June 19, 2025 • 13 mins
Hawaiian soul and R&B musician Deva Mahal joins Andrew Dickens to discuss her new single ‘South Coast’.
Deva Mahal is the daughter of legendary Blues Singer Taj Mahal, a factor that she says does not impede her music.
She said that “[Taj Mahal] has always taught us it’s not following in his footsteps; it’s standing in his light”
The Wellington-based artist has hinted that her next project will be released this October.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks. It be
follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Hello, good morning to you, Welcome back to the programs.
So my guest for the next fifteen minutes is soul
an R and B musician Diva Mahal. She's based in
Wellington and she's just released a new single and this
is it. It's called South Coast. So Diva's journey to
(00:45):
Wellington and her musical influences is a fascinating one. She's
got a famous dad. So I think it's time to
meet Diva Mahal and you can hear her story from
her own mouth. And it's good morning to you, Diva.
So first of all, Cura. First of all, you're American
and you said that very well.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
There we go. And you were born in Honolulu, is
that right? Big family? One of six?
Speaker 3 (01:11):
No, I was from Kowaiti, from where.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
Kuwaiti, which is the island next to where the capital
city of honolulus on.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
All right, so you were born in Hawaii. You're part
of a big family, one of six. And here's the thing,
and I'm sure you hear this every interview. Your father
is legendary American blue singer Taj Mahau.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
That is correct, very true.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Now man himself, the man himself a frequent visitor to
New Zealand. What a great player. Now, the thing about
following in famous parents footsteps because you're a singer, he's
a singer. You do the blues, he does the blues,
is that it can either be a blessing or a curse. So,
having Taj as a dad, how was it for you?
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Well, my dad has always taught.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Us that it's not following in his footsteps, it's standing
in his light. So I try to lead with that
way of thinking that he casts not a shadow, but
he throws light, and he illuminates us and gives us
(02:22):
more strength and sense of self and individuality, knowing that
we carry carry what we bring to this world from
a long line of creators and storytellers, and we come
from a really deep legacy, a very deep and.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Yeah, so at times.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
It has been more like the journey of becoming who
I meant to be as an artist and then being
able to and strong enough to like hold that light
would then be able to emit your own life, you know.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Yeah, of course, So it's such a beautifully poetic way
of putting things, which is probably what made him such
a great artist as well. But when did you decide
to follow in your father's life.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Well, I didn't really decide.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
I guess it just kind of was how it was
always meant to be. Really, I've always been musically inclined
and musically inspired since I was really little, and I
performed with my pops when I was really little, so
he kind of caught on that I was musical from
(03:45):
a young age, and he included me in a really
beautiful way on his projects. And my actual first studio
project was recording with Bob Marley's mom.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
So it's funny that you say.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
That my first album that my first experience in a
studio outside of recording with him. I was really young,
I might have been like eight or nine, and I
recorded a whole album with Sidela Moi booker and spent
a lot of time.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
We've even made a music video.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
It's really funny.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
It's like a VHS music video of.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
Me and like all of my mates and my family
at the beach on and on Ahola.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Just like well, you know, you speak about videos, but
not only in music. You've also been in films. You
were in American Hustle with Bail and Bradley Cooper. So
how did that happen.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
I was cast by David O. Russell, the director.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
It had kind of come across my way, and I
had to submit like an audition video and record record
a track because it was you know, because obviously it's
set in the seventies, so.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
I had to like record a cool video.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
And it was like it was like I think it
was like either me or Sharon Jones in the dap
Can And so I got the role. And then as
in the movie, I'm in that really big scene when
they're in the hall and I have I think I'm
like funk band leader, which.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Is like my credit or something like that.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
Oh cool, and you can see me wearing this like
golden calf head and an afro wig, and it's pretty wild.
