Every Monday we will be bringing you interviews with unsigned UK or Ireland artists for Independent Music Monday. Recently we caught up with unsigned London singer ZYRA to find out more…
Where are you from and how did you first get into music?
I’m from London. I’ve always gravitated towards music because, growing up, I was surrounded by the records my parents loved. I first started to write songs aged 14 and would produce electronic beats on Garageband and sing songs over them at school events. I won the MIBI awards (formerly the national youth pop and rock awards) aged 15 and a few years later began to produce songs that were played on the radio by BBC Introducing. When I was 19 I bootlegged the instrumental My Friends Never Die by ODESZA and sent a video of me singing a pop song over it to them. They liked it and sent me the instrumentals for Say My Name and It’s Only, which went on to become two of their biggest songs and how I got my break in the industry. Say My Name went platinum in the states!
Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
I love classic pop artists. Artists and bands like Queen, Madonna, Lady Gaga, The Kinks, The Jackson 5, Aretha Franklin, The Beach Boys, James Morrison, The Beatles, Simon and Garkfunkel, Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Whitney Houston, Van Morrision and ABBA. I also love electronic music production, and people like Charli XCX, Lorde, Dua Lipa, Flume, Odesza, Mura Masa, Grey, NOTD, Lido, Oak Felder, Joel Corry and Shift K3y.
How would you describe your sound?
I would describe my sound as dance pop.
What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
My latest release is the Heart’s On Fire EP. I was heavily influenced by UK pop house acts like Joel Corry, Becky Hill and Shift K3y.
What’s your local music scene like?
London is a great place to see new artists perform. I love the Dice FM app. They always list the best acts to see.
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
In the next 12 months I’d love to find a label or a publisher to work with to develop me as an artist and also a producer and writer for other artists.
Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
I’d love to work with Charli XCX, Dua Lipa and Lorde and anyone who wants to make bright happy pop with big hooks and slightly dark lyrics.
What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
That I do everything in terms of creating the final song you hear. I write, sing, produce, mix and master my material. I feel very passionately that there need to be more girls in pop and every genre producing their own material.
You can find out more about ZYRA via Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify or Twitter.
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