![Zoe Berman](https://s3.sonicbids.com/image/band/551630/65a431b50be3ebed6c235fca_jpg_250x250.jpg)
Zoe Berman
Denver, Colorado, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2019
Music
Press
Hailing from the gorgeous and dense natural landscapes of Denver, Colorado, eclectic singer-songwriter Zoe Berman just released her new single entitled "Manuka Honey," which is from her latest EP Freezing Heat. The artist, who has a musical background in both classical and jazz, is best known for her diverse range of sounds and an unorthodox approach to songwriting, which puts her in the same lineage as great singers and musicians such as Norah Jones and Amy Winehouse.
In "Manuka Honey," Berman pays tribute to her time spent in Wellington, New Zealand. The song, which is as soft as a feather and as romantic as a sweet serenade, is a collection of fond memories and tokens from her time abroad, as she explored her life in a new way and connected with the inspiration around her. With warm and rich vocals, the song has a calming, nostalgic effect and the listener is instantly pulled into this "romantic lullaby." Tender piano and softly flowing soundscapes create a jazz induced trance, and the listener is invited to relish in their own memories, desires, and fantasies. Perfect for a late night drive or as an escape from daily realities, this song will lift you up and give you a warm and enchanting embrace.
Zoe Berman writes songs about her experiences as well as the significant experiences of those around her. Deeply moved by the natural world and our human existence, Berman's storytelling is cinematic by nature and filled with deep wisdom and untethered self-reflection. Her ability to fuse elements of soul, jazz, Americana and pop gives her the ability to connect with a wide range of listeners in an unconventional and stylistic way. Berman's latest EP Freezing Heat, according to the press release "reflects the various sonic styles and influences that make up my musical vernacular and as such, offer a little something for listeners of many different musical tastes to enjoy."
Listen to Zoe Berman's new single "Manuka Honey" and get lost in this sweet escape. - EARMILK
Zoe Berman, "Age of the Sherbet Man"
Hometown: Denver, Colo.
Pairs well with: A phone call with an old friend; a renewed sense of hope
From her whimsical and sweetly lit "quaran-tent," singer and songwriter Zoe Berman shares her perceptions of the world in the "Age of the Sherbet Man" with heartfelt intent. The warmth and easy manner of Berman's voice and delicate guitar melody make it a tune worth settling into. Berman says of the song: "It's about resilience and unity — about overcoming what divides us, focusing on our shared humanity and recognizing that we can and will persist to make it through another day." —Emma Bowers - NPR All Songs Considered
Denver singer-songwriter Zoe Berman belts out soulful, jazz-inflected Americana tunes on her debut EP, Freezing Heat, but the lead single, "Lilac Hour," seems almost incongruous to the other six tracks.
“That one is definitely very different,” Berman confirms. “We took a very different approach to that one recording. It was the only song on the EP that I wrote a cappella, without any instrumentation.”
Berman says that when she took “Lilac Hour” to the studio, she used found objects for percussion and combined that with synthetic sounds. She remembers some confused looks at first, but everyone involved eventually found the exercise to be fun.
“The backbeat of that song is me plucking a string on the inside of a grand piano,” she says. “A lot of the percussion comes from sweeping along the side of a lampshade, bending a garage door, shaking sugar packets and tapping a mallet on a whiskey jug.”
The lo-fi production approach lends a futuristic quality to the record. The other tracks were recorded with a backing band and possess a jazzy flair — one that avoids the clichés that can befall music with a jazzy flair — but the songs wouldn’t feel out of place in a speakeasy that only exists on the holodeck of some forgotten Star Trek episode.
Berman performs a little less than half the time with her backing band as Zoe Berman & the Love Seats, and is just as comfortable taking a one-woman-band approach to live performance. That can mean singing and playing her keyboard, or strumming the guitar and stomping on a suitcase drum that she built in Fort Collins with the help of a luthier friend.
The suitcase drum is modeled on one used by Austin-based Americana musician Shakey Graves. It imparts a troubadour vibe to live performances, she says.
“We cut a hole in the suitcase, and I think we used a tom,” she recalls. “Then there’s a door hinge on the bottom that I use to connect a kick pedal. I have an attachment that’s a tambourine also attached to another kick pedal.”
