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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 Zoe Konez to find out more…

Where are you from and how did you first get into music?
I live in South London, where I write and record all my music at home. I’ve lived in different parts of the UK growing up and I was always a bit of a loner so after learning to play guitar I naturally started writing songs to express my feelings and thoughts, and as time has gone on I learned to produce so that I can create an atmosphere with my songs when I record them. I have played in bands and I currently am also one half of the indie synth duo CATBEAR as well. It’s a different sound but I love both projects equally.

Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
I learned guitar by getting guitar tab books by britpop bands like Oasis – great simple songs when you are first learning to play and write songs. When I was first in a band age 13 we got some gigs playing 2 hours of covers so we just learned loads of indie songs which was fantastic fun, but then I started delving further into different kinds of music. I had a very heavy rock phase which probably influenced my early songs being all over the place with time signatures and weird chords.

I’ve always been influenced by strong independent female musicians who have blazed a path, probably because they have been so outnumbered, so Garbage, Skunk Anansie, Ani Difranco. PJ Harvey, Warpaint.
Nowadays I listen to all kinds of music, and because I really like producing music I like hearing all styles, from all eras – I get fascinated with how songs were made, but mainly as a music fan I just love great melodies and lyrics and all those universally magical elements that make a 3 minute song connect – the music world feels a bit more genreless these days, and more about a great song.

How would you describe your sound?
An organic, intimate indie folk style, usually based around acoustic guitar, with emotive atmospheres and a personal lyrical view.

What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
My Old Friend is my current single release. It is a song that poured out quite quickly.
It’s a melancholic reminisce on a friendship (or relationship) that might have ended not so well but that I think of in a positive light, and remember the good times, despite us not being in touch anymore.
I think we all have the friends who either drifted apart or maybe something came between you that in time seems silly but neither of you make the effort to go back and make things right and be friends again. This is the message to that person to say “it didn’t end well but I still think of you fondly”.

What’s your local music scene like?
Well I live right in London so it’s amazing when it’s able to be!
For the 10 years before lockdown I ran a monthly acoustic night called Stop Look Listen, which was an amazing journey, meeting so many wonderful independent and loosely acoustic-based acts from London, the UK and around the world. I made lots of friends and discovered lots of music.
London is a great place to play, there are some wonderful venues (as well as some not so good!) and it’s probably the main reason I have settled in London for so long.

What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
I have been writing some ‘mini songs’ inspired by stories I have asked my Patreon patrons to send me, and so I will be releasing those. They are all bitesize songs at around 1 and a half minutes long. It’s been a fun experience to limit myself to making a complete song in a short space of time.
I play a monthly live stream and for now I’m keeping my gigs online, but I hope that can change in future.
I try to stay in touch with everyone online so I post videos and will be trying to release music regularly over this next 12 months.

Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
Some of my favourite creators out there at the moment would be Bon Iver, Novo Amour, Imogen Heap – any of those would be a dream!

Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
Too many.. It’s always an adventure, you leave the house and you never know what will happen. Once I arrived at a gig and the venue owner has said they are cancelling as there are not enough tickets sold, though there were people queuing up outside ready to come in. Me and my co-headliner had to convince them to let us play (great gig in the end) and I vividly remember they couldn’t wait to get rid of us – the venue was an old bank and when we left they slammed the giant door behind us. Strange times!

What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
The one thing I’d like readers to know would be that making music is my true love and I’m an independent artist, from the start of a song to it reaching you, so every listen, like, share and purchase really helps me and means so much to me.

You can find out more about Zoe via Apple Music, Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, TikTok, Twitter or YouTube.