"Being Autistic Makes Me a Better Artist" artist daine

Filipino-Australian singer-songwriter daine joins Dylan Alcott and Angus O'Loughlin for a conversation that is equal parts funny, raw, and genuinely important. daine lives with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), POTS, and autism and did not know she was disabled until she was 18. By that point she had already been dismissed by multiple neurologists and cardiologists who told her the chronic pain stopping her from climbing the stairs at school was "just anxiety." She is now preparing to drop her debut album and performing at Ability Fest for the second time. This episode covers late diagnosis, medical gaslighting, spoon theory, invisible illness, the suicide statistics for autistic women that daine thinks about every day, and why she believes being deeply, intensely autistic makes her a better songwriter.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please reach out to Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Ability Fest and what it actually means to be inclusivedaine has attended and performed at Ability Fest before and is back on the lineup for 2026. Dylan explains what the festival really is: not a festival for disabled people, but a fully accessible event where everyone can party together. Platforms, pathways, Auslan interpreters, sensory rooms, live captioning, and 100% of proceeds going to the Dylan Alcott Foundation. As Angus puts it, the real point is giving six able-bodied friends the chance to finally share a night out with the one person who could never get through the door before. Get your tickets here: https://megatix.com.au/events/ability-fest-2026

daine is a Filipino-Australian singer, songwriter, and producer living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, POTS, and autism. She is currently finishing her debut album and performing at Ability Fest 2026. Follow daine: https://www.instagram.com/d4ine/

00:00 Cold open: doctors, stairs, and the diagnosis nobody saw coming 02:39 Ability Fest: what it is, why it matters, and daine returning to the lineup 04:24 A month in LA and the debut album 07:09 Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: what it is and why it takes ten years to diagnose 09:25 The hosepipe analogy: EDS, POTS, and circulation explained 10:38 Growing up without a diagnosis and medical gaslighting 12:31 Dynamic disability and passing as non-disabled 14:27 Good days vs survival days: spoon theory explained 16:52 How disability affects the creative process and studio sessions 18:13 Why autism is daine's creative superpower 19:54 Getting the autism diagnosis at 18 and what it meant 21:08 Social battery, sensory overload, and the right kind of socialising 23:12 Navigating the music industry with an invisible disability 24:34 What a sustainable career looks like 25:04 Autistic suicide risk and why visibility matters 27:16 Making shows more accessible as an independent artist 29:07 Best gig stories: first LA headline and Laneway 2019 in the rain with Charli XCX 31:25 Spicy listener questions

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