Diana Leah has left DELAIN, and the Dutch symphonic metal band will not be replacing her with a single new singer. Founder and keyboardist Martijn Westerholt announced on October 19 that DELAIN is becoming a collaborative project with a rotating cast of guest vocalists. The first result, the single "We Are Fire" featuring Fabienne Erni, Noa Gruman and Paolo Ribaldini, came out on October 20 via Napalm Records.
Leah steps away
Leah joined DELAIN in 2022 as the successor to longtime singer Charlotte Wessels and sang on one studio album, Dark Waters (Napalm, February 2023). The band says she decided to step away "to pursue other things in life" and that the door stays open to her. Leah is now concentrating on her solo project DYYA, which has released four singles this year, most recently "Too Tired To Be Dead", with a debut EP, Welcome To Nowhere, due soon.
The new setup
Westerholt remains at the center of DELAIN, with Ludovico Cioffi, Ronald Landa and Sander Zoer as the core lineup. Guests on the upcoming album include:
- Marko Hietala (ex-NIGHTWISH)
- Sharon den Adel (WITHIN TEMPTATION)
- Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-THE GATHERING)
- Fabienne Erni (ELUVEITIE)
- Patty Gurdy
- Noa Gruman
- Paolo Ribaldini
- Johanna Kurkela (AURI)
- Ruud Jolie (WITHIN TEMPTATION)
Hietala, Erni, Gruman and Ribaldini will also appear live. The band points out that the idea goes back to the very beginning: the 2006 debut Lucidity was built on guest artists, and Hietala and den Adel both sang on it. Westerholt says "We Are Fire" is about the inner fire that keeps you moving when the road ahead is uncertain, and that it captures what DELAIN is becoming.
On tour in February
The new lineup first hits the stage in February 2027 with dates in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, marking 20 years of Lucidity. INFECTED RAIN are special guests and PERSEFONE open. The run ends on February 11 at 013 in Tilburg, and more countries are to be announced.