Phoenix From

ing member Martijn had to rebuild the band from the ground up.

Again, to sound cliché, the show must go on. Despite these setbacks, Delain are back with a regrouped line-up that is ready to knock your socks off. So how does Martijn feel now on the other side of these changes within the band? “The first word that comes to mind is grateful that we’re able to be here. That we can do this after very a difficult period, a roller coaster. Everything in the band, the changes, but also COVID. Now we’re here, and I’m allowed to work with amazing people like Diana, I feel very lucky.”

Following the departure of former Delain vocalist Charlotte Wessels, the band recruited new girl Diana Leah. Joining the band for the lead singer has been life-changing. “It’s really crazy to think about how a year ago I almost gave up music and singing because I was focusing on other things,” said Diana. “Now over a year after, we’re working on a new record and we’re playing shows. Yeah, it’s exciting, and I can’t wait to go on tour and do cool things.”

For Diana, the opportunity to join Delain came out of a chance comment on social media. “I knew about Delain since 2009. I found out about them on YouTube with their song April Rain. But I had never met them before. I’ve never seen them live and I’ve followed them throughout the years with the albums they’ve released,” explains Leah. “When they announced the split and all the things that happened, I read the news on social media, and I just left a comment on their social media, asking, hey, can I audition as a singer? I had no idea if they had already found a singer or what was going on at the time, but I just followed my instinct and left the comment there and just went on with my business and never really thought about it again until a couple of days later, when Martijn contacted me. He reached out to me, and