Zoe Berman is a Denver-based singer-songwriter. She accompanies her sultry vocals on the piano and guitar, often complemented by a hand-built suitcase drum played with her feet. Zoe “combines musicality and lyrical poeticism into a hypnotizing mélange of soul, Jazz, and americana music” to create a unique sonic experience that defies traditional genre classifications.
Her songs are often auto-biographical, brimming with relatable narrative and sensorial imagery; she draws inspiration from both mother nature and human nature, composing song lyrics while traversing trails in the mountains of Colorado, and exploring elements of wordplay and storytelling to “[create] songs that are tender and utterly human” (Off-Kilter Media).
Her latest EP is entitled Freezing Heat and is a collection of songs that carry sensorially rich narratives and self-reflective discoveries she has accumulated over the last five years. Single “Lilac Hour ” was inspired by the golden hour in nature, a time of reflection and beauty. The whimsical “Luna Lune” was inspired by a friend’s long distance relationship that went so sour that her friend could no longer look at the moon because of past memories. “Manuka Honey” is an endearing love song reminiscent of her time living in Wellington, New Zealand. Fused with mellifluous vocals, bright piano and jazz-soaked soundscapes, “Manuka Honey” is a romantic lullaby. The EP reflects the various sonic styles and influences that make up my musical vernacular and as such, offer a little something for listeners of many different musical tastes to enjoy.
What’s your story as an artist?
My musical journey began when I started taking piano lessons as a young child. I began writing original music around the age of 12 and picked up the guitar as a teenager. I quickly felt enamored by the songwriting process; it has been my primary tool for navigating and processing personal experiences ever since. As a high school freshman growing up in Connecticut, I attended a magnet school for classical piano. The stringent nature of the program didn’t provide the creative flexibility I craved, so I pivoted to taking jazz piano lessons with an incredible instructor from that school. It was his encouragement that led me to regularly performing and honing in on my songwriting craft.
Since then, I’ve grown and evolved significantly as a songwriter, musician and artist overall. I pursued numerous music-related outlets in college and subsequently, moved to Colorado, where I spent a year touring and performing around the west, often writing lyrics on hiking trails and collaborating with fellow artists in the local Northern Colorado music scene.
I can’t recall a time when music was not a paramount focal point of my existence. Over the past couple of years, despite inevitable delays caused by the pandemic, I have been chipping away at my recently released seven-song debut EP entitled “Freezing Heat”. This was a noteworthy milestone for me. My journey as an artist is constantly shifting and evolving, and I can’t wait to see what discoveries lie ahead.
What do you want your music to communicate?
My songs are often auto-biographical, brimming with wordplay, narrative and sensorial imagery. I want my lyrics to tell stories in a way that is relatable, aesthetically compelling, and characterized by my unique style and sonic sensibilities. I want my music to cultivate connection and provide a cathartic emotional release for listeners by offering the feeling of a shared human experience.
What are some sources of inspiration for your storytelling?
I largely draw inspiration from human nature, pulling from my own experiences & stories shared by friends, family, books, etc., as well as mother nature, often composing song lyrics while on trails and finding creative fuel in time spent outdoors.
I am also frequently inspired by other artists whom I admire; simply listening to others’ music can ignite a new song idea or provide a template for a soundscape I want to emulate. Inspiration is everywhere and I’m constantly amazed by what can trigger the inception of a song.
Who is an artist that you look up to more than others today?
There are so many! I really admire Sammy Rae – her music is captivating and fearlessly exploratory and her voice is mesmerizingly agile. Among other top contenders would be Lianne La Havas, Eloise and Raveena. All incredible female vocalists and songwriters.
What’s the record or artist that made you realize you wanted to be an artist?
Maybe Billy Joel’s “The Stranger” album. I grew up on a lot of Billy Joel, James Taylor, Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder… I don’t recall one outlying record or aha moment that led to my pursuit of music. It was more of an ongoing process of soaking up many different genres, voices, songwriting styles and instrumentation and, over time, realizing music was/is an endless pool of possibilities for creative expression and interpersonal connection. That being said, Billy Joel inspired me to strive to be a better piano player and songwriter.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
The Freezing Heat EP is a collection of songs that carry sensorially rich narratives and self-reflective discoveries I’ve accumulated over the last five years.
Freezing Heat, Something Better and Words are largely autobiographical in nature, whereas Luna Lune tells a story I borrowed from a friend, in which a long distance relationship gone sour left her with a complicated relationship with the moon, something she and her partner formerly bonded over from their respective corners of the world.
Lilac Hour, Edit, Delete & Save and Manuka Honey were all heavily inspired by the places in which they were composed, the former two chock full of Colorado-specific imagery and the latter reminiscent of my time living in Wellington, New Zealand.
Lilac Hour was written on a bike ride at dusk in the foothills of Fort Collins, Colorado and brought to life in the studio with an array of eclectic found-object percussion – the backbeat of the song derives from plucking strings inside a grand piano, tapping a mallet on a whiskey jug, shaking sugar packets, drumming on lampshades, and other peculiar sources of percussion.
Each song on the record conveys an entirely divergent mood and narrative. Together, they reflect the various sonic styles and influences that make up my musical vernacular and as such, offer a little something for listeners of many different musical tastes to enjoy.
What inspires your sound?
I draw from an eclectic mix of genres, from soul to americana, funk to acoustic singer-songwriter, R&B to folk, indie rock, electropop and blues. All of these sonic landscapes swirl around in my brain and inform the genre-bending music I’m driven to create.
What’s your favorite tune of yours?
Oof, that’s a tough one! Different tunes for different moods, but right now my favorite song is probably Never Too Much by Luther Vandross or Sexy Villain by Remi Wolf.
Where are some things you really want to accomplish as an artist?
As of right now, I am eager to reach a broader audience with my music. Given the ongoing situation with the pandemic and new COVID-19 variants cropping up, I would like to focus on recording and sharing new music virtually for the time being.
I have notebooks full of songs I would love to record, so another EP comprised of more recent compositions is definitely on the docket. A full-length album is a goal of mine as well.
Favorite lyric you ever wrote?
“On this summer day in October” (Edit, Delete & Save)
“Find solace in solitude” (Luna Lune)
I also love the lyrics of Lilac Hour – I think they really effectively illustrate that time of day/colorful, dreamy scenery:
“The sun has sunk behind the hill reclining for the eve, granting sun-scorched seedlings a much-deserved reprieve
And when he goes off-duty, lady moon begins to rise, rendering a silhouette of cottonwoods and pines”
Was there ever a moment when you felt like giving up?
I’ve definitely experienced periods of time in which I’ve needed a break from the grind of the music industry, but I’ve never considered throwing in the towel entirely.
Music has been and will likely always be a major part of my life. I write songs because I have to; I write them for me, to make sense of my experiences and distill the world around me into something I can hold. I share my songs to connect with others, but the process of making music fuels me in a way that I would never want to give up.
What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
Keep going! Keep throwing sh*t at the wall and eventually something will stick.
Where do you think the next game changer will be in the music industry and entertainment scene?
Who’s to say? I suspect that we’ll see a shift back to the roots of music-making. So much of what’s being created now is already recycling former eras of music and I anticipate this happening on a larger scale, especially in what music is classified as “pop”.
I hope (but don’t necessarily expect) that we’ll see a shift in the way artists are compensated by streaming platforms, and that new modalities emerge for making a sustainable living from music at all levels.
