Biography of Diamond Rings: The Story of John O’Regan.

John O'Regan is a Canadian musician and artist known by his pseudonym Diamond Rings. He began his musical career in 2009, playing in various bands, including the post-punk quartet The D'Urbervilles. Later he founded Casio-pop Habitat project, in which he worked with partner Sylvie Smith. Since 2015, he has taken the nickname JG Ballad.

General Info

  • Country - Canada
  • Synthpop genres - Indie rock
  • Career time 2009 - real days.

Name and Nicknames:

  • John O'Regan;
  • JG Ballad; 
  • Diamond Rings.

Starting a solo career and single releases

The musician worked in several bands before starting his solo career. In 2008, after obtaining a master's degree in art history, he decided to engage in personal creativity. John takes the stage nickname Diamond Rings. Almost immediately the first demos appeared, the release of which was postponed due to a serious illness of the artist. His debut took place only in 2009. Then the single All Yr Songs is released. The distribution was carried out through its own label Hype Lighter.


On the opposite side of the record was located a song of his friends PS I Love You. For the initial release a music video was created, which began to be promoted through local television and YouTube. On the second site, there were problems, because Sony / BMG gave sport about the song, after which it was removed. It was connected for one reason - the author's name was correlated with the song of the same name of a British rapper. After the label figured out the problem, restored the clip and made a formal apology.

Further Diamond Rings singles and a full album

In March 2010, the performer continued recording. The latest release was called Wait & See and was published with the Tomlab label. This step helped to promote recognition in continental Europe. On the back side there was a cover version of the song On Fire. Work began on another clip, which was completed a little later. Inspired by Chicago House, John records the dance composition Show Me Your Stuff. The rotation video was perfect, comparing the vocalist of Fucked Up with other musicians: Nirvana, Britney Spirs, Klaus Nomi.

His debut full-length album appeared in North America in October 2010. The album was recorded on Secret City Records in Montreal. The release received good reviews and ended up in the top 50 local charts. Among the most successful songs is Something Else and cover version of The Gentleman Who Fell. Some songs were acoustically arranged. The tour around the USA was conducted with the Swedish star Robyn. He also toured with friends of PS I Love You.

A solo career and solo games (2008-2010)

O'Regan began writing Diamond Rings songs in the summer of 2008, earning a degree in Studio Arts from the University of Guelph. The emergence of a new nickname and his earliest songs were written during a long hospital stay when he was diagnosed and treated for Crohn's disease. According to O'Regan, "Diamond Rings" arose out of a desire to challenge people's expectations of a male pop star: "I wanted to do something that would upset not only me, but the audience as well … I wanted to do something that would upset not only me, but also the audience … until the moment the artist playing a relatively unsightly indie rock. But I felt that there is a part of me that really needs to get out. I wanted to express myself in ways that go beyond just music - something that was dramatic and bright, and outside of me in a sense. And it became Diamond Rings.

Contemporary activity of the artist

In May 2011 Diamond Rings will release a series of remixes called Remix Rainbow. It was dedicated to performers who helped to create and became the inspiration for the musician. Among others stands out Beautiful Furs, Theophilus London and some others. After that, she signed a contract with Astralwerks Records, where Special Affections is republished. In May 2012, a series of singles appeared, which foreshadowed the creativity of the fresh publication.

It appeared in October 2012 under the title Free Dimensional. The support group and the artist appear on several TV shows, including the Late Show. Here they performed the song I'm Just Me. In support of the album were touring North America. The project has been supported by many performers, including Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. After that the solo work under the pseudonym of JG Ballad started.

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