She was born in a tent and raised on the ancestral lands of the Kluane First Nation, surrounded by the wild beauty of the Yukon’s mountains and stories older than the map itself. Now, with her fourth album ‘Seeds of Dreaming’ on the horizon (dropping September 19, 2025), Diyet & The Love Soldiers are packing up the bass, the pedal steel, and a thousand ancestral harmonies for their biggest tour yet.
But let’s rewind. Before the festivals, before the awards, before she sang on national television and performed at Expo Osaka, Diyet van Lieshout was just a shy kid with a mind full of melodies. “I found music before I found my voice,” Diyet recalls. “And when I found the words, they came out singing.” Raised on ancestor stories and fed by Southern Tutchone, Tlingit, Japanese, and Scottish roots, she wandered through cities and back again — graduating from UVic with a degree in music performance before heading home to Kluane, where her real songs began.
It was in Burwash Landing, Yukon, that Diyet found her creative compass. Teaming up with her husband and drummer Robert van Lieshout and Juno-winning producer Bob Hamilton, Diyet formed The Love Soldiers. Their sound? A genre-fluid mix of alt-country, folk-rock, and roots with a traditional Tutchone soul. Think Emmylou Harris jamming with Norah Jones on a mountaintop.
Her new album ‘Seeds of Dreaming’ is the kind of record that could only be written by someone who’s walked in many worlds — modern and ancestral, loud and quiet, hopeful and haunted. The single “Give Me A Reason” sets the tone with a call for compassion in chaotic times. “There is a tension and a giddy rage that is barely contained,” Diyet shares. “How can we help each other to stand up, speak with good intentions, show compassion and build a wave so strong that we turn the tides?”
On ‘Old Mother,’ Diyet sings with awe and intimacy: ‘It was as if earth and sky were having an intimate conversation and I was its quiet observer.’ Her songs are diaries, declarations, and dreamscapes — like if Joni Mitchell wrote under the northern lights.
The song ‘Grandfather’s Country’ honors her Kluane heritage with the phrase Ásì Keyi — ‘My Grandfather’s Country.’ “This land is our family,” Diyet explains. “The story is etched into the trails, in the water that feeds the forest, and in the blood of the animals that feed us.” The track is a sonic pilgrimage, blending pedal steel and organ with ancestral memory.
The title track, ‘Seeds of Dreaming,’ plants a vision for Indigenous healing and global balance. ‘I’ve been told by Elders that we will play a key role in finding balance in the world again,’ Diyet shares. ‘But first, we must heal and balance ourselves.’ It’s not just a song. It’s a roadmap.
Recent years have seen the trio travel extensively across Canada, Alaska, the UK, Europe and most recently, Japan for Expo Osaka. From main stage festival slots to intimate folk clubs, Diyet & The Love Soldiers have proven they can fill a field or hush a room. Their performances shimmer with sincerity, grit, and heart.
In celebration of ‘Seeds of Dreaming’, Diyet & The Love Soldiers are hitting the road in fall 2025 with tour dates across Canada and the UK, including appearances at the Manchester Folk Festival and more to be announced.
Diyet isn’t chasing trends — she’s channeling truths. ‘I’ve always believed that music is medicine,’ she says. ‘And right now, we all need a little healing.’ From a tent in the Yukon to the world stage, Diyet’s story is still being written. But one thing’s for sure: she’s dreaming big, and she’s inviting us all to dream with her.
2025 Tour Dates:
September 10, 2025 – Skagway Arts Council, Skagway, AK, United States
September 12, 2025 – Chilkat Center, Haines, AK, United States
September 16, 2025 – Wright Auditorium, Petersburg, AK, United States
September 18, 2025 – The Nolan Center, Wrangell, AK, United States
October 16-17, 2025 – Folk Music Ontario, Ottawa, ON
November 18 – 21, 2025 – Mundial Montreal, Montreal, QC
November 25-26, 2025 – Come Together, Toronto, ON
