While watching the latest season of The Crown, the series on the British monarchy, singer-songwriter Frizzell D’souza thought about Princess Diana and it inspired ‘Diana’, a collaborative song with pianist, keyboardist and composer-producer Derek Mathias that released on March 15.
Frizzell says she was coming from a place of introspection about the “rebel of the Royal family who went on to become a people’s icon”. Derek shares more about the story behind the song, “Sometimes certain things happen to us which makes us feel like the situation is bad. Later on, we realise that it was the best thing that could have happened and that you had originally viewed it from a negative perspective.”
There is a sonic and narrative journey undertaken in the four-minute song, during which Frizzell uses ‘Diana’ to signify a character undergoing change — from struggle and suffering, to a complaint about innocence lost and finally, owning her new identity.
‘Diana’ by Frizzell D’Souza and Derek Mathias | Photo Credit: Prarthana Shetty
Frizzell says, “Then it goes, ‘I know I’m out of the burning woods. I’m breathing’.” The song comes with a music video directed by Prarthana Shetty that sees the artistes play a game of chess, portraying the roles of Diana and Charles III, “working their way towards checkmate,” as Frizzell, puts it.
The city-based artistes first crossed paths early last year at a gig series; by then, they both had made their own in-roads into the independent music circuit. Derek had released his jazz band’s debut album, Derek & The Cats in 2022, while Frizzell’s debut EP The Hills Know of You had also come out that year.
It was a mutual appreciation that built up to Derek and his band becoming part of Frizzell’s live act. Eventually, Derek says he got around to showing her the demo they had created. ‘Diana’ is now Derek & The Cats’ first ever song with vocals. He says, “We don’t have this vision that it has to be only instrumental songs. We were just writing and found that it really needed a vocalist and a lyrical kind of story.”
‘Diana’ by Frizzell D’Souza and Derek Mathias | Photo Credit: Prarthana Shetty
When Frizzell heard the demo, she had already seen the band perform live and understood their jazz, funk and blues sensibilities. “I loved their chemistry between themselves, so it was a lot easier to work with them in my live band. That’s how Derek and I ended up meeting more often and he showed me the song at rehearsal one day.”
Although Derek says he is often bad at articulating the emotions behind his songs, something that Frizzell is glad to disclose on his behalf, ‘Diana’ had a melancholic sound that grows happy and uplifting towards the end.
Described as jazz-pop by the artistes, Derek was also influenced by the likes of Steely Dan and their album Aja, specifically the drumbeat that is now referred to as the Purdie shuffle that was used in that album and which eventually sparked the idea of ‘Diana.’ The band later added layers of keyboards, saxophone, percussion, guitar, and bass.
If this was Derek & The Cats’ first track to feature vocals, ‘Diana’ also marks a different vocal approach for Frizzell in terms of harmonies and cadence. “I think their music itself pushed me to write differently,” she says.
‘Diana’ by Frizzell D’Souza and Derek Mathias | Photo Credit: Prarthana Shetty
It was not an easy place to get to, however. The singer recounts writing an initial idea for the outro to the song that no one on the project was happy with. “I rewrote the whole thing and when it worked, it clicked and you could see it on everyone’s face.”
With this collaboration out now, both artistes are pitching a double-headline set to venues. Derek says, “This is song is the perfect middle ground between Frizzell’s sort of sound and our sort of sound. So we’re planning to have these sets which show these two worlds.”
‘Diana’ is now out on allstreaming platforms