Actually I'm in the scene with the entire cast and
then like hundreds of people.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
So it was like twenty two hours of shooting.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
And the first person I like saw and said hello
to was Christian Bale. I'm such a huge fan of
his work, So it was kind of wild and it
was really funny actually, because you know, like he's so methods,
so he like came in and he like waved at
me as if he was like the character. But I
like totally forgot myself that we weren't filming, but I
(05:57):
like forgot myself and I just like waved like a
total nerd. That was really fun.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Yeah, I got to meet Amy Adams and Bradley Cooper.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
I went back and looked at that scene. Uh, and
Amy's striding all over the place and she's got big
hair and a very load decolotage. And Jennifer ll she's
kindest yeah person. And then then I found you, and boy,
that afro amazing.
Speaker 4 (06:23):
Yeah, it was great.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
So good, wasn't it.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
It was like the most epic afro and the gold
calf town I was. I was really hoping that I
could find a way to like snatch it.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Okay, now, look doesn't keepsake. The next obvious question is
how on earth did Diva Mahal end up in Wellington?
But I got to take a break. So we'll take
a little amb break and we'll come back and we'll
hear how you're here and all about your new project.
Ladies and gentlemen, My guest is Diva Mahal. So this
is news stork B. It's my Triki Friday, and I'm
Andrew Dickens and my special guest is Diva Mahal, who
has a new single out and a tour coming. She's
(06:58):
from Hawaii. She's the daughter of Taj Mahal. A big question, Diva,
We're all asking, how did you end out in Wellington
well Fano family.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
Really, my brother came out here after touring with my
dad and my dad, you know, came out here and
he was doing some work with the fellas from the
Herbs and or the Herbs and they in a and
he's also the justicese guy. Yes, funnily enough, so he
(07:32):
had already established like a connection with aut like in.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
The eighties and nineties.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
And then my brother came through on tour with him
and ended up staying.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
And then he fell in.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
Love with a Maudi woman and had I.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Had their first child, and my mom came out. She
had to be nan, you know, she had to be
the mukama and came out and then I.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Followed not long after that, after like a family tragedy
and I just really needed a fresh start and came
here and just came to visit really, and then I
fell in love with Wellington with.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
And started going UNI. It was like going to Massy.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
The jazz program got accepted and everything just kind of
like it was like you should stay here. So I
was just listening to the universe really and started playing music.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
And now I'm here, Yes you are, and that we lucky. Now.
Your first EP was a very soulful thing, six tracks,
very very R and B. So I've listened to the
South Coast, which is your new single which is out now,
sounds a little bit more like the Wellington scene is
getting into your bones. And I know that you say
you know what I mean, and I know you saying
(08:49):
back ups and wondering eye with Fat Freddy's drop. You're
part of the scene, You're part of the gang.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
Well you know.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
My first album is actually.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
Called a live album from Wellington called Live at Hope Brothers,
and that was my first recorded album, and that was
very much a result of me living in Wellington. So
the Wellington sound has influenced me since I was about nineteen.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
But I have lived lots of places.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
I lived in New York for thirteen years, I lived
in I've been in London.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
I lived in New Orleans.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
For a year, so my first debut album has a
lot of influences from living in New York and then
my like second record, well my first EP, but my
third album was recorded back in Wellington. So you can
(09:42):
kind of hear the evolution between the first album in
this one from all.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
The places that I've been. I've actually traveled.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
All over and toured all over the world at this point,
and so like playing in Northsea Jazz Fest, or playing
at Carnegie, or playing at the Hollywood Bowl or playing
you know, things like Jules Holland and stuff like that.
You know, just touring all over over and like really
cultivating this new sound, and then came back home and
(10:13):
kind of put all of that into the first half
of Future Classic, and so the second half, because obviously
it's called Future Classic. I wanted the first one to
feel like it was really steeped in classic like old
school music, and I wanted the second album to sound
really future, more feature for it and more contemporary and
(10:36):
things that I hadn't really done before. And the unifier
is that both sides of the EP will be songs
that have like a classic like timeless nature to them,
but that they can exist going forward or going backwards.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Brian, absolutely brilliant. So of course I know all the
fans are saying, we got the first episode of Future
Classics in twenty twenty three. The fact that you've now
released South Coast You're single, does that mean the second
one is coming soon?
