Beyond the Boys Club: Diana Leah of Delain

Anne Erickson
·6 min read
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Beyond the Boys’ Club is a monthly column from journalist and radio host Anne Erickson, focusing on women in the heavy music genres, as they offer their perspectives on the music industry and discuss their personal experiences. Erickson is also a music artist herself and has a new EP out, “Last Love,” with Upon Wings. Her new single is “Deal Breaker.” The latest edition of Beyond the Boys’ Club features an interview with Diana Leah of Delain.

It takes a lot for a band to keep its identity and fanbase with a new member. That’s even more difficult when the new band member is the lead vocalist.

After making a name for themselves with longtime singer Charlotte Wessels, veteran Dutch symphonic metal band Delain officially welcomed new vocalist Diana Leah into the band in 2022. It wasn’t too long before they released their latest album, Dark Waters, in February of this year.

Prior to Delain, Leah had not established herself in another band or as a known solo singer. She reached out via social media to the band, who had already checked out her YouTube channel. Eventually they offered her the coveted job.

Delain will embark on a North American tour in support of Dark Waters in September, with tickets available here.

For Heavy Consequence‘s latest edition of “Beyond the Boys’ Club,” Leah speaks with us about her influences, how she joined the band, the experience of being a woman in metal music, and more.

Tell me about your early days in music and how you were first drawn to singing.

I’ve always wanted to be in a band since I was 16. I started listening to bands like Evanescence and Linkin Park, because those bands were big at the time, and then artists like Avril Lavigne. I had that phase in my life when I was into disco rock music, and I started singing at that time, as well. I was just exploring whatever my voice could do. That’s when I started taking singing lessons and the thought of doing this just crossed my mind. I thought, wow, if I can sing, maybe I can do this one day. And, if I learned how to do it properly, I could learn how to not hurt my voice and keep longevity in my voice. That’s how music stated for me.

How did watching other singers perform inspire you to work on your own skills?

I was fascinated by all these vocalists I was following, like Amy Lee of Evanescence. Then, I started merging into symphonic metal and listening to bands like Nightwish or Within Temptation. When I started to listen to that kind of music, I felt like I was home. I could relate so much to that style of music and the vibe and the way it sounded, so cinematic and epic. At one point. I thought I would love to sing in a band like this one day.

Why did you choose to wait to be in a “band” until the Delain opportunity came along?

When you grow up, especially here in Italy, it’s hard to find the right people to work with and people you’re on the same page with. I was very young at the time, so I didn’t think I was ready to join a band and do it seriously, but it was always in the back of my mind. Then, real life happened. But, I never stopped dreaming about it. I worked hard at becoming better.

Delain happened in 2021. At that time, I had a YouTube channel with covers and was uploading weekly or monthly covers and was singing these songs I liked and just doing it to have fun. It was more like a hobby.

Tell me about how you joined Delain and what that process was like.

There was a message on social media. I was just sad that [Wessels left] the band, because I was a fan. Then, a couple of months later after that I came across another post from Delain on social media. The drummer was recording drums for the new record, and I thought, oh that means they already have found a singer, so just forget it. But, then I thought, what if they haven’t?

So, I left a comment under that post and said, “Can I audition as a singer?” I did it without any expectations, because the band wasn’t public about looking for a singer. I just left a comment, and a couple days later, they reached out to me and said I was actually on their list because they liked my YouTube channel. They sent two songs and two other original songs from the new album, the first two singles. I recorded the songs and [they] loved what I did. So, we got together in the Netherlands in December [2021] to get to know each other better, before I joined. We had a nice chat and we had dinner. It was a good moment to meet each other, and we played some songs, as well.

What did it feel like to hear back from Delain and get the opportunity to audition?

For me, it was a full circle moment, because I realized that if you never stop believing in your dreams and never stop working towards them, you can do anything. Your dreams will come true if you keep working towards them.

Have you felt accepted as a woman in the metal genre of music?

Within the band and Delain’s world, I felt accepted because I feel like I’m very lucky to have both band members and the crew be such nice people and open-minded. But, I do feel that in general, girls, especially in the music industry, they need to prove something all the time, but maybe that’s my impression. But, I feel like we do need to prove that we know how to do this and we’re good enough and all that.

What women in metal have you especially looked up to?

Definitely Sharon from Within Temptation. She was a very important vocal influence, and I was really inspired by her and the way she sang and presented herself- her image. Her focus was always on her voice and vocals rather than her looks, and I always liked that and appreciated that.

Do you think there’s more pressure on women in rock and metal to look a certain way to be appealing?

There is this thing, but I think, if you’re a women and a young girl you can totally choose not to follow that path and that pressure and just do things your own way. When I think about Haley from Paramore, she’s always been doing things on her own and always putting the focus on her artistry and vocals rather than on her looks. But, there is this pressure that if you are a good looking woman and dress a certain way, you’re going to attract more fans. But I don’t know if it’s a pressure — more a choice, because you can totally choose to do that and go down that path or take another path. I think people area still going to like you.

Do you feel men and women approach music differently?

I never thought about it. I think women have a different perspective on things, so the general expression and the artistry of women in general is different from men, and I think it’s an obvious thing, the difference between how women express themselves in art in general. I think maybe there is also a lot of freedom for a woman to express herself, but with freedom comes judgement, so it’s a double edged sword. The more you express yourself freely, the more you get judged.

Beyond the Boys Club: Diana Leah of Delain
Anne Erickson

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