After bursting onto the scene with her debut album Run Deep in 2018, renowned Wellington-based artist Deva Mahal has now returned with her highly anticipated new single, “South Coast”.
Released last week, “South Coast” marks Mahal’s first return to music in over two years, with her last EP Future Classic: Vol.1: Classic releasing in March 2023.
During a late night on a coast somewhere in Aotearoa, the ocean roars inspired Deva to record the early stages of a beat which eventually became the song spearheading her long-awaited return. All it needed was some fine-tuning from artist/producer Estère, Grammy-winning engineer Scott Jacoby, and Grammy-nominated producer Andy Kravitz.
The song opens with a heartfelt anecdote from Mahal, giving listeners insight into her hiatus and perhaps what to expect from future releases: “I often like hold myself back, so I don’t always feel safe to like open up my feelings and be as loving as I am and wanna be, and feel as loved as I wanna feel…”
Throughout the song, she talks about being vulnerable and having the courage to step out of your feelings. “It’s about saying what you mean and not wallowing in your feelings. It’s also about seeing things as they are and breaking the fantasy or illusion of something when it is truly something else,” says Mahal.
Mahal also helmed the recently released music video, which features heavy symbolism alongside panoramic coastal shots and sharp choreography.
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“The video is steeped in my Afro-Caribbean heritage as it pays homage to Mami Wata (also represented as Yemaya) who is the goddess of water and serpents, the powerful love of the Black Mermaid. I’m conjuring ancestral magic here. My indigenous roots to the land and sea,” she explains.
“‘South Coast’ sees me as more than just a big voice. It sees me as a producer, a writer and creator, a director, video producer, wardrobe designer and creative director. Leaning into all the things I have spent my life doing as well as continuing to grow and eventually master new skills,” she adds.
“It has me taking control of my story instead of waiting to be chosen by a male dominated community that pits women against each other and makes very little room for Black women or women of colour. This song also shows that I have given myself permission to lean into my own desire and sensuality and share that with my listeners. Grown and sexy. On my own terms.”
Deva Mahal’s “South Coast” is out now.
