Zinni the Queen is a Vancouver, Canada-based bedroom pop artist who has just hit my radar thanks to her debut album Four A Season. My review of the album will be appearing on these pages soon but in the meantime, I thought I’d pose her a few questions to find out more about herself, her work and the Vancouver music scene.
Interview by Graeme Smith
Hey Zinni, You’ve just released your debut album Four A Season – can you tell us a bit about it?
Hey Graeme, yes! Wow, I can’t believe that sentence is true. I’ve been writing the album for thirteen years, and it’s been on my bucket list to finish it. This album tells the story of the cycle I found myself in when it comes to relationships… or rather “situationships”. You see someone you like, you find out more about them, spend more time with them, try to see if you’re interested in each other. Then you realize you are, and you’re trying to see if you could build something with this person.
The loop I found myself in was mixed signals and missed opportunities. Things go sour, you’re wondering if this can recover or if it’s over – that’s why my 4th track can be read as either; it depends on the perspective. And then you go through the stages of grief: denial, bargaining, and acceptance. Upon reflection, you realize this relationship wasn’t healthy and it would have destroyed both of you. You wonder if you’ll ever find love, or if relationships are even for you. Before you know it, things have changed and you find yourself back where you started, falling for someone new. Sometimes I’d find myself picking a new crush to get over the one playing, just to end up in the same cycle.
You started creating music back in 2007, how has the journey been to get you to this debut album?
I quite literally grew up! The journey has been mostly internal. I learned to love my voice, expanded my taste in music, learned what I could do with my voice, had fun, invested in equipment and took myself seriously as an artist. I’m still in the planning stages of my debut era, and I have much to learn about artistic development. But the first step was making the music and making music that means something to me, first. I genuinely love every song on the album and, because of that, I know other people will love it too.
You’ve shared a lot of yourself in the music on the album. How did that feel? Were you worried about oversharing at all?
[Nervous laughter] Uh, yes. There are songs and verses I never even recorded for a reason. It’s important to me to do everything with intention. If you’re going to tell this story, why are you telling it? How are you telling it? Are you being fair to the other people in the story?
I write to make sense of my thoughts. I write to understand myself. I write to learn where I can improve in a situation. The reason I’m sharing these stories is because I know they’ll find whoever they need to find, at the perfect time. That person will do some self-reflection and introspection, which will hopefully encourage them to take accountability, give themselves permission to get it wrong sometimes, and ultimately become a better person. My medicine worked on me, first, though. Sharing means nothing if there’s no accountability; you just telling your business.
I am confident that I didn’t overshare; of course, I’m always going to keep the best parts of my story for myself. But I can still give the world a little peek, so you know there’s hope. Even if you’re in a cycle. As much as I may feel like, “It’s so obvious who this is about”, the people close to me still pull me aside to ask who this song is about. If I can share what I learned honestly without exposing the people involved, I’ve done my job.
Ultimately, I’m glad I did it. The love from everyone who’s heard it so far is proof I can be vulnerable and accepted, which is a beautiful feeling. I’m cherishing these moments even now.
The album is all about romance and relationships, including some childhood crushes. What would you tell your younger self about love looking back now?
So much. How long do we got? I would tell my younger self that everybody is figuring it out. Nobody but God knows how to love perfectly, and a lot of us are uncomfortable with receiving love. You’re not “behind”; you don’t have to “catch up”. I want to say I’d tell her which relationships would end well and which would end badly but then I wouldn’t have this album [Laughs].
Acknowledge God in this area and let Him direct your path. God is working with you, not against you. When it’s time to let go of someone, let go! How someone treats you is more important than the connection you think you have.
It’s not that people don’t like you; they may not even like themselves. And if they don’t like themselves, you loving them isn’t going to do much. It’s like pouring into a bucket with a hole. The only thing that can fix that is learning how much God loves you personally, how He created you the way you are on purpose, and how valuable you are to Him. Then you will learn to receive love, even from others. You wont run away from it because you’ll know you were created in love, to love, and to be loved.
That girl is not your soulmate, she’s not even your friend.
