Zola Jesus
BIOGRAPHY
With her bleached blonde hair (last time we checked) and standing at under 5 foot, Nika Roza Danilova would be an unlikely candidate in a ‘match the voice to the person’ contest on some hypothetical (and probably terrible) TV quiz show. Her unassuming stature contains a set of lungs that the Big Bad Wolf probably could have used to blow down the house made of bricks, or at least used to terrify the pigs into submission and in turn saved himself a lot of bloody hassle.
Danilova grew up in deepest, darkest Wisconsin, living with her hunter father, who would leave decaying parts of animals scattered around their 100 acre estate. At a very early age she became obsessed with opera, buying opera sheet music from the age of 7, and begging her parents to hire a vocal coach. They eventually gave in, and by the age of 10 she was performing opera.
During this time Danilova frequently suffered anxiety attacks prior to performances, often losing her voice for hours as she struggled with the fact that at her age she wasn’t capable of the things the Prima Donnas of the world were doing.
In her late teens she started using her alter-ego Zola Jesus in an attempt to curb her anxiety, a tactic which worked. The name was chosen to alienate people, a combination of French writer Emile Zola and our holy lord and saviour/fictional carpenter (delete as appropriate) Jesus Christ. She went on to study French and Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, after transferring from a business course at the University of Milwaukee.
Her first home-recorded material surfaced when she was just 18, with the 7” singles ‘Poor Son’ and ‘Soeur Sewer’. These were followed in 2009 by her first full-length album, The Spoils. The album showcased a sound that was unusual for the time (but has since spawned numerous imitators), and was praised by reviewers for melding the older Goth genre with more modern electro-pop and drone-rock sounds.
Two EPs closely followed the album, the Tsar Bomba EP and the Stridulum EP. Danilova recruited a full band for the ensuing tours, settling on a lineup of three synth players and a drummer (Nick Johnson, drummer of metal band Jex Thoth). The latter EP saw an attempt at making music that balanced the slightly unhinged nature of her earlier work with a more melodic approach, resulting in an EP of impressively anthemic goth-tronica (yes, I went there).
The Stridulum EP was extended and released as Zola Jesus’ second full-length album, inventively named Stridulum II. The album featured the six tracks from the EP, along with three new offerings, including standout track and single ‘Sea Talk’. All the tracks on the album are carried by Danilova’s imperious voice, a component that has been described as “the most devastating weapon in their arsenal”, and that has drawn almost unanimous praise from the music press.
Danilova says that her work is heavily influenced by the works of philosophers she read as she was growing up, including Friedrich Nietzsche and Arthur Schopenhauer (she sums up the general outlook of the latter as “Kill yourself, it’s not worth it.”). This dark philosophy isn’t veiled in any way on her records, she instead chooses to fully embrace it and, coupled with her booming vocals, makes for a pleasantly disturbing listen. In terms of musical influences, a quick skim of her interviews throws up names as diverse in genre as Patti Smith, Talking Heads, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Tina Turner, Cocteau Twins and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
Her third album Conatus (named after the instinct of self-preservation) is released today , and is causing many to tip her for big things following its release. Her rise to this point has been on a steady trajectory, but following a string of notable performances at festivals over the summer the interest in her is rapidly swelling, and in serious danger of exploding. The dark age of Zola Jesus may well be upon us.
Live Dates
September 26th - London, Toynbee Studios
November 22nd - Bristol, Anson Rooms, Bristol
November 23rd - London, Heaven, London (w/ EMA)
November 24th - Manchester, Academy 3 (w/ EMA)
November 25th - Liverpool, Karizmer
Links
Videos
ON ROCKFEEDBACK TV:
Night
Clay Bodies
Vessel