming single, "Save You For Later," (a project she’s been somewhat ironically postponing sharing with us), we can also look forward to a nostalgic power ballad to soundtrack our moments in the near future as we transition into fall…

Listen to Perks where you listen and check out the new music video now on YouTube 
& For more Lady Di Mega Diva, check out her Spotify and follow along on Instagram
MORE Upcoming shows AND EVENTS like this are shared weekly in warmly’s Substack