Zoe K – Press Release:
My eyes glanced to the bottom of the email.
Z O E K
Musician. Vocal Coach. Underground Cage Fighter.
Cage Fighter?
I paused, and scanned the email again. See in this particular business you see a lot of media releases pass through your inbox, but this one in particular really jumped out at me. Not just because of the cage fighter snippet either, but purely for the fact that the email was from Zoe K. I’d seen Zoe perform at Lizottes when I first started music writing, and she was a card to say the least. Unapologetic, forward, and the type of funny that made me want to take her out for whiskey just to enjoy her company. Oh, and did I mention… she’s got a flipping great voice. In the lead up to the launch of her latest album It’s Just What I Like, this Saturday at the Small Ballroom, I sat down with Zoe to chat about her latest record, growing up in the Hunter Valley, and the importance of self empowerment.
“I’m a hard working show pony” laughs Zoe, “the hardest working show pony in Australia,” backed by a sly giggle. As a self managed, self promoted and well self, everything really musician, this particular statement isn’t all that far from the truth.“I’m a hard working show pony, but I’m allowed to be a show pony, because I work hard at it… I am very very busy at the moment”, Zoe continues. But for anyone in the creative industry, Zoe stresses that being busy is very good. “I’d much rather be busy and stressed and feeling fulfilled and doing what I want to be doing”.
Although Zoe currently resides in Melbourne, she’s actually ‘one of us’, spending a good chunk of her time around Maitland and the Hunter Valley. “My most influential years were spent when my Mum decided to move to Maitland and I loved it. Now that I’m living in a city like Melbourne (which I love), you do take for granted how beautiful the Hunter Valley really is”. Growing up for Zoe, was really all about living that free range lifestyle and indulging in that particular freedom to really enjoy those formative years surrounded by a really great community. “As a kid just having freedom to go and have adventures,” says Zoe fondly. She also told me about a few other adventures that I probably shouldn’t mention in print, but these hidden and oh so candid stories are what really sets Zoe K apart from her counterparts. The best thing though… all of these little unfiltered intricacies are played out through song.
Her latest album Just What I Like is a perfect example of not holding back, or shying away from any particular subject matter or context, especially when it comes to relationships and female empowerment. It’s a fusion of jazz, killer ballads, romance, a dash of hip hop and a touch of something else entirely that I just cannot put my finger on, but honestly I don’t really care, I really care for her sound and so will you. Her uncanny ability to weave these personal anecdotes into such a beautiful classic sound is unparalleled. Half poking fun at her own insecurities (or rather a lack of), and half unapologetically recounting her Jameson inspired escapades, Zoe K’s music makes her the poster girl for self empowerment and brazen adventures.
The entire record is wonderful however, one track in particular, ‘Walls’ really got my attention.“I was so hesitant at putting that on! It was a really eye opening moment for me,” Zoe says of that particular track. “I say the word pussy in it, you know”, Zoe continues. “I almost wasn’t going to include that particular track, I though maybe people would think I’m trash… But then I’m like no Zoe, you wanted to write that song because there really aren’t any songs about the pussy being celebrated so that’s what I wrote it. It’s just an ongoing battle, to just sort of be able to express yourself as a woman… We need songs that we can identify with, it’s not all about getting your heart broken… owning it is so much better”. Like I said, it’s my favourite song on the record, smooth, brash, but she nails it.
If you’ve seen Zoe K before, you know her antics on stage are definitely not something to be missed. You also know just how amazing those pipes of hers really are, and at an intimate venue like The Small Ballroom this Saturday the 6th of June, backed by the ever wonderful Marisa Saroca it’s even more important that you pack up your cookies and head to this gig.
