Zoya Music

Recently, I met the wonderful and talented Zoya, a singer-songwriter in her senior year at Berklee College of Music. After hearing the North Indian sounds in her music, along with her entrancing vocal style and lyrics, I knew I had to spread her music and story to other music lovers.

Influenced by the likes of Camille, Susheela Raman, Fiona Apple, Ani DiFranco, and Sara Tavares, Zoya has carved a niche for herself in the indie folk and world music realm. Zoya found her sound by fusing these influences in her latest EP, Letters to Toska, which was recorded and produced in her room. She decided to forgo using a professional recording studio to capture the raw and authentic sound she had always imagined.

Born in India and raised in California, Zoya started her artistic and musical journey through Indian dance, in addition to hip-hop, ballet, and belly dancing. After dancing, she began painting, which sparked an interest in the visual arts. Eventually, though, she found her true passion in music. When she was around 12, she would spend her free time near a little river away from her neighborhood, where she would write lyrics and melodies.

As an avid traveller, Zoya has a curiosity in the international music scene. After studying Music Business at Berklee, Zoya plans to go to London, where she hopes to shift from managing artists to international tour management and booking, all while fostering her eclectic sound and passion for music.

Before moving overseas, Zoya will be performing at Georges Island through Berklee's Summer in the City Series. Also, she will be releasing a new record, The Girl Who Used to Live in My Room. Her upcoming record will be filled with world percussion, and will be more minimal in electronic beats. By adding the sounds of the trumpet and vibes, Zoya will show the second chapter in her musical exploration.

Since maintaining the raw and natural sound of her music is of utmost importance to her, Zoya recorded her latest single, "Hold On," live on film in March. With Paul Sefchovich on djembe and Joon Laukamp on mandolin, watch Zoya display her captivating vocal melodies along with her genuine sound below. - The Huffington Post

You always know when you meet a traveler, because there is a sense of urgency to discover in their creations, whether in sweeping sound or landscapes or just in love. Boston-based artist Zoya is the epitome of an adventurous wanderer, and the listener realizes this instantly in both her music or even during a conversation over drinks.

She said herself, “When I was young, my father would bring me to a foreign place and have me explore it on my own. It made me into a traveler, gave me a sense of adventure, and forced me to be independent.” Her experience abroad only adds to her avid interest in the international music scene, particularly London, which she hopes to enter within the next year.

Zoya really has trekked everywhere, from growing up in vibrant southern California, her birthplace in India, and numerous other countries, she is creating a name for herself in the indie folk world, drawing influences from her native India and blending them with modern aspects, such as featuring MIA’s drummer Kiran Ghandi on her upcoming video single “Lunar Eclipsed”.

Her recent EP, Letters To Toska, was recorded solely in her room, to capture the raw and authentic sound that she strives for in all of her musical works. Ironically enough, her upcoming album is entitled The Girl Who Used To Live in My Room.

Written up in the Huffington Post Arts & Culture section last spring, Anahita Bahri said of her music, “Zoya started her artistic and musical journey through Indian dance, in addition to hip-hop, ballet, and belly dancing. After dancing, she began painting, which sparked an interest in the visual arts. Eventually, though, she found her true passion in music. When she was around 12, she would spend her free time near a little river away from her neighborhood, where she would write lyrics and melodies.”

When I spoke with her, I got the impression that although she retains a deep appreciation for both of her former art forms, she loves music the most because it presents the greatest challenge and allows her to use her keen business sense that was obvious.

Directed by Alec Gaston and filmed by Drew Gilbert, her latest video, “Forgive & Forget”, is instantly relatable to any woman who feels trapped in a dysfunctional relationship but is not yet ready to wander, interspersed with scenes of both the good and bad times.




The video represents a young marriage where the person that you’ve fallen for is almost always busy although they may occasionally glance at your picture while they are at work. Sometimes, men can often be inherently selfish and almost every woman in love has experienced the situation depicted in this well-executed music video.

