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Liverpudlian-born indie-pop star Zuzu‘s background remains a mystery. With no full name disclosed online, she makes sure listeners base any preconceptions on her music alone. But with her signature sound described as “euphoric typhoon of ooh-ed harmonies, vivid riffs, and heart-bursting lyrics” by The Line Of Best Fit, and The Guardian agreeing that “With her electrifying unpredictability, the sci-fi-loving singer-songwriter could be the future of Liverpool pop”, what more could you need to know?
In case you’re still intrigued, her first ever song (written aged 7) was not quite as pop-infused as her latest material. Titled ‘Witches From Hell’, she described it as “a bit pop punk, a bit goth. I had a Freaky Friday, Josie And The Pussycats vibe – it was the noughties!”. Unfortunately, the screamed vocals didn’t take off, but she did go on to develop a powerful, Liverpudlian-laced tone instead.
These were showcased in her debut single as Zuzu: the lo-fi electric pop bop ‘Get Off’, released in 2016. She says of the track three years later “The sentiment of the song is about getting frustrated with other people’s judgements and criticism on how you choose to live your life... It’s me trying to speak my mind at a time when I felt super judged. It’s been an important song in my life for a long time and is just as relevant to me now as the day I wrote it.”
Catching the eye of Virgin EMI, BBC Introducing and Radio 1, her EP Made On Earth By Humans followed two years later. She combined all her obsessions in one: aliens and the otherworldly, upbeat pop ballads, and The Beatles, The Libertines and Bright Eyes. This resulted in what would become her very own brand of transient fuzz. Scores were high as Sound of Brit rated it 7/10, while Alternative Current gave it a 9, calling it “stupendously raw yet somewhat polished and with a musical and lyrical depth that keeps you coming back for more.”
More recently, she’s released a seasonal jingle ‘Distant Christmas’, new song ‘How It Feels’, and rereleased ‘Get Off’. December’s acoustic-driven Christmas song showed a more mellow, melancholy side to Zuzu, featuring less extraterrestrials and more yearning. Although, ‘How It Feels’ sees her straight back on it five months later. The pop rock banger has lyrics Avril Lavigne would be proud of, and a vibrant attitude that stamps on her cold Christmas blues.
Zuzu possesses a certain endearing oddity which manifests itself in all aspects of her art; as a visibly confident front person, songwriter, producer, director, actor and comic book illustrator. Unstoppable in each endeavour, the world waits with baited breath for this multi-faceted individual of otherworldly talent to come forth and deliver.
Website – thisiszuzu.com
Facebook – /thisiszuzu
Twitter – @thisiszuzu