"Below" is out now on streaming platforms and will be followed by single, "Little Raptures", a collaborative effort with Rahiem Taylor of Blac Rabbit next month. "Below"/"Little Raptures" is out August 7th.
Before Zaliza could speak she would hum. From the ages 1 to 2 years old she would sing songs from the Little Mermaid in front of the television every morning until her mom turned on the film. A few years later Zaliza developed epilepsy, and the medication she was put on made her feel like a shell of herself. It was hard to think clearly, to be present and to express herself to others. She would write songs as a way to be understood - if only by herself.
It wasn’t until about three years ago that she decided to take the songs she had kept to herself, now not so clumsy, and make an intention to release them into the world. It would be the unveiling of a side of her few had seen, communicating feelings she couldn’t properly explain in conversation. Collaboration in music has always been her priority, perhaps because it feels that she's finally understood without having to fully explain herself. In music, you can speak in poetry and melodies and not worry about it making sense to others, it's just felt. Even still, music always has a way of crossing communication barriers and speaking to the deeper places within us -- with music, Zaliza knows that she will always be understood.
A few years ago, Zaliza heard the analogy that God is a sculpture and everyone is standing around with different vantage points. When she collaborates, she hopes to combine those vantage points, knowing that her perspective is not the only one. Collaboration to her is a way of growing and learning far more than one could do alone. When she has played live, she's often accompanied by Patrick Jones and Rahiem Taylor from Blac Rabbit, their ways of interpreting music inspiring.
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