Zola Jesus - Biography
Zola Jesus (a.k.a. Nika Roza Danilova), is a singer/songwriter who creates dark wave, synthpop, electronic and experimental ballads. Raised in the Wisconsin wilderness, Zola Jesus took an early interest in music, being primarily influenced by Opera. Inspired by Classical and later goth, no-wave and avante-garde, she began crafting her own sound with home recordings using keyboards, drums and synthesizers.
In 2008, Zola Jesus officially released two 7"s, the Poor Sons (Die Stasi) and Soeur Sewer (Sacred Bones). 2009 saw the release of the compilation New Amsterdam and Tsar Bomba EP. While still studying at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Zola Jesus recorded her full-length debut album, The Spoils (Sacred Bones), which made year-end lists for The Wire, Pitchfork and Fader. In 2010, she released her second full-length, Stridulum (Sacred Bones), again garnering much critical acclaim. Her latest full-length, Conatus (Sacred Bones, 2011), is an experimental electronic pop album which she co-produced with Brian Foote. She was featured in SPIN’s Best of 2011 list and headlined her own international tour. In her short career thus far, Zola Jesus has toured with The Fever Ray, The XX, Xanopticon and collaborated with David Lynch, Orbital, Prefuse 73 and M83.