Berman says the songs on Freezing Heat span about five years of her life and carry a mix of synthetic and natural sounds. She writes a lot of her lyrics while on hiking trails or riding her bike, and some of the songs possess Colorado-specific imagery. Lyrically, some are autobiographical in nature. “Lilac Hour,” for example, sprang from a sunset bike ride in Fort Collins and features bird sounds she recorded at Mount Hood in Oregon.
“It’s a nature appreciation song, really,” she says. “It’s about the time after golden hour and before dusk, when everyone is home eating dinner and the roads are really quiet. There's just this sort of ethereal sweetness at that time.”
Much of the EP deals with the trials and tribulations of modern romance. Berman says “Manuka Honey" is a “gooey love song” about someone in New Zealand, while “Edit, Delete & Save” is about reclaiming the joy of a favorite hiking trail from the memory of an ex with whom she used to share the trail. She borrowed the story for “Luna Lune” from a friend who looked up at the moon with a long-distance romantic partner. After that relationship ended, her friend was down on the moon for a spell. It's a pretty accessible concept: Who hasn't had the memory of something cool ruined by an ex, at least temporarily?
“Something Better," meanwhile, is “a feminine anthem of feeling you can demand better for yourself,” Berman says. “The meaning of it transformed over time as I performed it live. People would take interest in that song and ask questions and share their own stories. It sort of took on the narrative.”
Berman also declares the importance of independence with "Freezing Heat," an idiosyncratic song about unapologetic self-love. “There’s certain things within my personality that don’t align or things I like or dislike,” she says. “But it’s a package deal. I’m standing for those qualities and appreciating that they constitute my personality and my being. It’s pretty person-specific, but I think it could be a shared experience.”
Freezing Heat is now available to stream. Zoe Berman plays the Globe Hall, 4483 Logan Street, Friday, March 4. For more information, visit zoebermanmusic.com. - Denver Westword
There is something so calming and peaceful about becoming one with nature. Many times the striking beauty of the world around us goes unnoticed hence the phrase “stop and smell the roses.” Zoe Berman expresses just how marvelous nature’s splendor can be in her single “Lilac Hour.” Opening with the soothing sounds of water and birds chirping, it sets the tone for this lush, organic offering. Seductive vocals soar over mesmerizing snaps and tribal beats. The piece takes inspiration from nature’s most stunning scene, golden hour.
“Lilac Hour” is off of her new seven-track EP Freezing Heat touching on themes of reflectiveness and the joy of time spent in nature. The collection of songs effortlessly blend soul, Jazz, folk and pop to create a release that is simply enchanting. Influenced by greats like Nora Jones and Amy Winehouse her sound is so rich and inviting. Exploring the trails of the mountains of Colorado, she loves the outdoors and in Freezing Heat she has skillfully captured that feeling. - Atwood Magazine
Zoe Berman is a Denver-based singer-songwriter. She accompanies her sultry vocals on the piano and guitar, often complemented by a hand-built suitcase drum played with her feet. Zoe “combines musicality and lyrical poeticism into a hypnotizing mélange of soul, Jazz, and americana music” to create a unique sonic experience that defies traditional genre classifications.
Her songs are often auto-biographical, brimming with relatable narrative and sensorial imagery; she draws inspiration from both mother nature and human nature, composing song lyrics while traversing trails in the mountains of Colorado, and exploring elements of wordplay and storytelling to “[create] songs that are tender and utterly human” (Off-Kilter Media).
Her latest EP is entitled Freezing Heat and is a collection of songs that carry sensorially rich narratives and self-reflective discoveries she has accumulated over the last five years. Single “Lilac Hour ” was inspired by the golden hour in nature, a time of reflection and beauty. The whimsical “Luna Lune” was inspired by a friend’s long distance relationship that went so sour that her friend could no longer look at the moon because of past memories. “Manuka Honey” is an endearing love song reminiscent of her time living in Wellington, New Zealand. Fused with mellifluous vocals, bright piano and jazz-soaked soundscapes, “Manuka Honey” is a romantic lullaby. The EP reflects the various sonic styles and influences that make up my musical vernacular and as such, offer a little something for listeners of many different musical tastes to enjoy.
What’s your story as an artist?
