Artist Spotlight ~ Emily Zuzik

Artist Spotlight is a segment that we started to introduce our readers to some deserving up and coming artists/bands. They have made an impact on us for all of the right reasons. We think they kick ass, and we hope you do too! Let’s shine the spotlight on singer/songwriter Emily Zuzik!

Emily Zuzik is a Los Angeles singer-songwriter who has co-written with Tim Lefebvre, Dan Navarro, Ted Russell Kamp, Moby and Jimmy Lavalle of The Album Leaf. The Pittsburgh native has released seven records and toured across the US and UK. Her last album, Torch & Trouble, received critical acclaim as well as her side project, Woves (woves.bandcamp.com). New ep, age+alchemy, is out now.

We sat down for a short, but fun Q&A session with Emily.

Every superhero or villain has an origin and a band is no different minus the radioactive spiders and secret government experiments. What is the origin of how you got into music?

Emily Zuzik: I like to say that I popped out singing because it’s something I’ve done since the beginning of my life. I remember being in a sweet and safe place when I made up songs or belted out the Sound of Music or Xanadu soundtracks as a kid. As is common with kids like this growing up in places where the entertainment industry doesn’t really reside, I found my refuge in theatre and choirs. I was one of the freaks and artists in a school that revered sports. I found my tribes and along the way began writing songs and performing out bit by bit. After college and a brief stint working in indie film and front of book journalism, I began making it more than a side hobby beginning with open mics in San Francisco. I joined a few bands after that like Shitty Shitty Band Band and Funkmobile in the late 90s. Then I sang in original bands and it’s been that way ever since.

What are you currently working on?

I just released my 9^th record, age + alchemy, in May. It’s a power-packed Americana rock EP cowritten and coproduced with LA’s Ted Russell Kamp. We worked on my last album, Torch & Trouble, as well that came out in 2020. It’s a bit more rock in genre, but has the right amount of quirk to be mine. I’ve released a few videos for it as well. And two singles have been on The SoCal Sound 88.5 FM in town– the first single, Love’s about Taking the Fall, was featured on LA Buzzbands radio show, and my cover of John Lennon’s I’m Losing You was on the Cover Me segment helmed by Mookie (Marc Kaczor). I’m playing out at least once a month to support the new EP.

Who was your first celebrity crush?

Elvis Presley

What was your favorite cartoon growing up?

Jem and the Holograms

If you have any tattoos, what was your very first one and does it have any meaning behind it?

I don’t have it yet, but plan to get one this year. It will be a dragonfly, which I consider my spirit animal. The dragonfly is also representative of transformation, a theme I really dove into in my latest EP, age + alchemy, so it seems appropriate that I get this artwork on my body. I even met the dragonfly on my recent trip to Japan who will serve as the artwork for it. Funny how life kind of navigates these things for you.

You’re on the road and stop at a convenience store for a “pit stop.” What is your favorite snack to pick up?

Bugles