"Désolé" (English: "Sorry") is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz featuring Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara. The track was released on 27 February 2020 as the second single for Gorillaz' seventh studio album, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez. The song is part of the Song Machine project, which is a web series involving the ongoing release of various Gorillaz tracks featuring different guest musicians over the course of 2020.[4]

"Désolé"
Single by Gorillaz featuring Fatoumata Diawara
from the album Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez
Language	English French[1] Bambara[1]
Released	27 February 2020 (2020-02-27)
Recorded	2019
Genre	R&B[2] bossa nova[3]
Length	3:56 (single version) 5:33 (album version)
Label	Parlophone Warner
Songwriter(s)	Damon Albarn Fatoumata Diawara James Ford Remi Kabaka Jr.
Producer(s)	Gorillaz Ford Kabaka
Gorillaz singles chronology
"Momentary Bliss" (2020) "Désolé" (2020) "Aries" (2020)
Fatoumata Diawara singles chronology
"Cameroon" (2019) "Désolé" (2020) "Douha (Mali Mali)" (2020)
Music video
"Désolé" on YouTube

Music video

The video, directed by Jamie Hewlett, Tim McCourt, and Max Taylor, was filmed at Lake Como in Italy and mainly features band members 2-D, Noodle and Russel Hobbs boating with Diawara and Gorillaz co-creator Damon Albarn after having been transported to the lake via a portal inside Kong Studios, the band's fictional headquarters.[5] Throughout the video, virtual bassist Murdoc Niccals can be seen inside Kong Studios, attempting and failing to cross the portal.[6]

Release

In a press release, fictional band member Russel said of the song's recording: "Making 'Désolé' with Fatou was a real moment for me, you know. She's an African Queen. This lady made the song what it is, beautiful, like life. What can I say about 'Désolé'? They say sorry is the hardest word, but that's not true... Try saying antidisestablishmentarianism with a mouth full of gluten-free cronuts on a speed boat without licking your lips."[6]

Tracklist

Personnel

Gorillaz

• Damon Albarn – vocals, instrumentation, director, keyboards, bass, guitar, drum programming
• Jamie Hewlett – artwork, character design, video direction
• Remi Kabaka Jr. – percussion

Additional musicians & personnel

• Fatoumata Diawara – vocals
• Voice Messengers[lower-alpha 1] – backing vocals
• James Ford – keyboards, percussion, balafon, drums, zither
• Davide Rossi – strings, string arranger
• Alice Pratley – violin
• Ciara Ismail – violin
• Izzi Dunn – cello
• Nicola Hicks – viola
• Sébastien Blanchon – horn
• Adrien Libmann – engineering
• Andrea Fognini – engineering
• Davide Lasala – engineering
• John Davis – mastering engineer
• Nora Fedrigo – engineering
• Samuel Egglenton – engineering
• Stephen Sedgwick – mixing engineer, engineering
• Sylvain Mercier – engineering

Charts

Notes

References