My musical journey began when I started taking piano lessons as a young child. I began writing original music around the age of 12 and picked up the guitar as a teenager. I quickly felt enamored by the songwriting process; it has been my primary tool for navigating and processing personal experiences ever since. As a high school freshman growing up in Connecticut, I attended a magnet school for classical piano. The stringent nature of the program didn’t provide the creative flexibility I craved, so I pivoted to taking jazz piano lessons with an incredible instructor from that school. It was his encouragement that led me to regularly performing and honing in on my songwriting craft.
Since then, I’ve grown and evolved significantly as a songwriter, musician and artist overall. I pursued numerous music-related outlets in college and subsequently, moved to Colorado, where I spent a year touring and performing around the west, often writing lyrics on hiking trails and collaborating with fellow artists in the local Northern Colorado music scene.
I can’t recall a time when music was not a paramount focal point of my existence. Over the past couple of years, despite inevitable delays caused by the pandemic, I have been chipping away at my recently released seven-song debut EP entitled “Freezing Heat”. This was a noteworthy milestone for me. My journey as an artist is constantly shifting and evolving, and I can’t wait to see what discoveries lie ahead.
What do you want your music to communicate?
My songs are often auto-biographical, brimming with wordplay, narrative and sensorial imagery. I want my lyrics to tell stories in a way that is relatable, aesthetically compelling, and characterized by my unique style and sonic sensibilities. I want my music to cultivate connection and provide a cathartic emotional release for listeners by offering the feeling of a shared human experience.
What are some sources of inspiration for your storytelling?
I largely draw inspiration from human nature, pulling from my own experiences & stories shared by friends, family, books, etc., as well as mother nature, often composing song lyrics while on trails and finding creative fuel in time spent outdoors.
I am also frequently inspired by other artists whom I admire; simply listening to others’ music can ignite a new song idea or provide a template for a soundscape I want to emulate. Inspiration is everywhere and I’m constantly amazed by what can trigger the inception of a song.
Who is an artist that you look up to more than others today?
There are so many! I really admire Sammy Rae – her music is captivating and fearlessly exploratory and her voice is mesmerizingly agile. Among other top contenders would be Lianne La Havas, Eloise and Raveena. All incredible female vocalists and songwriters.
What’s the record or artist that made you realize you wanted to be an artist?
Maybe Billy Joel’s “The Stranger” album. I grew up on a lot of Billy Joel, James Taylor, Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder… I don’t recall one outlying record or aha moment that led to my pursuit of music. It was more of an ongoing process of soaking up many different genres, voices, songwriting styles and instrumentation and, over time, realizing music was/is an endless pool of possibilities for creative expression and interpersonal connection. That being said, Billy Joel inspired me to strive to be a better piano player and songwriter.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
The Freezing Heat EP is a collection of songs that carry sensorially rich narratives and self-reflective discoveries I’ve accumulated over the last five years.
Freezing Heat, Something Better and Words are largely autobiographical in nature, whereas Luna Lune tells a story I borrowed from a friend, in which a long distance relationship gone sour left her with a complicated relationship with the moon, something she and her partner formerly bonded over from their respective corners of the world.
Lilac Hour, Edit, Delete & Save and Manuka Honey were all heavily inspired by the places in which they were composed, the former two chock full of Colorado-specific imagery and the latter reminiscent of my time living in Wellington, New Zealand.
Lilac Hour was written on a bike ride at dusk in the foothills of Fort Collins, Colorado and brought to life in the studio with an array of eclectic found-object percussion – the backbeat of the song derives from plucking strings inside a grand piano, tapping a mallet on a whiskey jug, shaking sugar packets, drumming on lampshades, and other peculiar sources of percussion.
Each song on the record conveys an entirely divergent mood and narrative. Together, they reflect the various sonic styles and influences that make up my musical vernacular and as such, offer a little something for listeners of many different musical tastes to enjoy.
What inspires your sound?
I draw from an eclectic mix of genres, from soul to americana, funk to acoustic singer-songwriter, R&B to folk, indie rock, electropop and blues. All of these sonic landscapes swirl around in my brain and inform the genre-bending music I’m driven to create.
What’s your favorite tune of yours?
Oof, that’s a tough one! Different tunes for different moods, but right now my favorite song is probably Never Too Much by Luther Vandross or Sexy Villain by Remi Wolf.
Where are some things you really want to accomplish as an artist?
