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03/09/2011

ZOLA JESUS @EOTR

Zola Jesus (real name Nika Roza Danilova) has been making waves since 2009 with her hauntingly dark vocals and sounds inspired by electronica, industrial and goth rock, to mention but a few. The 22 year old from Wisconsin performed at this year's End Of The Road Festival in Dorset, ahead of the release of her new album 'Conatus,' later this month.

Q: How would you describe your sound in one word?
A: Ah man I dunno... It feels really raw to me and barbaric. (Make a sound?) Blaaaaah! [Laughs.]

Q: What’s the story behind the name Zola Jesus?
A: Well, it's [a combination of] Emile Zola and Jesus Christ, and I just made it up when I was like 14. I just made up this name and was like, "You’ve got call me ‘Zola Jesus’ now," at school. I did it because I wanted an easy way to intimidate everyone. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, I mean, you think that’s weird? Yeah totally! Perfect cool! That’s what I wanted. So no one wanted to say my name. They thought it would be weird to call me ‘Zola’ and, of course it is! If you can’t say my name you won’t want to talk to me so... It’s a good plan if you don’t like people! [Smiling.]

Q: Where do you go when you want to be inspired?
A: It's hard because I feel like I’m really inspired by winter, it's just the quietest environment. I'm inspired by where I grew up and I really wanna go back there but, I don’t really have time. Usually I have to try to find inspiration where I live.

Q: Your album is being released on the 26th of September, what can we expect?
A: Well I dunno, I can’t really describe it. I think I just evolved in one way or another, yeah I don’t even know! You’ll have to see it. It's just that this new record is a lot more intricate and open, and intimate.

Q: How important is the visual element of your work?
A: The visual aspect is really important to me, as it’s a way to control how people associate with the music. I want people to have their own distinct image and to develop their own relationship with the music [but], this is my interpretation; how I see it, how I feel it, what it looks like.

Jacqueline Castel does all of my music videos. I basically write her a journal just telling her how I’m feeling and she sends it [her visual interpretation] back. She’s really intuitive so I'm a lot more collaborative with her. Yeah but everything else... I make my own design and code my own website, make my own t-shirts! [Laughs.] I’m really into that whole aspect. I do everything myself [smiles.]

Q: Do you get nervous before you perform?
A: Oh yes absolutely! And you can see it on stage! I do whatever makes me feel comfortable and I just need to move around. I have a really hard time standing still. I just feel this surge inside of me and walking or pacing helps it get out.
It’s like I’m a caged animal, and that’s what I feel like when I’m on stage. I have the opportunity to do something that, for me, represents everything that I believe in...I take the music really seriously in different ways.

Q: What are you most looking forward to between now and the end of the year?
A: Well we're touring so I’ll be looking forward to that, but I’m also looking forward to not touring. I feel so over work...which I like! I mean working is nice, but I really love being at home in Los Angeles.

You can find out more about Zola Jesus by visiting www.zolajesus.com

Twitter: @ZolaJesus

Conducted by Kate Mahony, photography by Angel Ceballos.

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