Interview: Zoe Vera

You've got a couple of years of releases on Spotify now, but where did it actually start for you?
‍I think I started to realise I had some abilities probably in my late teens, but before that I was doing singing lessons, school choir, the whole thing. I played violin, piano, guitar growing up. I wouldn't say I'm that good at any one of those instruments, but it all kind of comes together and gives you a feel for music.

My music teacher gave me some confidence - I started slowly showing her what I'd been doing and she was like, 'this is actually pretty good, why don't you think about releasing it?' But then I went into university and it went on the back foot. I didn't have the time to figure out how to navigate the space. And then one day I was like, you just have to prioritise this.

What made you finally do it?
‍I went through a really serious court case that nearly took my life. That's when I realised time is of the essence. After everything I'd been through, I just didn't want to live with regrets. So, it got to 2023 and I was like, right, we're just going to do this.

I also realised that the type of music I was writing could potentially help other people, and I thought, why am I keeping this to myself? You find a song when you're going through something hard and you play it on repeat all night, and it just makes you feel less alone. That artist is never going to know their song helped you get through a night. That's what I realised with me too - you just have to hope that if you put it out there, it'll reach the right person.

So when you decided to go for it, how quickly did things actually move?
‍I'd been through this massive, terrible thing and I had so much to process, so the songs came out pretty quickly. I had a huge creative explosion. But then the mixing, the mastering, the producing, that all takes a really long time.

It's funny, because 'Dizzying' got released in March and I wrote that a year ago. You release music and you're not always sitting in those emotions anymore. I keep getting asked 'who is this song about, are you dating someone?' And I'm like, no, but I did date someone - a year ago. I'm so good now.

Your sound has this ‘real’ quality to it, kind of like Brooke Fraser or Anika Moa - where does that come from?
‍I think what I personally love in music is that authentic sound - like real instrumental melody behind it. And I think that does come from growing up with those instruments and being part of a choir and an orchestral situation. That's just what my ears love to hear.

And it's funny - Brooke Fraser was literally our family CD growing up. I used to play it on repeat. My family went to these winery festivals she'd play at, out near Matakana somewhere, every year. And I actually met her when I was 11. That was such a cool moment because she's a huge influence for my younger days of music.

Tell us about working with producer Danny McCrumb on the EP.
‍Danny's got so much knowledge behind him - he's toured with Norah Jones, played for John Mayer and Eric Clapton. And the moment we started working together he said to me, 'are you willing to take musical risks, make it not sound so commercially pop?' And I was like, yeah, hell yeah, let's go.

Because I'm so new to the music scene I'm just super keen to learn from different people. And Danny's been great because I've come to him with some really weird sounds that have challenged him too. Sometimes I'll come up with an idea and he'll be like, 'you can do better than that.' He pushes you out of your comfort zone in a kind way. And he's a session guitarist himself, so the guitar sounds on there are just really cool.

One of the songs on there called "White" is a bit different. Where did that come from?
‍It's definitely the one I'm most nervous about dropping because it's very, very vulnerable. I really challenged myself - I wanted to write a song that doesn't have a chorus. It's way more poetry-driven. I've been exploring lots of different artists and I think it's quite cool when people don't follow the commercial pop structure. Back in the day, people didn't care if they followed a structure.

Danny threw in a mandolin, which was one of those moments where I was like, what on earth? And then I was like, wait, that actually sounds really cool. It gives it this weird, haunting, sad sound. But I'm nervous because it's such an alternative song. Then the title track 'LIVE HARDER' drops with the EP, and that's funnily enough even more commercially pop than 'Dizzying.' So you get quite a bit of difference across the releases.

What does the future look like after the EP drops?
‍I'll always keep writing, because for me it's a cathartic release. My music will always be a direct expression of where my life's at - but remembering that could be a year ago from when I wrote it. So it's a timestamp somewhere in my life.

I get asked all the time, what's your future music going to sound like? And I'm like, I actually don't know, because I can't predict the future of my life. It'll just be a reflection of what's happening. My mum's always like, 'Zoë, can you please write happier songs?' And I'm like, well, I hope so - but that'll mean my life needs to be reflecting that too. I tell her, if you want to know what I'm doing, just listen to my music.

As for live shows, I want to perform the EP - probably in May, which works out perfectly for NZ Music Month.

What’s your go-to at BurgerFuel?
‍I love BurgerFuel. Genuinely I have a problem. I literally go once a fortnight because I am that obsessed with the CN Cheese. I just love it. It's the truffles for me.

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Zoë Vera's EP LIVE HARDER drops April 24th, and live shows are in the works for May - perfect timing for NZ Music Month. Find her on Instagram and stream LIVE HARDER on Spotify.

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