In it, she waits and waits for him to come home, dresses up, reapplies her make-up, smokes a cigarettes on the porch and gazes at the driveway and drinks a glass of red wine at the table she has set. She toys with the necklace that he presented her with when she held his attention and reminds herself through the row of gems that she will forgive, but not forget the neglect when he does reappear. Safe to say, we've all been there and although you may live in a mansion without the person you love it can feel empty. - Earmilk

We're pleased to introduce you to Indian-American songstress Zoya Mohan, whose intricate work draws inspiration from a wide range of genres, including Ani DiFranco and Hindustani (Indian classical music), to French singer Camille. Zoya is an India-born, Southern California-raised singer-songwriter, currently based out of Boston (don't miss her travel guide), where she’s finishing her final semester at Berklee College of Music, as well as prepping her fourth album (she's been recording since 13), The Girl Who Used to Live in My Room, out this fall.

We have the exclusive song premiere of her dreamy, folksy cover of Camille's "She Was."

Listen to the stunning song below and keep up with the latest news on coming music and tour dates here. - Culture Collide

This week's Single of the Week comes from the fantastic Zoya. Zoya is an upcoming Indian-American singer/songwriter. She recently released her EP "Letters To Toska" and is now working on her debut album "The Girl Who Used To Live In My Room"
She has received critical acclaim from the likes of Huffington Post and Bust Magazine. Her new single "Lunar Eclipse" from her debut album is due to be released mid-august but until then we have the brilliant "Forgive and Forget"!
Zoya's musical style is acoustic and soulful and her gentle yet powerful vocals add to the smooth quality of her tracks. If you love acoustic jazz then Zoya is definitely for you!
Listen to the track below! - MAGIA MEDIA

India-born, Southern California raised singer-songwriter Zoya Mohan has already jumped through the hoops that many artists do later in their career. The incredibly self-aware and talented artist has made a mold for herself in the challenging music industry - an industry that holds itself on predisposed ideas of "what will sell" that are often very misogynistic in nature.

Zoya taught herself the nooks and crannies of guitar playing at 13 years old, when her father first purchased a guitar for her. She recorded her first two albums in India at ages 13 and 15, and released them over there. She didn't write the music, and only served as a vocalist, but it, nonetheless, shaped her music portfolio. At age 17, she worked with a famous producer in Southern California to record her third album. However, once recorded, she decided not to release it, since it wasn’t what she wanted her sound to be.

Fast forward to present time: studying at the prestigious Berklee College of Music (which is actually known for its expertise in world music). Zoya has begun channeling what she feels her music should truly be; taking cues from the likes of Fiona Apple, Ani DiFranco, Sara Tavares, and Camille, Zoya is organically creating the sound which she feels better tells her story.

She recorded her last EP, Letters to Toska, in her apartment in Boston – a place where she and her band put shakers on chairs and then moved the chairs and scratched on the walls to create sounds that would never be allowed in professional recording studios. Zoya uses what she has knows to her advantage, and it definitely ends up working out for her. That EP was released last November. Her upcoming album, The Girl Who Used To Live In My Room, was recorded in both her apartment and in a studio.

She describes her sound to me as “fusion folk,” though, she is more than just a blend of indie folk and world music. Zoya and her family help out the Bujdha Medium School in Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in Western India. Her and her father help raise money so that the school can buy things like school supplies, lights, and most importantly – fans for the students. Beyond this, she plans on using proceeds from her upcoming album sales to buy musical instruments for the children. She hopes to do this so that the kids get the chance to “express themselves through art and have the same opportunity as I do - to try different instruments and art forms to express their emotions and experiences.”

This desire for self-expression is very important to Zoya. Not only does it formulate powerful lyrics in her music, or the projects that she works on in India, but she also brings it back to her current Boston home. She started the organization ‘Spoken & Sung Sessions,’ which is a Boston-based artist platform for songwriters and spoken word performers. S&S encompasses the mission to promote, record, and release various works by local artists.

Zoya cares deeply about the support of people who are often overlooked in the music community, or sometimes flat out don’t even get a chance to get into the community. Her soul filled sound blends every singer-songwriter you wish would have a baby together, and adds more personality than any of them could. Zoya is a treasure, and I urge all of you to listen to her.

The Girl Who Used To Live In My Room is due for an independent, October release. You can listen to her on Soundcloud and Bandcamp, or follow her on her website, Facebook, and Twitter.



Photos via www.zoyamusicofficial.com. - Bust Magazine