As of right now, I am eager to reach a broader audience with my music. Given the ongoing situation with the pandemic and new COVID-19 variants cropping up, I would like to focus on recording and sharing new music virtually for the time being.
I have notebooks full of songs I would love to record, so another EP comprised of more recent compositions is definitely on the docket. A full-length album is a goal of mine as well.
Favorite lyric you ever wrote?
“On this summer day in October” (Edit, Delete & Save)
“Find solace in solitude” (Luna Lune)
I also love the lyrics of Lilac Hour – I think they really effectively illustrate that time of day/colorful, dreamy scenery:
“The sun has sunk behind the hill reclining for the eve, granting sun-scorched seedlings a much-deserved reprieve
And when he goes off-duty, lady moon begins to rise, rendering a silhouette of cottonwoods and pines”
Was there ever a moment when you felt like giving up?
I’ve definitely experienced periods of time in which I’ve needed a break from the grind of the music industry, but I’ve never considered throwing in the towel entirely.
Music has been and will likely always be a major part of my life. I write songs because I have to; I write them for me, to make sense of my experiences and distill the world around me into something I can hold. I share my songs to connect with others, but the process of making music fuels me in a way that I would never want to give up.
What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
Keep going! Keep throwing sh*t at the wall and eventually something will stick.
Where do you think the next game changer will be in the music industry and entertainment scene?
Who’s to say? I suspect that we’ll see a shift back to the roots of music-making. So much of what’s being created now is already recycling former eras of music and I anticipate this happening on a larger scale, especially in what music is classified as “pop”.
I hope (but don’t necessarily expect) that we’ll see a shift in the way artists are compensated by streaming platforms, and that new modalities emerge for making a sustainable living from music at all levels. - Mundane Magazine
Denver has droves of badass female talent worthy of endless praise. However, all too often this talent isn’t given it’d due spotlight. So, when four female-fronted acts — Wellington Bullings, Carolyn Hunter, Megan Burtt and Zoe Berman — shared the stage at Globe Hall on March 4 to celebrate the release of Berman’s debut EP, Freezing Heat, it was electric.
Berman’s Freezing Heat, initially released on November 19, 2021, takes the listener on a journey through Berman’s psyche over a period of five years. The themes unwrapped in each track have the power to transport you to the faraway destinations Berman was exploring while writing them. Like hidden gems, some of the natural sounds of the locations are sprinkled into her tracks, adding a rare ambient effect. She takes a contemplative approach to her songwriting, retreating to nature to unpack some of the more challenging emotions.
“I’d pulled a group of songs that I’d written over the past five years that I connected with most and just really wanted to have memorialized,” Berman said.
On the track “Something Better,” Berman wrestles with a series of frustrating romantic experiences that resulted in a powerful ballad that anyone who’s dealt with the intimacy of vulnerability can resonate with.
“I think it’s taken on a lot of new meaning in the last few years of performing it because it connects with different women in different ways,” she said of the song. “People have come up to me afterward and told me stories of things that this song has reminded them of. It’s shifted the meaning of that song in my mind. I feel like it’s taken on a more anthemic quality because of that.”
The female acts that shared the stage at Globe Hall each exhibit this divine feminine energy, which is emphasized in that track. - 303 Magazine
Today we’d like to introduce you to Zoe Berman.
Zoe, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a Denver-based singer-songwriter. I primarily play a mix of Soul and Americana music.
I grew up in Simsbury, Connecticut, heavily influenced by and involved with music from an early age. Although I didn’t derive from a particularly musical family, my parents were major music appreciators, who filled my ears with the tunes of Billy Joel, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind & Fire, to name just a few.
I began taking piano lessons as a young child and picked up the guitar as a teenager. I also dabbled in songwriting early on and finished my first song around the age of 12. I have always been deeply drawn to songwriting as a means of interpreting the world around me, finding catharsis through lyrical puzzle-piecing, and processing experiences with music as a conduit for emotional expression and human connection.
With a little push from my jazz piano instructor in high school, I was encouraged to pursue songwriting and live performance more intentionally. I progressed with booking gigs at local restaurants, coffee shops, bars, etc. throughout high school and college. Since then, I have found my niche in more intimate live music settings, such as house concerts and smaller listening rooms. I try to foster a sense of informality and shared humanity while performing with a healthy mix of goofiness and vulnerability as I share the stories behind my songs.
I perform as a one-woman band, accompanying my vocals with keys/guitar and a hand-built suitcase drum that I play with my feet, as well as with a full band on some occasions. I’ve been involved in a myriad of different bands over the years, playing music ranging from funk and soul to acoustic folk and Americana.
Since moving to Colorado three years ago, I have often found myself songwriting on trails and feeling inspired by our stunning surroundings in this state. I’ve also found the music-minded community in Colorado to be extraordinarily welcoming, collaborative, and supportive.
As of late, with live music largely being hindered by the Coronavirus Pandemic, I’ve found time to delve more deeply into songwriting and explore new (socially distanced) collaborations with fellow local creatives. I’m also currently working towards wrapping up a recording project at Third & James Studios in Denver. I’ve released two singles from that project thus far, and look forward to sharing the full EP with the world in the near future.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I think this current chapter has been rocky for everyone. We’ve all had to adapt and navigate this turbulent, precarious predicament in novel and unexpected ways. When the virus first became more pervasive in the U.S., I was disheartened by the waterfall of cancelations of all of my summer gigs, one after another.
However, in April, I was given a healthy dose of perspective when both of my grandparents were infected and hospitalized with COVID-19. The virus ultimately took my grandmother. It was a very difficult time for my family, but thankfully my grandfather recovered and I had the privilege of spending four months on the east coast with him and the rest of my immediate family, taking life at a slower pace and embracing the hiatus from performing, which turned out to be unexpectedly regenerative and refreshing.
Naturally, there have been many other hiccups along the way in pursuing music – I’ve played one too many gigs in which I was screamed over for two hours straight by noisy bar patrons and left feeling creatively demoralized. I’ve received every cheesy wedding set cover request in the book. I’ve traveled hours to play a show and not even been paid enough to fill my gas tank for the car ride home. A career in music, or any creative field for that matter, often inherently comes with a barrage of rejection and turmoil, but my love for creating and connecting through music makes it worth persisting regardless.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
As I previously mentioned, I am a Denver-based singer-songwriter. I primarily play a mix of Soul and Americana music. I perform frequently throughout the front range (and beyond, during “normal” times), accompanying my vocals with keys/guitar and a hand-built suitcase drum that I play with my feet.
My next live performance will take place at Number Thirty-Eight (in the RiNo District) on October 29th. https://www.nmbr38.com/events-1/zoe-berman-oct
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My aforementioned grandfather has always been a huge supporter of my music, as have my parents and sister. I definitely attribute my initial confidence and capability to start performing live to my former piano teacher, Alex Nakhimovsky. - Voyage Denver
Zoe Berman wrote an a capella version of her new single, “Lilac Hour,” while on a bike ride in the foothills of Fort Collins. It was sunset, or as Berman described it, “the period between golden hour and darkness.” Sunset is undisturbed, she said, left alone while people go inside to eat dinner and relax after a hard day’s work.
“It’s my favorite little fleeting moment of the day,” Berman said.
Berman writes a lot of her music outdoors and on the trail, and “Lilac Hour” is a beautifully literal depiction of the habit. The electropop track is soulful and sultry, smooth as butter — it sounds exactly like the color lilac looks. It’s an extremely effective picture of what Berman experienced on her bike along the foothills, underneath a sky that melts like ice cream.
“Lilac Hour,” released Feb. 19, is a breakaway from Berman’s more bluesy earlier releases such as “Friends to Lovers” and “Seasonal Blues,” tracks that showcase her soulful chops magnificently. Berman moved to Denver in October 2019, just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic began. She grew up in the suburbs of Connecticut and moved to Fort Collins in 2017. While in Fort Collins, Berman established herself as a soulful Americana singer with a voice equally as strong as her poetic lyricism. She played for a while with the now-retired Fort Collins group, Futon Down. Given her moving time, and the pandemic’s effective way of canceling all socialization, Berman said she hasn’t had much of an opportunity to connect with other musicians and insert herself into Denver’s music scene. But, we would argue her music alone manages to forge a connection between the listener and the singer herself.
“Lilac Hour” was the third track Berman released with Third & James, a music studio in Denver, behind “Edit, Delete & Save” and “Something Better.” Her goal with “Lilac Hour” was “slowing it down and focusing on the details,” complementing her a cappella original with percussion that was out of the ordinary — shaking sugar packets, sweeping a mallet across a lampshade, and hitting a Black Velvet whisky jug. The plucking noise you hear is Berman plucking the string inside a grand piano. The bird songs were recorded during a solo camping trip near Mount Hood Berman took while on tour.
The extraordinary measures reaped extraordinary results. “Lilac Hour” is just as layered and sexy as nature intended. It also shows us a sliver of the depth Berman has to offer as an artist. Listeners shouldn’t leave Berman’s lyrics undiscovered under her powerful vocals. She’s a storyteller who paints a picture, as can be seen in her song “Age of the Sherbet Man,” featured on NPR’s All Things Considered blog.
In 2021, we can expect an EP release from Berman, as “Lilac Hour” is part of a bigger project she says she’s been working on for quite some time. Berman also says she’s looking for opportunities to collaborate with other musicians, and get a taste of a music scene we all know has a lot to offer.
“I’m ready to dive back in, whenever that’s feasible,” Berman said. - 303 Magazine
On the road to carving out her public musical identity, Zoe Berman is proving that she is not here to follow the path of her contemporaries. The music she is creating lies somewhere at the crossroads between soul, blues, and an intimate sound expected of a singer-songwriter. Her work feels intricately Denver, captures the eclectic yet masterful sound that this scene is known for. With her single “Lilac Hour,” Berman gives listeners a glimpse at her ability to build a massive sonic atmosphere that progressively builds its energy. Now, she is demonstrating in her latest single, “Freezing Heat,” that she doesn’t need a three-minute runtime to wrap you around her finger.
From the first verse of “Freezing Heat,” Berman makes clear that she did not come to pull punches. Her vocal delivery and lyricism are snappy, with a subtle percussion that gives an extra kick to her performance. What may be perceived as faults, Berman turns into her strengths by embodying the idea that she can do it all. This is seen most literally in her lines like,
“I might be lazy, avoidant, or bashful and shy, then become the life of the party in the blink of an eye.”
However, it is the crescendo of the chorus that ties up the significance of the song in an artful bow as she states, “I’ll keep you at the edge of your seat, I’m burning cold in freezing heat.”
The entirety of Berman’s latest single plays wonderfully with the duality of her written persona, even down to the instrumentation. Guitar and keys play along to what feels more like a laid-back groove that serves to heighten her singing. All in tandem, these individual parts come together to create a track that truly captures that mood of being both coldly smooth and warmly playful.
Berman herself describes “Freezing Heat” as an “unapologetic expression of personality,” as it gives testament to her own idiosyncratic nature. The exploration of the qualities that make her human on this track are ones that are both fun and easy for listeners to transfer onto themselves. This is especially true when those dueling parts of the psyche are framed in a positive light. Taking the spin of inconsistency in self as a good thing allows for a listening experience that empowers us to appreciate our authentic personalities.
It is not often that a song can convey complex messaging in a way that is accessible for listeners. “Freezing Heat” accomplishes this and shows the continued growth of Berman as a musician and songwriter. Off the back of two strong singles, her musical work is continuing to impress and is proving that she is an artist that Denver should pay attention to. Whether fanciful or sincere, Zoe Berman is creating music that is truly exciting in a style all her own.
Follow Zoe Berman on Instagram here. Listen to “Freezing Heat” on Spotify. - 303 Magazine
About: Zoe Berman is a Denver-based singer-songwriter. She accompanies her sultry vocals on the piano and guitar, occasionally complemented by a hand-built suitcase drum played with her feet. Zoe "combines musicality and lyrical poeticism into a hypnotizing mélange of soul, jazz, and americana music" to create a unique sonic experience that defies traditional genre classifications.
Her songs are often auto-biographical, brimming with relatable narrative and sensorial imagery; she draws inspiration from both mother nature and human nature, composing song lyrics while traversing trails in the mountains of Colorado, and exploring elements of wordplay and storytelling to "[create] songs that are tender and utterly human" (Off-Kilter Media).
Zoe released a debut seven-song EP entitled "Freezing Heat" and corresponding music video in November of this year, as well as a one-off single called "Age of the Sherbet Man" on Election Day. "Freezing Heat" has been receiving buzz in publications such as EARMILK, Atwood Magazine and Colorado's own 303 Magazine. Locally, her songs have been played on 105.5 The Colorado Sound, KTCL 93.3 and Indie 102.3.