Speaker 3 (11:06):
Yeah, you would be right.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Can you give us some day.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
October? Just keep your eyes on October. But I'll definitely
be putting. I'll definitely be releasing tracks records off of
the EP from you know, from May until October, so
there's more to come.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
I have a new song that's coming out in July.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
I think we're looking at July eleventh, but yeah, keep
your eyes.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
Honed on that month as well.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Yeah, is absolutely Look it sounds amazing, It sounds amazing.
It sounds amazing to New Zealand ears, and I hope
it sounds amazing to international ears and so they can
really get a grip on what is actually happening down here,
because interesting stuff is happening down here.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Yeah, for sure, you want to.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Go and see this woman. She's got great pipes. You
start at the end of July at mel In Wellington.
Is that rightly, yeah.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
July twenty fourth, twenty fourth, yeah, and then twenty sixth
that Space Academy, and we finished the tour in Tomakae,
Makoto on August second.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Big Fan, Big Fan, which is Joel Little's place, so
you know, yeah, hopefully he turns up and then flicks
a copy to to Taylor Swift and lord.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Yeah, that'd be great.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
That'd be great.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
You know what we're going to do, I'm going to
play a bit.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
Of really honestly, I'm in no shame.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
I love him, but I would love for him to like,
of course, you know, maybe like I don't know, like.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that would definitely be That's what Joel
wants to do. He wants to be a content. That's
what Big Fans all about. And I think it's brilliant.
I think your song sounds great. In fact, what I'm
going to do, We're going to stop the interview now,
going to take a break, and after the break, I'm
going to play the people a bit of South Coast
with of course the second part of the Future Classic
EP collection coming out. As we've heard in October, Diva
(12:57):
Mahal from Hawaii but really from Wellington. It's lovely talking
to you today on Mataiki.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Happy for more from news talks that'd be listen live
on or online. And keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks. It be
follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Hello, good morning to you, Welcome back to the programs.
So my guest for the next fifteen minutes is soul
an R and B musician Diva Mahal. She's based in
Wellington and she's just released a new single and this
is it. It's called South Coast. So Diva's journey to
(00:45):
Wellington and her musical influences is a fascinating one. She's
got a famous dad. So I think it's time to
meet Diva Mahal and you can hear her story from
her own mouth. And it's good morning to you, Diva.
So first of all, Cura. First of all, you're American
and you said that very well.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
There we go. And you were born in Honolulu, is
that right? Big family? One of six?
Speaker 3 (01:11):
No, I was from Kowaiti, from where.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
Kuwaiti, which is the island next to where the capital
city of honolulus on.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
All right, so you were born in Hawaii. You're part
of a big family, one of six. And here's the thing,
and I'm sure you hear this every interview. Your father
is legendary American blue singer Taj Mahau.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
That is correct, very true.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Now man himself, the man himself a frequent visitor to
New Zealand. What a great player. Now, the thing about
following in famous parents footsteps because you're a singer, he's
a singer. You do the blues, he does the blues,
is that it can either be a blessing or a curse. So,
having Taj as a dad, how was it for you?
