Nika Roza Danilova initially decided to perform under the moniker Zola Jesus because, in the singer's words, she wanted to "consciously alienate" her peers. "It worked perfectly," she said in a Q Magazine interview. In her northern Wisconsin hometown, "a lot of people wouldn't even say Zola Jesus because they thought it was sacrilegious."
Though her name may still be verboten to some, five years and five albums later, the songwriter and classically trained opera singer's brand of dark, industrial pop has become more accessible than ever. Indeed, critics are already lauding her fifth album, Taiga (out today), as her most pop-forward record yet. Where floods of reverb and clattering, metallic noise on previous albums threatened to swallow Danilova's voice completely, her deep, powerful voice now easily beats back everything from horns to synthesizers.
Danilova's omnivorous musical appetite allowed her to find inspiration in everything from Whitney Houston a cappella cuts to opera arias. Below, she shares six songs that influenced Taiga:
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1. Usher, "Climax"
"Climax was the anthem of long mixing sessions with Dean Hurley. While recording and mixing the record, I probably listened to 'Climax' a hundred times, each time listening closer and closer, trying to pick apart all the layers that make this song a curious masterpiece. Even after so many listens, this song still does crazy things to my emotions."
2. Pusha T, "King Push"
"I was getting really into marching band drums for awhile, so when I stumbled across 'King Push' for the first time, it struck me hard. Since then, My Name Is My Name has not left regular rotation, and I pretty much know this entire album by heart."
3. Gustav Mahler, "Um Mitternacht"
"In reconnecting with my old opera instructor, I started working on a handful of arias. 'Um Mitternacht' made me fall in love with Mahler, and the rich lushness of how he used brass made me quickly enraptured with trombone and tuba."
4. DJ Nedwyt-Fox, "Hino Dos Mil Mambos"
"I became pretty fixated with trying to make Kuduro beats. The way the rhythms snap is something of a miracle, and producing beats like that never came naturally to me."
5. Beyonce, "Halo"
"Anyone who knows me knows that I'm downright obsessed with this song. It's a song I will play for hours, trying to study and master. 'Halo' is one of the greatest pop songs of the past 10 years. It's simple, but deceptively so. It's catchy and emotional and is a true honest-to-god Anthem with a capital A. It's the kind of song that could exist in any context, and has been time-tested as a modern classic. If I could write a song half this good, I would be damn proud."
6. Whitney Houston, "Fine (A Capella)"
"Whitney Houston is one of the few pop divas that could actually sing. She hid behind nothing; she didn't need to. Her voice was ferocious and dexterous. She had movement, power, and a connectedness in her registers that you rarely hear today in pop music. While I love this Q-Tip produced song, it's even better as an a cappella. It makes you realize how little she needs the instruments behind her. This inspired me to begin writing a cappella, and to only add instruments where I felt they absolutely needed to be."
Taiga is out now on Mute.
(This interview was condensed and edited by Samantha Rollins.)
Watch Zola Jesus' video for "Dangerous Days" below:
