Inside Zella Day: Beginning the Gypsy Chapter

Stephanie Hernandez

The last time we spoke to Arizona songstress Zella Day, she had just released her self-titled EP and was anxiously awaiting the crowds she would encounter on this year’s festival circuit. The reaction to her infectiously charming yet complex sound has been expectantly positive. With the recent release of her album “Kicker,” it has become clear that this moment has been a long time coming for Zella Day. With countless hours of her youth spent in intensive songwriting courses and years taken to perfect her sound, Day has seemed to have finally found her voice.  Equal parts Arizona dreamer and serious artist, Day has managed to turn her labor of love into an integral record on “Kicker.” We caught up with Zella prior to her photo shoot with Entertainment Voice to talk about her recent success, the release of her album and going forward but knowing when to look back.

Zella is encountering what many new female artists go through when they are first introduced into the public eye, a hint of suspicion that they are overnight industry creations made to fill a sort of sonic and monetary void. Which could not be farther for the truth for Day, “I started making music when I was 13 years old; I wrote a record when I was 13. Since then I’ve just been playing music, I probably have a catalog of over 200 songs.” Songs she has written over the course of the last decade. Spending time in Nashville every month from a young age, staying for weeks at a time to immerse herself in intense writing sessions with famed producer Dan Huff. “There is a lot of backstory to what I’ve done, to what I’ve created and how I’ve gotten here,” something that is apparent on Day’s beautifully layered album “Kicker.”

Turning down the possibility of major label backing at the age of 14, Zella has been one of the most uncompromising artists we’ve spoken with. “I knew at that time I wasn’t ready to sign. I wasn’t developed enough as an artist, so I think that if a major label came in it would have swayed the direction of my vision, which was not really together yet.” This self-awareness has aided Day’s creative efforts from the start but also fostered a strong and confident voice in her music as well. Her respect for the music she is creating and for those introduced to it is almost religious in nature, “Music has always been something that has been such a healer in my life. Something that I honor outside of myself.” Keeping true to her voice since day one, unwavering in her desire to create the purest musical version of herself, Zella’s work is an admirable expression of truth in an industry that can so easily can disillusion or contort one’s vision.

Her recent success did not come without growing pains, “You better believe I have gone through moments, of being like what the fuck am I doing, who am I? Everything I thought I was people don’t like, everything I am people don’t like and maybe what I am is wrong.” Luckily, Day’s integrity and confidence as an artist prevailed and now fans and critics alike can enjoy the fruits of her labor. It is rare for such a young artist to experience such an influx of positive reviews on a project created entirely on their own terms, but in this case, it is no surprise at all.

Much of Day’s record “Kicker” was inspired by her home of Pinetop, Arizona and much of the surrounding area, a place the singer once could not wait to escape from. “I think a big reparation for me was accepting my home as a part of who I am.” The feeling is relatable to just about anyone, feeling unsatisfied in your current environment, and visualizing your future in a far off place where all your problems and worries would be solved by being surrounded by like-minded people. The past, your roots become something negative, your small town, something to run away from, but it is not until one finds themselves in strange new situations that looking back and coming to terms with the past brings with it a level of comfort, confidence in oneself and the ability to create something new. After living in Los Angeles and becoming a part of the city’s musical scene Day found this to be true, “I realized that I don’t need to redefine myself, and who I am and where I come from is perfectly okay.” “Kicker” is a tribute of sorts to the life Zella has lived, the stories she has shared and the place that made her spirit possible.

“I felt that it was important to pay respects to the place that raised me,” a sentiment that shows the maturity of someone coming to terms with their past in order to move forward. “There was so much that I tried out, so much that I did that wasn’t me, and it was when I truly, truly accepted where I’m from, who I am, what I am, and what I want to say; that my history, my childhood, my home is so much a part of me and it’s what makes me special, that is when I was able to finish the record. That’s when I finished Kicker.” The record’s namesake even eludes to the Apache man who first indulged a young Zella’s appetite for storytelling, “I would take my wagon of toys and I would beg Kicker to tell me about the Apache culture, and all the legends and fairy tales and stories, he did just that and filled my little six year old brain with all the magic that he possibly could.” It was these few fleeting moments that ignited the spirit of creativity in Day, “As a child I think that’s when I knew that I was going to be an artist. He was a catalyst in my creative realm.” Zella’s natural ability to take the past and share it in a meaningful way is and will always be her signature, musically or otherwise.

It has been a few months now that Day and her band have been on and off the road working the festival circuit and creating a buzz around the release of her record. Playing stages larger than ever before, she seems to be doing just fine, getting her feet wet for what’s to come.  “It’s been so good for me. I’m conditioning for what is about to be this new chapter in my life, the gypsy chapter. I’m surrendering to the unpredictability of what being a touring musician is and means.” The reactions to her live performances have been outstanding, from not just fans but her peers as well, “I just played Bottlerock, and it was the first time I felt really embraced by my peers, I was hanging out with bands and we were playing music together, I’m looking forward to more of that.” Zella will have the entire rest of 2015 to get her fill of backstage antics as well as face the daunting task of completing her first large scale tour, “It’s so good because I’m getting my legs on the road. I’m massaging that muscle, and it is a muscle, it’s a whole different set of skills, I feel prepared.” A muscle that will undoubtedly be sore by the end of these next few months, but strong and able to carry her even further than she has gone before.

The excitement is only beginning in Zella’s career, her album release show this week was met to a sold out crowd at the famed Los Angeles venue, The Troubadour. “It was a very pivotal moment in my career, and that show was really important to me. But it felt so good to get up there, I think that I was pleasantly surprised as I walked onstage, all the nerves were gone, and I got to revel in what the music has done for me.” For those in attendance, it was clear there was something magical happening, a shedding of skin that was amazing to witness in such an intimate setting. “It feels so good, it feels right, I wasn’t expecting to feel so euphoric that day, it was such a release.” A build up of years of hard work, months of touring, planning and moments of doubt all let go in a single set for an overjoyed crowd on a Wednesday night.

Her album release only marks the halfway point in the tour, with performances at Firefly and Lollapalooza still to conquer; the best is yet to come. Going from singing solo in her mother’s Pinetop cafe to traveling with a full backing band and playing shows nationwide, headlining her own shows is the next natural and exciting step, “Opening is a hard gig, and I did that for a while and I’m so ready to have a room full of people who want to sing along with me, I’m so ready for that.” With the success of “Kicker”and Zella’s own fiery spirit in tow, we have no doubt she will continue to make music on her own terms for as long as there are ears willing to listen, which at this point are not hard to find.

Zella Day‘s new album “Kicker” is available on iTunes.