Diamond by Sarah Potenza

Album: Road To Rome (2019)

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Sarah Potenza, a semi-finalist on Season 8 of The Voice, gave Rock 'N' Load the backstory on this powerful country-blues anthem: "From my earliest crushes through my bachelorette years, the pattern was always the same. The boys would laugh at all my jokes, be in awe of my talents, and then ask me if my quiet, more submissive girlfriend would go out with them. I spent a lot of time feeling ashamed of who I was. I tried so hard to crack the code. Tried to be smaller in every way, but I just couldn't squeeze myself into the glass slipper. Today I am grateful to have failed, because I wanted things that they could never give to me. Diamond is an open letter to a fourteen-year-old Sarah. I want to tell her not to cry over those boys. I want to reach all the little Sarah's out there and tell them, 'Girl, just wait. Your turn is coming. You're a diamond.'"
The music video features Pretty Big Movement, a plus-size dance troupe founded by Akira Armstrong, who appeared in clips for Beyonce's "Greenlight" and "Get Me Bodied."

Potenza, who appears in the video rocking a pink tutu and a midriff tee, told Rock 'N' Load: "To cast dancers for 'Diamond,' I had to consider more than just the music or the look. Could the dancers live my lyrics? Could they pull from their own lives and say, 'Oh that line, I feel that so deeply that I want to express it"? That is what's at the center of my art. So casting women who had these experiences and the emotional capacity to express them was a big priority for me.

I first heard about Pretty Big Movement through a video that came across my Facebook feed in 2017. Akira's look and dance moves caught my eye, but it was her story that caught my attention. She had danced in two Beyonce videos, and still couldn't get an agent, because of her size. I knew that feeling all too well. I was in awe of what she did next. Akira started her very own dance troupe, Pretty Big Movement, which has since been featured all over the world.

So of course producing the 'Diamond' music video, I decided I was gonna toss the song her way and see if it resonated with her. Within the hour we were on the phone laughing and chatting about our similar spirit and experiences as full figured gals of the entertainment industry. After that conversation I was sold on the idea that Pretty Big Movement was the perfect choice."

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