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Well, my dad has always taught.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Us that it's not following in his footsteps, it's standing
in his light. So I try to lead with that
way of thinking that he casts not a shadow, but
he throws light, and he illuminates us and gives us
(02:22):
more strength and sense of self and individuality, knowing that
we carry carry what we bring to this world from
a long line of creators and storytellers, and we come
from a really deep legacy, a very deep and.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Yeah, so at times.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
It has been more like the journey of becoming who
I meant to be as an artist and then being
able to and strong enough to like hold that light
would then be able to emit your own life, you know.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Yeah, of course, So it's such a beautifully poetic way
of putting things, which is probably what made him such
a great artist as well. But when did you decide
to follow in your father's life.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Well, I didn't really decide.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
I guess it just kind of was how it was
always meant to be. Really, I've always been musically inclined
and musically inspired since I was really little, and I
performed with my pops when I was really little, so
he kind of caught on that I was musical from
(03:45):
a young age, and he included me in a really
beautiful way on his projects. And my actual first studio
project was recording with Bob Marley's mom.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
So it's funny that you say.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
That my first album that my first experience in a
studio outside of recording with him. I was really young,
I might have been like eight or nine, and I
recorded a whole album with Sidela Moi booker and spent
a lot of time.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
We've even made a music video.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
It's really funny.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
It's like a VHS music video of.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
Me and like all of my mates and my family
at the beach on and on Ahola.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Just like well, you know, you speak about videos, but
not only in music. You've also been in films. You
were in American Hustle with Bail and Bradley Cooper. So
how did that happen.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
I was cast by David O. Russell, the director.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
It had kind of come across my way, and I
had to submit like an audition video and record record
a track because it was you know, because obviously it's
set in the seventies, so.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
I had to like record a cool video.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
And it was like it was like I think it
was like either me or Sharon Jones in the dap
Can And so I got the role. And then as
in the movie, I'm in that really big scene when
they're in the hall and I have I think I'm
like funk band leader, which.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Is like my credit or something like that.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
Oh cool, and you can see me wearing this like
golden calf head and an afro wig, and it's pretty wild.
Actually I'm in the scene with the entire cast and
then like hundreds of people.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
So it was like twenty two hours of shooting.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
And the first person I like saw and said hello
to was Christian Bale. I'm such a huge fan of
his work, So it was kind of wild and it
was really funny actually, because you know, like he's so methods,
so he like came in and he like waved at
me as if he was like the character. But I
like totally forgot myself that we weren't filming, but I
(05:57):
like forgot myself and I just like waved like a
total nerd. That was really fun.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Yeah, I got to meet Amy Adams and Bradley Cooper.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
I went back and looked at that scene. Uh, and
Amy's striding all over the place and she's got big
hair and a very load decolotage. And Jennifer ll she's
kindest yeah person. And then then I found you, and boy,
that afro amazing.
Speaker 4 (06:23):
Yeah, it was great.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
So good, wasn't it.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
It was like the most epic afro and the gold
calf town I was. I was really hoping that I
could find a way to like snatch it.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Okay, now, look doesn't keepsake. The next obvious question is
how on earth did Diva Mahal end up in Wellington?
But I got to take a break. So we'll take
a little amb break and we'll come back and we'll
hear how you're here and all about your new project.
Ladies and gentlemen, My guest is Diva Mahal. So this
is news stork B. It's my Triki Friday, and I'm
Andrew Dickens and my special guest is Diva Mahal, who
has a new single out and a tour coming. She's
(06:58):
from Hawaii. She's the daughter of Taj Mahal. A big question, Diva,
We're all asking, how did you end out in Wellington
well Fano family.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
Really, my brother came out here after touring with my
dad and my dad, you know, came out here and
he was doing some work with the fellas from the
Herbs and or the Herbs and they in a and
he's also the justicese guy. Yes, funnily enough, so he
(07:32):
had already established like a connection with aut like in.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
The eighties and nineties.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
And then my brother came through on tour with him
and ended up staying.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
And then he fell in.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
Love with a Maudi woman and had I.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Had their first child, and my mom came out. She
had to be nan, you know, she had to be
the mukama and came out and then I.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Followed not long after that, after like a family tragedy
and I just really needed a fresh start and came
here and just came to visit really, and then I
fell in love with Wellington with.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
And started going UNI. It was like going to Massy.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
The jazz program got accepted and everything just kind of
like it was like you should stay here. So I
was just listening to the universe really and started playing music.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
And now I'm here, Yes you are, and that we lucky. Now.
