Meet Valenttina Dias | Singer, Actress & Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Valenttina Dias and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Valenttina, how do you think about risk?
It’s so funny to me to be asked that question right now. Since I created Instagram in 2011, my bio has been the same: “Take the risk or lose the chance”. This sentence has been guiding me in my decisions for such a long period of my life right now, and it keeps making more and more sense every day. The things I’m proud of now were only built because of the risks I’ve taken: deciding to leave behind Economics, declining the college offers I was given, pursuing an acting and now a music career, dealing with the family controversies, moving to another country by myself, and all the dilemmas that come with that. The thing about taking risks is that, to make it work, you have to put double the time, work and determination, and most people are simply not willing to give it all. You can’t choose a hard path and wait for things to happen or for someone to make it happen for you. Everyone is pursuing their own dreams and dealing with their own dilemmas, so you have to wake up every day and go make things happen for yourself. It’s not going to be comfortable, but that’s when the biggest growth happens. As an artist, I like to think that I’m constantly taking risks in my daily decisions. Every decision I make brings me closer to who I really am and helps build my unique personality, naturally setting me apart from others in this huge sea of artists in LA. It took me some time to get confident about the choices and risks I wanted to take, but in the end it all came down to not wanting to get to the end of my life thinking about “what would’ve happened if…”. Right now, I don’t like to think of anything as a risk, just as something that needs more work put into it. I also like to keep in mind that not everything is going to go exactly as planned. I used to put so much hate on myself for getting a result different than the one I planned, but now it’s so clear that nothing is a failure, just an experience with something to learn from. So take the “risk” and put in the work. You’re either gonna get a great result or a great lesson out of it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What sets me apart from others is the most precious thing I can have. And this is me. My personality, who I am. In a world full of talented artists, staying true to myself and not being afraid to show the real Valenttina Dias is what makes me unique. Since I was a little girl I was never one to care about what other people had to say or think about me and these feelings have only gotten stronger with time. So for a very long time now I’ve been building my personality and making myself as much “me” as I could. This was essential to create a strong artistic image for Valenttina Dias, that people can relate to and identify with and still have as a reference. I’m really happy and proud of where I am right now but it all came with a price. What allowed me to get to where I am today, was understanding myself so deeply (a lot of therapy sessions included), I could be confident enough to leave everything behind and still carry love with myself. And the moment I understood discipline was self love and not a punishment, everything changed. You love yourself so much you give up on temporary pleasures to get something bigger for yourself. So many times in Brazil and in LA my friends would go out all the time to party, or leave class earlier and ask me to go with them, but my priorities were set. Same with drinking and other drugs. Not being one to fall for peer pressure really helped me stay focused throughout my life. Hard work is a big thing for me, but another crucial thing I learned along the way, is to make sure I take some time off. I used to think that taking time off was just me being lazy and procrastinating. But now I see the wonders it makes for my productivity, mainly when you need a creative mindset for your work. From where I am now, I want people to start thinking for themselves and question if they’re doing what they do because they want to or because life puts them there. The message I want to send is that you can really do whatever you want. Life is short, go dance the way you want to, go dress the way you want to, go do what makes you happy. I’m so glad I got to get out of the conventional way and follow my dream as an artist. I want people to also find their happiness, whatever that means to them. My Vocal Artist program at Icon Collective in LA just ended and I’m so excited for this new period of my life to start sharing my original music and visuals with the world and start presenting this side of Valenttina!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m more of a “staying-at-home, or anything-but-night-life” person. So that’s what an ideal week itinerary with a friend would look like to me: I would first take them to get a great brunch at Cafe 27 to start the day. It’s a place surrounded by nature and everything on the menu is great! After that I would add to the itinerary a dance class at Playground LA. I go every week to their heels drop-in class and it’s like therapy for me. Not so casual but definitely included in my itinerary too would be skydiving. I love skydiving but I haven’t done it here yet. I’m looking forward to finding a friend that’s down to go with me. To grab a bite after that, I would take my friend to Pablito’s! It’s a taco place in North Hollywood that has the best tacos I’ve ever had. They also have my Nutella and strawberry pizza that I’m in love with!! One thing I love doing at night is Karaoke. I would say Tacos + Karaoke is a perfect match. Since traveling is one of the things I love the most in life, no itinerary would be complete for me without a little road trip. The first place I would want to take my friend is Santa Barbara. I’ve been there a couple of times now but every time I go is a completely different experience. I love the vibe of the small city and how pretty everything is. Plus the Amtrak train you can take to get there is an experience of its own! Last but not least, I have to mention Yosemite. One of the prettiest places I’ve seen in my life. Make sure you get more than one day there. There are so many beautiful waterfalls, lakes and hikes to go to that you will definitely want to stay a little longer. Yosemite was just like a spiritual retreat in contact with nature for me. I absolutely love it. To end the week in great style and get the energy back, I would have a last meal at a Brazilian restaurant. Pampas at The Grove, Bossa Nova and Fogo De Chão are my favorites!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are two people that deserve recognition in my story. The first one is my dad. There’s one thing he always tells me that gives me so much comfort: “Do whatever makes you happy. I’ll always support you in everything you do, as long as you’re happy.” If it wasn’t for his support and encouragement I wouldn’t be where I am right now. From the start, I knew I wanted to be an artist. But because “regular” colleges and professions were always the line of thought of most of my family and I used to do well in school, I always felt the pressure of following a “conventional” path. When I finished high school, I got accepted into the best universities in Brazil and, trying to shut down my passion for arts, I thought: “Well, I’m already in, I might as well give it a try in liking something “conventional”. The following 6 months in that university were the worst months of my life. So I decided to finally tell my family that Economics was not the path I was going to pursue. Most of my family and friends thought I was crazy to give up on the opportunity I was given. But as soon as I told my dad, he said: “When you told me you wanted to go to that college I supported you, but I always knew that wasn’t the right path for you. I’m so happy you decided to leave this behind.” From this moment on, he’s been the most crucial person in my life and in every decision I make in my career. He’s the person I call everyday and the one I go to when I need comfort.

My second shoutout has to go to my community online! My dream here wouldn’t be as nearly exciting as it is without them. They always remind me of how much I’ve grown and all I’ve accomplished so far. I’ve become extremely grateful for the way they made me believe in myself, as I saw how many people believed in me (more than I actually believed in me). I’ve had so many low moments in my journey when their love and support was the thing responsible to bring me back and remind me I’m on the right path. So the connection we created is super special for me.

Instagram: @valenttinadias

Other: TikTok: @valenttinadias (my main social media platform)

Image Credits
Ravin Goyal