nº91 / FANTASTIC MR MARCEL / DIAMOND / LONDON

Zoltan Alexander
Jun 12
3 min read

Updated: Jul 9

The latest release of Fantastic Mr Marcel, Diamond, is an emotionally driven R&B song about self-worth, resilience, and recognising one’s values even when others overlook them. The song is a hot shot.

Review by Zoltan Alexander

DIAMOND buried in your heart, beneath pressure and time. The latest release of Fantastic

Mr Marcel

London-based singer-songwriter Fantastic Mr Marcel crafts his cinematically inspired, smooth R&B music to move both emotions and imagination. The music blends the intimate, evocative lyrics with genre-bending production, shaping a sound that pulls from indie, electronica, and R&B, whilst remaining unmistakably his own.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/67b9d9_a9a3abf2f62545b8bf855d6cc7f08e3a/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

THE INSTIGATOR: Fantastic Mr Marcel photo Charles Alley

PHOTO / "Diamond" by Fantastic Mr Marcel / Photo © Courtesy of Charles Alley

VIDEO / "Diamond" by Fantastic Mr Marcel / Video © Zoltan Alexander

The core of Fantastic Mr Marcel’s philosophy is self-discovery. He was born in London, shaped by a life across continents with Ghanaian and Mauritian heritage, which explains his multicultural energy as a creative catalyst.

Approaching every song like a film scene, highly inspired by master film director Quentin Tarantino, his images and editing; Fantastic Mr Marcel writes his music from the inside of a scene of a film, painting an atmosphere, tension, and human complexity through rhythm. His voice is velvet; his songs are irresistible. When listening to his music, Tracy Chapman’s or Sade’s music is reminiscent; although the approach is different, it is the same type of energy that pushes you to the edge of tears and joy. The result is immersive and soulful, designed for listeners who crave storytelling as much as rhythm.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/67b9d9_3cbfcf6592cf475a8a80427f9e434d78/480p/mp4/file.mp4

VIDEO / "9-5" by Fantastic Mr Marcel / Video © Courtesy of Fantastic Mr Marcel

PHOTO (above) / "Diamond" by Fantastic Mr Marcel / Photo © Courtesy of Joseph Lewiston

Against the commercial waves of pop and the cultural shift away from composed, polished perfection, whether by exploring connection, reflection, or transformation, Fantastic Mr Marcel creates music that invites you to step into his uncompromising musical world. What matters is the story you are telling and whether people can feel you or not.

“My writing starts from inside a film scene, stepping into a character, inhabiting the moment, and painting the picture with words until it becomes a song. That’s the lens that shapes everything I create and everything I live for.” Fantastic Mr Marcel

PHOTO / "Diamond" by Fantastic Mr Marcel / Photo © Courtesy of Joseph Lewiston

Following the great success of Superman’s Cape, Fantastic Mr Marcel’s latest release, Diamond, is an emotionally driven R&B song about self-worth, resilience, and recognising one’s values even when others overlook them. Built around soulful melodies, atmospheric production, and confident vocal delivery, the song compares hidden strength and beauty to a diamond buried in your heart, beneath pressure and time.

For the song Diamond, Fantastic Mr Marcel paired with rap musician ARXIVN to blend modern R&B and RAP textures with uplifting energy, creating a track that feels both vulnerable and empowering. Diamond is a hot shot, produced by Colin Lanz, and filmed in Hackney Wick, London.