We know that music helps us through difficult times, not only by listening to music but also by creating it. Western Mass.-based musician Kimaya Diggs found this out when she was working on “Quincy,” her new album, released today.

She will celebrate with a release show at The Drake in Amherst on Saturday, March 11, at 8 p.m.

While writing songs for her second album, Diggs dealt with a severe vocal injury for which she had to undergo surgery. Then, in 2021, she lost her mother to cancer, a longtime friend died in a freak accident, and her beloved dog Quincy died.

Quincy was a retired ex-racing greyhound who Diggs and her husband, musician Jacob Rosazza, adopted when she started recording this album. Quincy had various health issues, but was a source of comfort to Diggs during the days after her mother died.

“He was my reason for getting up every morning,” Diggs said in a recent interview.

Quincy was a constant presence in the studio during the album’s making and died shortly before its completion. So naturally, it was only fitting that the album bore his name. Diggs said that the time spent writing and recording the album helped her get through this challenging period.

Despite all that she was dealing with at the time, “Quincy” is not a collection of downbeat songs.

“I kind of went into this consciously thinking it would be really easy to write a bunch of sad songs,” she said. “I wanted to see if I could avoid that, so it was challenging to try and write about grief and things changing in a way that wasn’t a bunch of slow, slow songs.”

“I Hafta Try,” the first song she wrote for “Quincy,” accomplished this goal. The song is an upbeat pop-inflected number complete with bouncy synths and warm backing vocals, and lyrics that express gratitude for the people in her life.

“That song didn’t start that way. I worked with my husband Jacob Rosazza, who is in the band Lux Deluxe, and he produced most of the album. He’s the one that came up with the almost new wave techno bass line; I was very iffy about it at first,” she said. “But then I could see how that song could transform and set the tone for how we approached the rest of the album. “We said, ‘Let’s see if we can have a lot of fun with these songs, even if they are about a heavy subject matter.’”

The 11 songs on “Quincy” encompass soul, folk and R&B with influences that run from Donny Hathaway to contemporary singer-songwriters like Tess Henley. They range from the playful funk that drives “Follow Me” to the jazzy vibe of “Bloom,” which features her father adding a nice touch on flute.

Diggs grew up in South Hadley in a musical family. She played piano and cello and sang in a trio with her sisters. She even studied opera for a while. With singing such a deeply rooted part of her life, it must have been frightening to deal with vocal surgery and then undergo 150 speech therapy sessions to regain her voice.

“It was a difficult experience,” said Diggs. “It was four years ago, and every single time I sing, I am so grateful for the surgery I had, and I never take my voice for granted because it was so much work to get here.”

Songwriting came later. Despite being involved in all types of writing and receiving a degree in creative writing from Swathmore College in Pennsylvania, Diggs only tried her hand at songwriting once she was a college senior and learning guitar.

“Learning songwriting while I was learning guitar unblocked something in me,” she recalled. “I had to experiment and create something new, which somehow opened up the space to start writing songs.”

While still a college student, she toured with the polyphonic singing group Northern Harmony. After graduation, she returned to the Pioneer Valley in 2015. Once home, she wrote her first album, 2018’s “Breastfed” which dealt with her mother’s illness. The album led to gigs throughout the area, including the Green River Festival. The disc also received some airplay on WRSI 93.9 The River.

The songs on “Quincy” found her digging deeper into themes of grief and the surviving of loss, while stretching out musically and leaving the acoustic music of “Breastfed” for a full-band sound.

A good example is the song “Letting Go,” which was written while her mother was still alive but recorded after she died on Mother’s Day 2021. “Cold tide, a fire with you at my side/Awaiting your voice in my mind/All we need for all we know/Is practice in letting go,” sings Diggs in her smooth, sweet voice.

“I think of my songwriting as a way for me to ask a question of the world, like does this ever happen to you?” said Diggs. “I have so many of these grief experiences and loss experiences that feel so unique and so isolating, but the truth is that so many people have similar experiences.”

And one of her goals in creating this album was to connect with people through these shared experiences. Some of the songs were co-written by Jacob Rosazza, who played on “Quincy” alongside his brother Caleb and other guest musicians.

Diggs is excited to release “Quincy” to the world and to play these songs with her band. In addition to Rosazza, the band will feature Jake Edwards, who is also a member of Lux Deluxe, and Naomi Nye, Maisie Dolan and Reed Sutherland. The show at the The Drake will be Diggs only valley show this spring or summer. Saxophonist Mali Shaka Banda will open.

“Quincy” is available all streaming sources. Tickets for The Drake are $15 in advance and $20 day of show. They can be purchased at drakeamherst.org. For more information, visit kimayadiggs.com.

Queer/Trans Valley Emergence Series launches at Hope & Olive

Transhealth and Bloom Local are proud to announce the Queer/Trans Valley Emergence — Spring Meet-Up Series, a partnership created by and for the local queer and trans community, bringing you cultural events throughout the region this spring.

The first of these is a local music showcase that will be held at Hope & Olive in Greenfield on Monday, March 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. Performing will be Lou Marie, a folk musician from Springfield whose music is described as “intimate and sensory-informed.” Call Me Bea is the latest musical project from Bea Maxwell, a Jewish-genderqueer songwriter/performer currently based in Amherst. Rounding out the lineup is The Holy Oakes, a quintet that plays folk rock.

Further events will be held throughout the spring and will take place in Montague, Hadley, Amherst and other locations throughout the valley.

There is a $5 to $20 suggested donation at the door or in advance via Eventbrite.com. Proceeds benefit the QTVE Partnership.

This event is made possible by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Greenfield Cultural Council, with media support from Franklin County Pride.

Sheryl Hunter is a music writer whose work has appeared in various regional and national magazines. You can contact her at: soundslocal@yahoo.com.

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