With picturesque lyrics and a soulful breathy cadence, ZOLA is a unique genre-bending gem in the oft oversaturated world of pop. Today, ZOLA unveils her debut single, “Too Fast, Too Soon,” an effervescent and delightfully piano-driven track that cleverly combines soul, jazz, R&B and indie-pop influences.
High Clouds premiered “Too Fast, Too Soon” yesterday, praising it as “an anthemic-yet-airy track that exhibits a deep emotional perspective, rivaling that of artists a decade further along in their careers.”
“Too Fast Too Soon” is the first single from ZOLA’s debut EP – set to be released this Fall – and marks the beginning of a new era for the 22-year-old artist. Writing the majority of the EP throughout her freshman and sophomore years of college, the EP is very much an embodiment of the college experience. From young love to evolving friendships to body image, ZOLA’s EP takes the listener on a affecting and relatable journey.
Raised in San Francisco, Zola Johnson – aka ZOLA – has always dabbled in the arts. She picked up guitar at the age of 6 and maintained a budding dance career through her grade school years. A creative child with a wild imagination, she spent a lot of time writing stories, and her favorite topic to write about was her stuffed animals. She assigned her stuffed animals anthropomorphic personalities and gave them intricate relationships and character development. As she grew older her writing naturally became more mature, but her whimsical imagination can still be heard throughout her lyrics today.
An old soul in a young body, ZOLA brings a depth to her music that is wise beyond her years. She is a rare voice hellbent on redefining what it means to be a singer/songwriter in the age of technology.