With ‘Spiral Your Way Out’, zzzahara trades solitary recording sessions for star-studded studio collaborations, turning emotional turbulence into their most expansive work to date. Check out our latest Hype digital cover feature.
Words: Felicity Newton.
Photos: Pooneh Ghana.
Some people process breakups with ice cream and sad playlists. Others transform their personal apocalypse into art. zzzahara went for option two, emerging from their bedroom-pop cocoon with an album that turns heartache into stardust. ‘Spiral Your Way Out’ isn’t evolution, it’s emotional alchemy at its finest.
The story unfolds in Highland Park, Los Angeles – that glorious contradiction where backyard punk shows share fences with quinceaneras and underground raves pulse next door to Sweet 16s. Here, between gentrification and rebellion, zzzahara’s musical DNA twisted itself into something extraordinary.
“I got my start in music at a young age. I was playing guitar at 10,” they recall, painting the origin story of someone destined to make beautiful noise. “My mom would always play music in the kitchen, and I loved singing along or tapping out the beats. My dad always had some metalhead or punk friends over on the weekends.” By 13, they’d found their tribe: “There was also a big hardcore scene in LA at the time, so constantly hitting those shows really inspired me…especially Warped Tour.”
“I was constantly attending backyard shows as a teen and exchanging music with friends”
Highland Park’s evolution became the backdrop to their artistic emergence. “Growing up in Highland Park really shaped me, especially the DIY scene. I was constantly attending backyard shows as a teen and exchanging music with friends,” they share. “One of my favourite experiences was seeing Skrillex play electronic music as Sonny Moore.” Even gentrification couldn’t stifle the neighbourhood’s wild heart: “As the area became more gentrified, I was around some of my favourite musicians. It felt like all my years living in Highland Park there was never a dull moment. All the music coming in and new venues added to the neighbourhood has been really nice.”
Their creative process defies gravity and logic in equal measure. “Usually, I like finishing a record pretty quickly, in 1-3 months,” they explain. “I have so many demos and riffs I make daily. I know a song will stick when I keep playing it in my headphones or in my car. I put them in a playlist, and sometimes they all make sense together. There’s not a day when I don’t pick up the guitar. Every day is a different feeling, so sometimes it feels nice to document it musically.” Think of it as an audio diary where every entry could become an anthem.
Each record marks a new constellation in zzzahara’s musical universe. “My first record, ‘liminal spaces’, was me figuring out who I was as an artist. I wanted to make something that fell in between lo-fi and hi-fi,” they muse. “The second record, ‘Tender’, was mostly recorded in my room and self-produced.” But ‘Spiral Your Way Out’? That’s different. “It’s definitely a huge step up for me,” they admit. “It’s one where I got to work with some amazing producers and step away from my bedroom studio. I really let the ’emo Z’ speak, if that makes sense. I didn’t hold back at all.”
Enter producers Jorge Elbrecht and Sarah Tudzin, turning private bedroom recordings into technicolour dreams. “The producers I worked with for this record made me realise that music feels the best when it is a shared process,” they reflect. “My favourite part of the process is getting lost in it and not realising if you’ve eaten a meal or what time it is. It’s a whole galaxy that I felt like I wanted to visit all my life.”
The album’s genesis story reads pure indie film screenplay. “Long story short? I was going through a breakup that felt like one of those ones that are pretty significant. Instead of trying to fix everything and pick up the pieces, I just let myself spiral. I just ‘let it be’. Felt terrible and great at the same time.” The result? A record swimming in themes “of emptiness, wishing you were enough, feeling haunted by a breakup, losing friends, and internalising everything because you don’t want to be a bother to anyone.” Finally, an album for everyone who’s ever felt too much and said too little.
Books became the map through this wilderness of feelings. “I feel like it’s an artist’s due diligence to explore and expand their storytelling whether it’s via movies, poetry, or books,” they note. “Chuck Palahniuk always made me feel like I wasn’t entirely losing my mind, while Bukowski encouraged me to never stop doing what I loved while I was going through a hard time. Joan Didion showed me there’s a whole world to explore with loads of interesting people in it.” Imagine that reading list as your emotional advisory board – properly brilliant.
“I really let the ’emo Z’ speak; I didn’t hold back at all.”
The real challenge? Turning your heart into public property. “The biggest challenge was allowing myself to be vulnerable in the studio with others present,” zzzahara reveals. “I had to find comfort in escaping social anxiety on top of being able to share what I was going through. I had only told a few friends what was aching me, and having to share this openly with people who I had barely met felt like a challenge I had to face with confidence.” Picture therapy with microphones and the potential for a killer bridge.
Yet amidst this emotional excavation, they’ve kept both feet on solid ground. “[It] just got cold in LA. Today, I did a 4-mile run with a run club. It was sick! They had a variety of free pies afterwards. That was the fun part for sure.” Next up? A Valentine’s Day show at the Roxy (perfect timing for songs about heartbreak), extensive touring, and an unexpected plot twist. “I recently acted in a movie, so I hope that comes out next year!” Because when you’re already spiralling through musical galaxies, why not add ‘screen star’ to your cosmic CV?
The horizon gleams with possibility. “I hope this album takes me to the next level, wherever that may be. It would be nice to hop on some festivals and tour with bigger acts.” Sometimes the only way out is through – and upward. Especially when there’s pie at the finish line.
zzzahara’s album ‘Spiral Your Way Out’ is out 10th January. Their single ‘It Didn’t Mean Nothing’ is out now. Follow Dork’s Hype Spotify playlist here.
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