Draft:Yaya Diamond

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Yaya Diamond
Also known as
  • YaYa Diamond
  • Yahaloma
  • Yahaloma Ramos
Born
Kimberly Thomas
Occupations
  • Vocalist
  • podcaster
  • media host
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • percussion

Yaya Diamond is the stage name of Kimberly Thomas, an American vocalist, podcaster, and media host. Diamond hosts Yaya Diamonds Dream Chasers Radio Show, which won a Bronze Telly Award in 2024 in the Online category for General-Interview & Talk Show.[1] She is the daughter of hi-NRG and disco singer Evelyn Thomas.[2][3]

Music career

In 2011, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune identified Kimberly Thomas, then performing as Yahaloma or Yahaloma Ramos, as a North Port, Florida vocalist and reported that she had released a 16-song CD titled Beautiful. The article also identified her mother as international disco singer Evelyn Thomas and noted that she had joined the cover group The Crashers.[4]

In 2016, the Charlotte Sun Herald published a feature article about Diamond titled "Local singer releases new single". The article reported that Diamond sang lead with the local band The Crashers and had released "Closer" on Expanded Music, an independent dance label in Italy. It also stated that she lived in North Port, Florida, was the daughter of singer Evelyn Thomas, and hosted Yahaloma Dream Chasers Radio on BlogTalkRadio.[5]

In 2016, the music website TunedLoud profiled Diamond and discussed her work in dance, R&B, and soul, including the single "Everything Will Be Alright" and the then-upcoming Expanded Music release "Hey DJ".[6] That same year, Indie Band Guru covered Diamond's collaboration with Florian F. on "Closer (Ibiza Version)", describing the track as a dance and EDM recording and noting Diamond's vocals.[7] In 2020, SoulTracks featured Raymond Barton's "Love In Your Eyes", with Diamond as featured vocalist, in its "World Premiere" series and later included the recording in its list of the 100 best soul songs of 2020.[8][9] In 2021, the LIT Music Awards listed "Hopes in Chain", performed by Yaya Diamond and written by Mosi Dorbayani, as a winner in the Singing Performance – Rhythm & Blues (R&B) category.[10] Dorbayani later discussed "Hopes in Chain" in a University of Salford doctoral thesis on cultural diplomacy, identifying Diamond as the song's singer and presenting the work as a message song connected to Black Lives Matter and social-impact themes.[11]

Diamond has also performed in the Sarasota, Florida music scene. In 2016, the Charlotte Sun described Diamond as the North Port front woman for Reverend Barry's Funktastic Soul and the Hellacious Horns and reported on the band's CD release party and appearance at Giving Hunger the Boos in Sarasota.[12] In 2020, a Sarasota Herald-Tribune photo gallery identified her as lead female vocalist and percussionist for Reverend Barry and the Funk during a concert at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds.[13] In 2025, Sarasota Arts listed SCD With Yaya Diamond & the Dream Chasers, a Sarasota Contemporary Dance collaboration at the Cook Theatre at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, as a restaging led by Yaya Diamond & The Dream Chasers with choreography by artistic director Leymis Bolaños Wilmott.[14]

Evelyn Thomas connection

Diamond is the daughter of disco and hi-NRG singer Evelyn Thomas, best known for the 1984 single "High Energy". People described Diamond as a fellow vocalist and reported that Kimberly Thomas, who performs as YaYa Diamond, appeared in the 1984 music video for "High Energy" and intended to record the unreleased song "Inspirational" as a tribute to her mother.[15]

The BBC also identified Evelyn Thomas's daughter Kimberly as performing as YaYa Diamond and reported that she intended to record "Inspirational" after Thomas was too ill to record it herself.[16] Other music publications, including Billboard Canada, Mixmag, and Resident Advisor, similarly identified her as Evelyn Thomas's daughter and reported on the planned tribute recording.[17][18][19]

Podcasting

Diamond hosts Yaya Diamonds Dream Chasers Radio Show. In 2024, the show won a Bronze Telly Award in the Online category for General-Interview & Talk Show. The Telly Awards listed Yaya Diamond Productions as the entrant and credited Yaya Diamond of Red Hot Reality Ent LLC as host.[20]

References

  1. "Yaya Diamonds Dream chasers radio show - 2024 Bronze Winner". The Telly Awards. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  2. Perkins, Njera; Irvin, Jack (July 26, 2024). "Evelyn Thomas' Daughter Wants to 'Keep Her Legacy Alive' After the 'High Energy' Singer's Death at 70". People. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  3. Savage, Mark (July 22, 2024). "High Energy singer Evelyn Thomas dies, aged 70". BBC News. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  4. "Local beats". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. July 7, 2011. Archived from the original on June 15, 2026. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  5. Smith, Steven J. (January 20, 2016). "Local singer releases new single". Charlotte Sun Herald. p. LG18. Retrieved June 16, 2026 – via University of Florida Digital Collections. Article appears in the Let's Go section; the linked PDF page is 83. Backup: Smith, Steven J. (January 20, 2016). "Local singer releases new single". Charlotte Sun Herald. p. LG18. Retrieved June 16, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Yaya Diamond – A Talent and a Musical Legacy all of her Own!". TunedLoud. May 31, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  7. Pro, Keith (June 18, 2016). "Yaya Diamond - Expanding Her Reach With New Genres". Indie Band Guru. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  8. Dukes, Howard (June 4, 2020). "World Premiere: Raymond Barton and Yaya Diamond shine on "Love In Your Eyes"". SoulTracks. Archived from the original on June 22, 2026. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  9. "We Pick the 100 Best Soul Songs of 2020". SoulTracks. December 18, 2020. Archived from the original on June 22, 2026. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  10. "Hopes in Chain". LIT Music Awards. 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  11. Dorbayani, S. M. (2021). Cultural Diplomacy: The Role of Music and Creative Industry in Establishing Dialogue and Understanding for Social Impact: A Cross-disciplinary Critique (PhD thesis). University of Salford. pp. 143–153. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
  12. Williams, Marisa (October 12, 2016). "Rev. Barry's Funktastic Soul and the Hellacious Horns". Charlotte Sun. p. Let's Go! 23. Retrieved June 19, 2026 – via University of Florida Digital Collections.
  13. "Reverend Barry and the Funk at Sarasota Fairgrounds in Sarasota". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. September 28, 2020. Archived from the original on June 15, 2026. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  14. "SCD With Yaya Diamond & the Dream Chasers". Sarasota Arts. Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County. December 4, 2025. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  15. Perkins, Njera; Irvin, Jack (July 26, 2024). "Evelyn Thomas' Daughter Wants to 'Keep Her Legacy Alive' After the 'High Energy' Singer's Death at 70". People. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  16. Savage, Mark (July 22, 2024). "High Energy singer Evelyn Thomas dies, aged 70". BBC News. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  17. Lynch, Jessica (July 22, 2024). "Evelyn Thomas, Disco Queen Behind 'High Energy,' Dies at 70". Billboard Canada. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  18. Ross, Gemma (July 23, 2024). "Legendary disco singer Evelyn Thomas has died aged 70". Mixmag. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  19. Lawson, Michael (July 22, 2024). "Evelyn Thomas, disco and hi-NRG legend, dies aged 70". Resident Advisor. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  20. "Yaya Diamonds Dream chasers radio show - 2024 Bronze Winner". The Telly Awards. Retrieved June 15, 2026.