For too long, Santa Claus has received all the accolades for making Christmas happen, but as musician Shea Diamond says, "Behind every legend, there's a woman." And in the case of the holidays, it's Mrs. Claus that keeps shit moving. Finally, on Diamond's new spirited song, "Mrs. Claus," lifted off Hulu's 2020 film Happiest Season, the North Pole matriarch gets her credit.
"Because of the fierceness, unapologetic power held by our sheroes in Happiest Season, I wanted to focus on the view from our one and only Mrs. Claus," Diamond tells PAPER. "[She's] always seen in the background like most people that hold substantial roles in the lives of powerful men."
For Justin Tranter, who co-wrote the track with Diamond, "Mrs. Claus" is feel good on the surface, but "borderline revolutionary" when you dig into the details. "This planet is so misogynistic that we even minimize what fictional women bring to the table," Tranter says, underscoring Mrs. Claus' supporting role in most Christmas stories.
Diamond adds to Tranter's perspective, saying that we're still waiting for women to get their proper recognition in the roles played throughout "his-tory." So on the chorus of "Mrs. Claus," Diamond paints a picture of the holiday season without Mrs. Claus. "There'd be no toys at the mall/ There'd be no egg or no nog," she sings, before making the ultimate declaration: "There'd be no Christmas at all."
In an exclusive live performance of "Mrs. Claus," premiering today on PAPER, Diamond wails powerfully through the track, complete with a massive key change at the end — that she, of course, nails effortlessly. With jingle bells sparkling in the background and a warm live band backing up Diamond, "Mrs. Claus" already sounds like a Christmas classic.
Stream Shea Diamond's "Mrs. Claus," below.
Photo courtesy of Shea Diamond