Karen Dió: “I realised, ‘If I want to sing my f*cking songs, I will, and there’s no-one to stop me’”

Karen Dió is done being quiet and polite. Once upon a time, she’d have to squish parts of herself down to survive and be heard in the small, stifling music industry in her native Brazil, while also contending with a pervasive sense of misogyny.

“I had to build a persona which wasn’t quite myself,” she considers. “I was following the rules a bit, which is honestly the worst thing you can do, because you’re still showing [people in positions of authority] that they have power over you.”

Then, a door unexpectedly opened. Karen moved to the UK in late 2021 to be with her husband, Dinosaur Pile-Up frontman Matt Bigland, and her previous band dissolved. After settling in, she struck out on her own and unshackled herself from the fear of judgment and the pressure of conformity, pouring herself into new EP, My World.

“When I moved to the UK I realised, ‘Fuck it. I’m this person. I’m silly, I am goofy. If I want to sing my fucking songs, I will, and there’s no-one to stop me.’”

With a sound that’s got both punk attitude and a zest for life, Karen calls what she does ‘Latin riot grrrl’.

“Brazil is a very sexist country,” she says. “I mean, it’s a sexist planet, but where I come from, there’s still quite a lot of [misogyny]. It’s 2024 – women shouldn’t be silenced.”

While the original wave of riot grrrl was predominantly a movement of white, middle-class and largely straight women, punk’s relationship with Latin America is also deeper rooted than many realise.

“There’s a whole documentary about the first punk rock band who were from Peru in the 1960s called Los Saicos,” she points out. “Punk was really closely linked to the queer community and the Latin community.”

She’s got some huge names listening to what she’s saying, too. Having just toured with Sum 41, she’s heading out with Limp Bizkit next year.

“Fred Durst was the one asking me to go on tour with them!” Karen remembers. “I was like, ‘He knows who I am?’ He messaged me being like, ‘I’m so stoked that you’re coming!’ It’s just fucking awesome to be recognised by people you admire.”

It’s Karen’s world now. You’ll love living in it.

This article originally appeared in the winter 2024 issue of the magazine. Karen Dió tours with Limp Bizkit and plays Download Festival 2025 – get your tickets here.

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