Premiere: Mark Diamond Flirts with Temptation and Finds The One in “Hummingbird”

Mark Diamond reaches new levels of confidence and new heights with “Hummingbird,” a delicious and picturesque depiction of falling for someone.

Listen: “Hummingbird” – Mark Diamond

When Atwood Magazine spoke to Mark Diamond earlier in the year, a lot of time was dedicated to talking about the significance of hummingbirds for Diamond. His debut project, the EP Hummingbird One, was released in January and made audiences swoon with its romantic and cinematic guitar-driven sound. On every song on that EP, hearing the bass pulsate felt like listening to Diamond’s heart beat as he told stories about loves lived and lost.

Back to hummingbirds, however, Diamond said the relationship between the hummingbird and the flower was at the crux of that EP: “It just got me thinking how these hummingbirds feel about themselves, about the world around them, they’re beautiful, there aren’t many things in the world where, if you see it outside your window or if you see it stop by a flower, it essentially stops the world around them. Everybody, no matter if you’re in conversation, just stops and looks at this beautiful, beautiful hummingbird outside your window and it’s a special moment.”

Diamond takes time to pay attention to things most people take for granted, taking a moment like seeing a hummingbird outside his window and realising how the beauty of that animal essentially freezes the world around it. There’s awe, curiosity, wonder, admiration, and love all in one moment. On his new single, “Hummingbird,” which Atwood Magazine is proudly premiering today, Diamond expands upon the idea of a hummingbird singing about temptation, desire, and looking for your better half.

I wanna love you no I don’t want to hurt
You taste so sweet and you float like a hummingbird
We fall apart and we get back together again
Is it me am I never enough?
Every time’s like the first oh it feels the same
I wanna love you in so many different ways
We fall apart and we get back together
When you’re here I feel the world stop

“Hummingbird”, despite not coming too long after Hummingbird One, already sounds like a departure from the EP. With this song, Diamond has reached new levels of confidence and boldness, seen in the isolated and delicious beat before the first chorus, the fact he starts singing from the song’s first second, and the daring guitar solo on the latter end of the song. Not to mention the lyrics which are a declaration of love, lust, and the ever so exhilarating but unstable moments at the start of a new relationship.

In this scenario, Diamond’s loved one becomes his “hummingbird”, the object of his affection, which provokes awe in, inspires him, and allows him to see the beauty in simple moments. And Diamond, in turn, becomes the flower, ready to give the hummingbird whatever it needs at any given moment – he’s head over heels. Diamond’s world stops around this person, and on the glittering synths throughout the song you can almost hear the electricity between them.

Let me be the one
You always needed
Let me be the one
No more secrets
When the moon is dark
and the sun starts creepin
You’re my hummingbird
You’re my hummingbird

Speaking about “Hummingbird”, Mark Diamond says: “This song was the birth of a new version of myself. It was letting a side of me out that I didn’t know was there. I’ll never forget that moment when I started singing the melody. Honestly I think I just started laughing at first because it felt so freeing and different than anything I’d done before. I think as creatives and as people, we all have multiple versions of ourselves. It’s important to let some of those see the light of day sometimes.”

We know the answer so we don’t have to ask
Is this forever? Oh, would you be cool with that
We fall apart and we get back together again
Is it me am I never enough?
You hold the stare is it all a part of your plan
Why you leaving right after you touch my hand
We fall apart and we get back together
When you’re here I feel the world stop

“Hummingbird” is the perfect depiction of falling for someone. The imagery of the hummingbird, though not used very often, when employed by Diamond becomes a poetic and beautiful description of what love is and what your loved one can inspire. However, this relationship doesn’t come without its challenges – just like actual hummingbirds only drink from a specific flower for a short period of time, Diamond’s interactions with his loved one are meaningful but, at times, fleeting (“Why you leaving right after you touch my hand”). It’s the exhilaration of falling apart and coming back together, as well as them needing one another, that keeps this relationship alive and so exciting.

If Mark Diamond was already one to watch at the start of the year, “Hummingbird” has only re-affirmed that he’s definitely an artist to look out for. While “Hummingbird” is a departure, it is also Diamond at his best: lyrics weave metaphor and real-life and deliver his story in a unique way, the emphasis on the electric guitar adds a welcome rock edge and bravado to his catalogue, the break before the first chorus is nothing short of brilliant, and the strength and confidence that ooze from “Hummingbird” are palpable, making it a pleasure to listen to. The only thing left to do is find your own hummingbird to sing this for.