Diamante + Ben Burnley Duet on Goo Goo Dolls Cover ‘Iris’
For Diamante, a very special moment almost didn't happen earlier this year, but luckily for listeners, we now get a duet with Breaking Benjamin vocalist Ben Burnley on a cover of the Goo Goo Dolls' '90s ballad, "Iris."
At the top of the newly released video, Diamante explains, "On Feb. 28, 2 weeks before the entire world went into shutdown ... I was set to get on a plane to Reno, Nev. to meet up with Ben on tour and record my favorite song since childhood: 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls. I missed my first flight and almost didn't make it to Reno to record, but I somehow managed to get on the next flight out to make it just in time. Little did I know the Breaking Benjamin show would be the last concert I would attend before the Covid-19 pandemic."
Diamante told Ryan McCredden of Quad Cities' I-Rock 93.5, "I think it's the perfect song for this moment in time. And it's been my favorite song ever since I was a little girl." She adds, "Every time I listen to it, it's like a spiritual awakening. I've wanted to cover it for years and now that I've had the chance to I decided to turn it into a duet."
True to form, the song does offer the soaring spirit of the original, which was used for the soundtrack for the Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan film, City of Angels.
Diamante continued, "I had been touring with [Breaking Benjamin] for pretty much the last two years of my life and when I asked him he told me the exact same thing that 'Iris' had always been one of his favorite songs as well."
The vocalist revealed, "I cut the song with my producer on my own and sent it to Ben. Ben then called me and said, I could cut my own vocals to match what you did, but I think there would be an entirely new magic if you fly to the show in Reno and we record the vocals together in the same moment on the tour bus, we could create something really cool."
Check out the video for Diamante's duet with Ben Burnley, "Iris," in the player below.
Diamante & Breaking Benjamin, "Iris" (Goo Goo Dolls Cover)
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