Your first EP was a very soulful thing, six tracks,
very very R and B. So I've listened to the
South Coast, which is your new single which is out now,
sounds a little bit more like the Wellington scene is
getting into your bones. And I know that you say
you know what I mean, and I know you saying
(08:49):
back ups and wondering eye with Fat Freddy's drop. You're
part of the scene, You're part of the gang.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
Well you know.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
My first album is actually.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
Called a live album from Wellington called Live at Hope Brothers,
and that was my first recorded album, and that was
very much a result of me living in Wellington. So
the Wellington sound has influenced me since I was about nineteen.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
But I have lived lots of places.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
I lived in New York for thirteen years, I lived
in I've been in London.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
I lived in New Orleans.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
For a year, so my first debut album has a
lot of influences from living in New York and then
my like second record, well my first EP, but my
third album was recorded back in Wellington. So you can
(09:42):
kind of hear the evolution between the first album in
this one from all.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
The places that I've been. I've actually traveled.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
All over and toured all over the world at this point,
and so like playing in Northsea Jazz Fest, or playing
at Carnegie, or playing at the Hollywood Bowl or playing
you know, things like Jules Holland and stuff like that.
You know, just touring all over over and like really
cultivating this new sound, and then came back home and
(10:13):
kind of put all of that into the first half
of Future Classic, and so the second half, because obviously
it's called Future Classic. I wanted the first one to
feel like it was really steeped in classic like old
school music, and I wanted the second album to sound
really future, more feature for it and more contemporary and
(10:36):
things that I hadn't really done before. And the unifier
is that both sides of the EP will be songs
that have like a classic like timeless nature to them,
but that they can exist going forward or going backwards.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Brian, absolutely brilliant. So of course I know all the
fans are saying, we got the first episode of Future
Classics in twenty twenty three. The fact that you've now
released South Coast You're single, does that mean the second
one is coming soon?
Speaker 3 (11:06):
Yeah, you would be right.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Can you give us some day.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
October? Just keep your eyes on October. But I'll definitely
be putting. I'll definitely be releasing tracks records off of
the EP from you know, from May until October, so
there's more to come.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
I have a new song that's coming out in July.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
I think we're looking at July eleventh, but yeah, keep
your eyes.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
Honed on that month as well.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Yeah, is absolutely Look it sounds amazing, It sounds amazing.
It sounds amazing to New Zealand ears, and I hope
it sounds amazing to international ears and so they can
really get a grip on what is actually happening down here,
because interesting stuff is happening down here.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Yeah, for sure, you want to.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Go and see this woman. She's got great pipes. You
start at the end of July at mel In Wellington.
Is that rightly, yeah.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
July twenty fourth, twenty fourth, yeah, and then twenty sixth
that Space Academy, and we finished the tour in Tomakae,
Makoto on August second.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Big Fan, Big Fan, which is Joel Little's place, so
you know, yeah, hopefully he turns up and then flicks
a copy to to Taylor Swift and lord.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Yeah, that'd be great.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
That'd be great.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
You know what we're going to do, I'm going to
play a bit.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
Of really honestly, I'm in no shame.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
I love him, but I would love for him to like,
of course, you know, maybe like I don't know, like.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that would definitely be That's what Joel
wants to do. He wants to be a content. That's
what Big Fans all about. And I think it's brilliant.
I think your song sounds great. In fact, what I'm
going to do, We're going to stop the interview now,
going to take a break, and after the break, I'm
going to play the people a bit of South Coast
with of course the second part of the Future Classic
EP collection coming out. As we've heard in October, Diva
(12:57):
Mahal from Hawaii but really from Wellington. It's lovely talking
to you today on Mataiki.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Happy for more from news talks that'd be listen live
on or online. And keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.