THE DIVINE MISS Z
Z STAR INTERVIEW
CLAIRE BASTIN

"Ode to da loop…
When I heard you play
You really made my day
I had to sample you
To show my gratitude
I love the way you swing
You really do that thing"
Z. Star.

 

 

Z Star is a brilliant songwriter and a talented radical sounding vocalist. She is a regular feature at summer festivals around Europe and runs two successful residencies in the Brick Lane area. When performing Z is wildly spontaneous and always unforgettable. If you've not seen Z live listen to her setting the modern standard for scatting on the current Puddu Varrano single. American soul don Terry Callier is a fan and they have recorded a track for his new album. On it, Z's divine talent combined with his velvet coated conscious lyrics result in heaven sent sounding duet. Also on the way is a new Z Star album and also a collaboration with Incognito. Free Radical Sounds Claire Bastin took the first opportunity to investigate where all the Z soul comes from.

CB; How did you begin singing?
Z; I always wanted to be a songwriter. Then basically, it was said to me "You should sing, you have a great voice!" For a while I didn't really like the sound of my voice! Since then I've really had to take control and say to myself, Z what do you want from life and music and how can I get there and keep a sense of my value on the way. In my life I have periods where I experience a certain amount of darkness and rage and I express that."

CB; Tell us about your debut album Voodoo Dragon Rising?
Z; I had all this material I had to get out, I mean I've written my fifth album already. I believed I could do it, so I basically recorded the whole thing on my little four track and played in most of the stuff myself and used samples. I executed the whole thing. It's to do with what I was experiencing then. I wanted to go to my roots; hence that album is very rootsey. I just let flow what was in me and it was jazz, blues, roots and poetry. It got played a lot on the radio.

CB; What has held you back?
Z; I'm very business minded, I was trying to loose it, but actually you need it in this business. If you're gonna make music that doesn't fit into certain trends that have been cultivated by the industry, and mine doesn't, you have to do it by yourself. My stuff is going to create it's own genre and that's through hard work and through the music being great. I'm not gonna have the industries help to do that. Now I have a grant from the Art's Council and that's what I use to make the new album. It's a pleasure to be chosen by them. Yeah, I'm in competition with the industry and what they deem saleable.

 

CB; How did you develop your performing personas?

 

 

 

Z; The first thing is the stage is where I belong. It is my home, so when I step on there I feel at home and then everyone is invited into my living room. Z was a nickname my friend gave me because I wasn't really hip on my real name. Z just came out of the air and now I'm known as Z Star. That's my name. Terry calls me Lady Z. It's funny I created these two personas. Lady Z is the Jazz side and Z Star is the rock and Roll side. Those are the two things that I fuse together. I'm unpredictable but whatever I do it'll be good. My formula is my voice. I have a certain sound it's very unique and it's to do with the delivery. It's taken me a while to understand this about myself and to accept it because I always thought I had to be one thing and you don't! When I scat, I can tell a story without words. For me it is like I receive energy and I give it because I'm in such joy.

CB; Let's talk about your relationship with Terry Callier and the direction you have taken on your new album?
Z; Well, with Terry it was a random meeting. I was walking down Finchley Rd. I recognise him and I can't even say anything and I think yeah well whatever I'm just gonna invite him to one of my gigs. Two weeks after he turned up at my little gig. Then after that he asked me to record with him on his album! I've received emails from his following saying "We love your voices together." People have said we are a perfect match. It is as if he was sent from a guardian angel for us to do this and for it to be a great example of what I can do. When I started I started acoustically and acoustic with me is what it's all about. Now I have my first set of musicians that I work very well with and what we've done is raw with a future retro feel. It's like beauty but it's dangerous. Yes, it's raw sexy and very bluesy.

Claire Bastin

Photography by Blaize Simon.

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