"With her single “Lilac Hour,” Berman gives listeners a glimpse at her ability to build a massive sonic atmosphere that progressively builds its energy. Now, she is demonstrating in her latest single, “Freezing Heat,” that she doesn’t need a three-minute runtime to wrap you around her finger" (303 Magazine).
Zoe will be joined by her band, along with Kaitlyn Williams, Plain Faraday and Tom West for an EP release show at Globe Hall on January 21st. Tickets are on sale now: https://globehall.com/event/zoe-berman-the-loveseats-plain-faraday-tom-west/
Musicians That Inspire: Sammy Rae, Olivia Dean, Eloise, Lianne La Havas, Raveena, Amy Winehouse, Esperanza Spalding.
What's next for the band in 2022: Up first on the docket for 2022 is our record release show on January 21st at Globe Hall. New recording projects and other upcoming shows are also in the pipeline.
Website: https://www.zoebermanmusic.com/
Get Social: Instagram, Facebook, Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube - Colorado Public Radio
This EP is so jazzy, poppy and fun. Zoe Berman has such a warm and sultry voice along with an amazing band. The band is modern and vintage at the same time. I like that modern elements are only sprinkled in very slightly and the music still relies on traditional instrumentation. The production is stellar and sounds like it could be a major label release. On tracks “Edit, Delete, & Save” it feels like Sharon Jones but mixed with a mellower lounge vibe. The vocal cadence and smoothness comes off like Smokey Robinson at times. This is one of the few releases that leaves you wanting more the second it ends. The songs are on the longer side but never feel too long. I love the final track as Berman channels Fiona Apple but offers up a more polished straight forward poppy R&B track. I can’t criticize anything about this EP and believe me finding flaws and exposing them is one of my favorite things. This is something worth checking out and it’s an artist worth keeping an eye on. - Blood Makes Noise
Singer-songwriter and pianist extraordinaire Zoe Berman has just released her latest seven track EP and it is a bewitching musical experience. Called Freezing Heat, the EP is full of relatable narratives including finding solace in the natural world, love of place and time as well as navigating heartbreak.
The EP opens strong with the whimsical “Lilac Hour”, taking the listener directly to that special time of the day, the golden hour. With “Manuka Honey”, Berman shows her romantic side complete with swelling strings, stirring piano chords and enticing vocals full of passion. The most poignant track on the EP is “Luna Lune”, a song that was inspired by Berman’s friend who went through a breakup from a long distance relationship. The moon represented their love and when the love was gone, the moon wasn’t the same, evoking a sense of pain and longing.
Zoe Berman takes nostalgic influences and infuses them with a unique palette of experimental sounds. In Freezing Heat, the listener can hear hints of Jazz, folk, Americana, pop and even soul. The EP is a perfect warm blanket for a cold winter day. - 1st Day Fresh
Discography
Released Music:
Lilac Hour (Freezing Heat EP)
Words (Freezing Heat EP)
Manuka Honey (Freezing Heat EP)
Edit, Delete & Save (Freezing Heat EP)
Luna Lune (Freezing Heat EP)
Something Better (Freezing Heat EP)
Freezing Heat (Freezing Heat EP)
Age of the Sherbet Man (Single)
Friends to Lovers (Single)
Seasonal Blues (Single)
Photos
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Bio
Zoe Berman is an American singer-songwriter. She accompanies her sultry, bourbon-like vocals on the piano and guitar to "combine musicality and lyrical poeticism into a hypnotizing mélange of soul, jazz, and Americana music".
Zoe's lyrics are often auto-biographical, brimming with wordplay, relatable narrative and sensorial imagery. She strives to use music as a catalyst for generating interpersonal connection and reinforcing a sense of shared humanity, creating "songs that are tender and utterly human".
Zoe has been identified as an artist on the rise in Colorado, receiving recognition from Sonic Guild and Dairy Block in 2022 and critical acclaim from numerous press outlets for her debut "Freezing Heat EP" released in 2021. She has since proceeded to captivate audiences with her music and soul-stirring storytelling across borders in countries such as Canada, Spain, England and Scotland. Zoe continues to grow as a songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist and is currently in the process of finalizing two EPs intended to be released in the coming year.
Band Members
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