Oh, and never stay up waiting for a call; go to sleep, girl, cause he did.
What are your plans now that the album’s out in the world?
Press, promotion, planning, and trying to be present. Not necessarily in that order.
You’re a woman of many talents – vocalist, composer, producer, engineer, writer and vocal arranger. What’s driven you to take up so many different roles in music production?
My budget [laughs]! To be honest, God is the one who gave me the talent. I might as well try something new and use it. I used to think you had to be professional and perfect at something before sharing it with the world. But the songs I remember most are the ones where the artist’s humanity is present. Not the ones that sound most “perfect” or robotic. When you can hear the vocalist inhale, or when there’s a voice crack, when there’s emotion; you can tell when the artist is crying or when they’re singing with a smile. We are human: we connect with vulnerability and imperfection. People aren’t going to pick apart and negatively criticize your vocals or your production choices the way you do. And if they do, I can only imagine how they talk to themselves.
Every time I felt overwhelmed with how much I didn’t know while working on this, I’d tell God about my insecurities. He’d remind me to be patient with myself and to have fun. He didn’t give me these gifts or interests so I could beat myself up. He gave them to me so I could explore them, communicate, and connect. And then He’d give me a boost of joy while creating. It was the best. This album’s conception will always have a special place in my heart.
I don’t want to do everything alone forever. I would love to work with people, bounce ideas off them, and create something new. But I think things happened this way so I could find my sound, and so I could learn to trust myself creatively. The music is in you; all of it. You don’t need someone else to tell you what it should sound like.
You’re based in Vancouver, Canada – how would you describe the local music scene there?
West Coast, best coast! It’s really cool being on the west coast because everyone has their own music taste. The norm here is to be different; its a great place for an indie artist to find her own voice. I have friends who put me on to music I’ve never heard before like Kindo, friends who like the same albums I do but for different reasons. There are people who have never heard 4, my favourite album by Beyoncé, and I’ve probably never heard their favourite music, either.
It’s my favourite thing now to collect music from the people around me and build my own relationship with the songs. An ex said I sound like Rhapsody, and that was the most beautiful compliment I never knew I was given ’til I heard Laila’s Wisdom, easily top five best albums ever. She’s still with me even though he isn’t. And by the way, this comment is still on topic cause my ex is in the underground rap scene. Very talented, and he actually inspired me to take my music seriously. Shout out to him.
Growing up I used to try to impress people when I got the aux. I literally had a playlist called “pass me the aux” or “when I get the aux”… no, actually, it was just called “AUX” — full of songs I barely listened to but I knew other people would think I was cool and I did. But then I moved over here and started taking public transit. I started curating playlists that meant something to me, personally. The songs I chose told a story. And now I’m 21, in my friend’s car, and she’s playing country music. The song reminded her of her dad — I never knew that ’til I asked her in that car. And it’s funny cause my dad loves country music too. Years ago, we used to clown anyone who liked country; it was popular to hate it. I still know some people who think they sound cool when they say “I like everything except country.” Nah, country music is cool! And no one should feel embarrassed for what music they connect with, as long as it isn’t harming anyone or inciting harm. Let people play their music! If it’s PinkPantheress, drill, K-pop, K. Michelle, Tyler the Creator, folk, Michael Kiwanuka, alternative, house music, the song you hear at every Zimbabwean wedding, or your friend’s mixtape on SoundCloud. Now I’m learning to unapologetically play the songs I like, too. Might even put some Zinni the Queen on the aux, you know?
I answered this way because the listeners are part of the music scene. In a word, I’d describe the music scene as “unlimited”.
Any last words for the readers?
Do something kind for someone today when no one else is looking. And support indie artists by adding their songs to your playlists! Listen to Four A Season in order; pick your favourite songs, and add them to your playlists. Let the songs grow with you; you’ll connect with something different every time you hear it.
You can keep up with me on social media @zinnithequeen and send me the playlists you added me to. I love playlists; making a playlist for someone is my love language. Thank you for reading this interview, for listening to my music, and thank you YC for chatting with me!
Four A Season by Zinni The Queen is out now.