Emerging from Vancouver, Zinni the Queen is whom you would describe as an inspired, nuanced and sapient artist, crafting soothing gems and elegant RnB tunes able to wrap the listener into comforting musical goodness. Anticipating her debut album ‘4 A Season’, releasing later this year, the Canadian talent now shares a little appetizer, the gentle and loving single ‘What Happened To My Sunshine?’.
In it, the listener will find a candied sonic universe, made up of poignant piano chords and ethereal bells, providing the perfect framework for Zinni the Queen’s evocative and luscious vocals, showcasing a fantastic range of action and strong control. Lyrically, we are in poetry territories, with Zinni carefully choosing every word. In this case, the song acts as a personal memoir, where The Queen reflects on past good times and admits her loneliness, keeping her hopes up nonetheless.
Intrigued by the project, we caught up with the Canadian singer and songwriter to find out more about her artistry and future goals…. Interview below!
Hey Zinni the Queen, how is it going? some of our readers might not be familiar with your project, how would you describe yourself, in a few words?
Hey Gabriel and Mesmerized community! I would describe myself as a child of God, a renaissance woman who is honing her crafts, a perfectionist who is finally giving the same quality product I give to everything else to myself, and a human being seeking connection through music. I’m a recovered people-pleaser, a thrill seeker, a drama queen, and a person who is always learning. Zinni the Queen strives for excellence and connection to the greater conversation that is the art world.
Your current work is the result of a long journey; What first drew you to making music?
I can’t really say, other than the talent was God-given. When I was two, my childhood best friend and I would make up a new song every time we hung out. It would help us remember our inside jokes. Every time we’d say our goodbyes, we’d tell each other, “Remember ‘my juice is falling down!'” or “Remember ‘pickle juice’.” It was how I connected to other people, and how I remembered the special moments in life. Even as a 6 or 7-year-old, my cousins and I would sing covers of church songs which we’d perform for our parents, or we’d make up new songs with stage names. We used to play games revolving around music, performance, and diligence. I would always take those games a little too seriously though [laughs]. There are clips of me being frustrated when the harmonies weren’t right or if I felt someone was goofing around to throw everything off. My cousins and I laugh about those moments to this day.
If you had the opportunity to pick any artists in the world for a collaboration, who would be your first choice? (and second choice, perhaps?)
I would have to say Chance the Rapper, because he also focuses on vocal arrangements, is a multi-hyphenate, and brings his humanity into his art. Honestly, any of the artists I listen to a lot would be incredible to work with– Corrine Bailey Rae, Tracy Chapman, Keri Hilson, Jenelle Monae, Ne-Yo, Jill Scott, NoName– but I would have to know any of my dream collaborators personally to really know if we’d work well together. I think working with someone more established would be more of a mentorship, whether they like it or not, I’m taking notes and asking questions! This is super random, but I’d love to be choreographed by Roshon Fegan. He’s also multi-talented, and I feel like he has a lot to offer when it comes to dancing. And I’m watching a lot of short films, got my eye on some talented directors. In my present reality, I’m down to collab with other new artists. It’s a dream of mine to work with talented peers and build long-lasting careers alongside each other. So if you’re an artist, slide into my DMs!
You recently released an evocative and soothing gem, ‘What Happened To My Sunshine’. We appreciate your ethereal, almost bucolic style. Was the choice to focus on the vocals and build around them?
Full disclosure: I had to look up what bucolic means. I absolutely love learning new words, so thank you for this beautiful description. That’s exactly it– my greatest strength is my ear for harmony. I’m still in my first year of learning how to engineer, produce, record, mix, and master, so all those skills are still very fresh. But what I can do is tell a story with my lyrics and my voice. I wanted to paint a sonic picture so the listeners could experience what I did from as close to first-person as possible. The instruments should always complement, not compete with, the vocals.
Lyrically, what does the single represent for you?
It’s a song of longing for how things used to be. The song is about the moment you realize, “This isn’t just a moment of disconnection; we are actually nowhere near each other anymore. How did we get here?” WH2MS is also a song of pleading for things to return. If we were so close before, we can get back to that. Just let me help you; I want to be there for you. But it’s up to that other person, whether or not they want to let you back in. Ultimately, you have to respect their decision. In real life, I don’t show my emotions to other people. These lyrics gave me a chance to be vulnerable in a way I rarely am, and it’s such a relief to see the song received so positively and enthusiastically. So in a way, it also represents the power of being vulnerable and honest.
Do you feel more confident writing music alone, or within a team?
When I get the opportunity to write with people who are united in the vision of the song, mutually respectful and cooperative, and who are aware of their own strengths, I’ll be in heaven. That sounds like the best thing in the world. Right now, I write solo. What I love about writing solo is, I can be honest without feeling like I need anyone to understand me. Instead of my focus being on communicating an idea, I can just express it and edit it without having to explain how everything connects.
Artistically speaking, what challenges have the last two years presented you with?
I thought it would be easy to write about what I was going through in real-time, or to revisit these songs about old flames. In order to capture the emotion of a song, you have to mentally go back there. But then when you’re reliving certain moments, it can distract you or derail your creative trajectory. There are times I can only record so much before I have to take a break. And it was nearly impossible to write other songs because it all felt too real, and I had barely processed everything for myself at first. Art should heal more than it hurts, so it’s important to give yourself breaks and take care of yourself. That’s when you make the best work, not when you force it.
What are the next steps for your project? Anything exciting on the horizon?
I’m wrapping up the album, “Four A Season”, now. The album tells a story of childhood crushes, situationships, and self-love. You can listen to the demo version on SoundCloud and YouTube, but the final version will be on all streaming platforms. I’m excited to let y’all into my world, because there’s a whole universe in my head. Short films and music videos, hidden messages in the lyrics, cute merch, touring… I’m really excited to world-build and for my first fans to be part of that in real-time. This is a very special moment. Thank you so much for being a part of it!
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