Meet Zuzia

Powerful, percussive, and innovative the sounds of Zuzia should be heard by all. Fans of minimal synth and post-punk will find a lot to love here. The way Zuzia leverages vocals is astounding. Weaving voices throughout the track to create beautiful symmetry. Their 2020 single “if he has to tell u he’s a good guy, he’s prob not : /” is out now, and you can read all about it in our latest interview.

Self-portraits by Zuzia

Would you rather

have a magic lasso that would make people tell the truth or everyone believes every lie you ever told? Why

I guess I would choose the one that makes people tell the truth? Lies are only fun if there’s a chance you could get caught ; )

Some questions with Zuzia

Did you ever get detention in school? If so, why?

I never got detention, I was an absolute straight laced freak since my mom was extremely strict. One time I did get called to the principal’s office for doing a mean prank phone call and I felt so bad I cried for like a week, I’ve never done anything mean since!!

How did you come to develop and establish your unique vocal style?

I stopped singing in 6th grade when a teacher told me I didn’t “have the voice” for a lead part in the musical after my audition. Then one day post-college I listened to Anohni for the first time and I lost my mind, I was immediately obsessed. I knew I wanted to sound like that, dramatic and larger than life. I just started trying to imitate her a bit and found new, interesting things that I could do differently and landed on the way I sing now.

Your compositions are often stacked layers of lush textures where does a track usually start for you? Is there a pattern or is the process unique each time?

I used to always start with lyrics and then move on to the track, but that’s completely changed for me. Now I almost always start with the drums. I’m obsessed with rhythm and movement, so getting the drums down first really sets the tone of the song for me. It’s hard for me to understand where a song is going without the drum part finished or at least sketched out. Then, depending on the song, I’ll move on to vocals or finishing the instrumental.

What gear was instrumental in finding your sound as zuzia?

I don’t care if this is basic or doesn’t count as equipment per say, but garage band changed my life!! I used to write songs on the cello and with a band, but I really found my voice by messing around making beats on garage band. Before I even started to write music, I always wanted to make pop songs but never even thought of that as an option for me. Once I started actually writing music I still had these notions of what I could and couldn’t do. I was like “oh I only know how to write for cello, keys, and vocals”, so I stuck to only writing those parts and didn’t really question or push myself. The more shows I went to the more I realized you can just do whatever you want, so I started trying out making beats and the rest is history!

What was the creative drive behind your 2020 release "if he has to tell u he’s a good guy, he’s prob not : /"?

During quarantine I’ve finished a full album and have gotten halfway through another. The recording and mixing process has been taking forever though, and I wanted to put something out as a reminder to myself that I still exist as a musician. It’s hard when all this work is going on, but it’s just me in my room with a computer and no one else knows except for my wonderfully accommodating roommates. So I wrote a few songs about having a crush and being crushed by said crush. It’s also about my experiences with men I’ve dated who make it point to tell you how they are one of the good guys. I’ve had so many men do some iteration of this and it’s such transparent behavior. If you have to go on and on about how you’re such a good person, chances are you’re not!

What are your hopes for the post-COVID-19 Brooklyn music scene?

My hopes for the scene is that venues are able to keep their doors open and the community continues to thrive. It’s such a hard time for performers and venues right now, but I think that as a community we’ll find ways to keep putting on shows and flourish in post COVID times.

What is the best part about making music in NYC?

I love getting to meet and collaborate with so many extremely talented people. Performing alongside musicians that push me to think about my own artistic practices in a new light is a blessing : )

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

If you have the means, buy your friend’s/favorite local musician’s music or merch! And if you don’t, maybe make a post about their stuff and encourage others to listen and buy their stuff. This has been an incredibly hard time for everyone in the world, but musicians and performers have taken an extra hard hit to their income without being able to play shows. Let’s do our best to support each other <3

Zuzia