Have you ever heard of a father-daughter band? I am sure you might have heard of a father-daughter band, but have you heard of Dame Zina, probably not, and its with so much honor that I introduce you to this amazing duo that hails from Paris.
We had the chance to delve into their personal life in a recent interview with Mister Styx of Musicarenagh, the duo shared their inspirations and aspirations as well some of the challenges they face in the music industry.
Although Dame Zina represents the duo, it is the pseudonym for the daughter while the father performs under the moniker ‘Y’. With the daughter handling writing and vocals, the father takes charge of composition and production, delivering a profound exploration of music, femininity, freedom, and acceptance.
Y stated he didn’t grow u in a musical home, music played a major role in his life, “it’s something I always loved creating since my teens. – says Y
This is evident in their latest album “Fairytales”, this is an album with 14 songs on it, these are not just your everyday songs, but they are the heartfelt message of Dame Zina it’s an intimate exploration of Dame Zina’s inner thoughts and secret garden, expressing a strong desire to break free from daily pressures.
During the interview, Dame Zina was asked the main inspiration behind “Fairytales,” and this is what they shared
“I feel like calling this album Fairytales and putting songs about magic in it make all the arts I practice make sense all together. I write farytales children’s books, I sing fairytales musics.”
Join us as we delve deeper into the life of the captivating daughter/father duo.
Listen to Fairytales below
https://open.spotify.com/album/2n4my3jxKftZUNTHAqd7qy
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What is your stage name
DZ: Dame Zina! It’s my artist name for everything I do, and in music, it’s both of us: I sing and write and my dad, Y, composes and arranges.
Is there a story behind your stage name?
DZ: Of course! I wanted to reference à character from Philip K Dick’s Valis Regained Sci-fi novel called « Zina ». The « Dame » part is the French equivalent to « Lady » with sounds very medieval, many witches and women from myths have that title.
Where do you find inspiration?
DZ: Life! I love living and everything inspires me. I think I grow a lot from romantic relationships, so I write a lot about them, and all my emotional challenges. I also write music to change people, especially about politics : women’s emancipation and LGBT rights are important to me!
What was the role of music in the early years of your life?
DZ: When I was a little girl I had a CD player and I used to listen on loop to my dad’s rock records. We didn’t have a TV so music was really important and playing all the time!
Are you from a musical or artistic family?
DZ: Big yes! My mum is a painter and my dad is literally half this very band! They both are very eccentric people and broke the rules of traditional life to do what they love. They both work as independent workers, not entirely as artists but definitely as creatives.
Y: My father was a photographer but music comes from nowhere in the family, it’s something I always loved creating since my teens.
Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry?
DZ: I studied music and singing my whole life, but never as an end goal, I was a theater person. This band and these albums are the result of us wanting to play together, more than aiming to release music. We’re very productive so of course now we love releasing it for everyone else to listen to!
How did you learn to sing/write/to play?
DZ: I studied! I always loved to act and sing but I used to be very out of tune and rythme wasn’t my forte either. I took opera classes for nearly ten years, in order to be able to sing what I wanted how I wanted it. Now I experiment by myself or every time we do music together with my dad!
Y: I took some composition class because I was not that good at playing instruments but my teacher quickly recognised I was more interested in writing music. Then I studied at a movie school as a sound engineer, because that was the mix between my love of music and my technical approach. Then life made me do something entirely different for 20 years and we were back to music when we started this project together, just for the fun of it.
What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform?
DZ: I think the first real concert I went to was Naaman, he’s a french reggae artist! Since then I’ve seen some bands I really admire like Magma or a concert of Steve Reich’s music last weekend! Seeing musicians you love Live is really something unique and unforgettable!
How could you describe your music?
Y: We try to blend something enjoyable, experimental, unheard, accessible and weird. For me, music should be a synesthesia and you should get images, feelings or even smells when listening to a good music. I was always inspired by film music as it’s always made to evoke feelings. That’s what I try to do with our music.
Describe your creative process.
Y: I always start with the music, and often with a bass riff. Melody always comes when the general mood is laid. I was very afraid of melody at first because I wrote a lot of instrumental songs, but it surprised me because I usually write the melodies almost instantly when inspiration comes. Usually I wake up with a song, I play a bit with it in my mind (don’t try and speak to me then), and if it sticks, I go to the piano and a record it.
There might be anywhere between a few an a lot of back-and-forth on the song… usually I find myself with a new part of the song sometimes alter and I repeat the process. When it seems finished, I start playing with structure and melody. But I love the fact that I keep the whole process in-house, from 1st note to mastering, because sometimes I feel the need to add a whole bridge, start or end, or to change the structure, after a few mastered versions…
What is your main inspiration?
DZ: Life ! I draw inspiration from what I experience, like most artists I believe. I write about myself, my feelings, my love life, my hardships ! I also write regularly about my dreams and a world I hope to see one day, equal, feminist and LGBT friendly !
What musician do you admire most and why?
DZ: I can’t stop at one, but I’ll say the main one: Bjork! Her freedom inspires me to always try new things and not be afraid to step out of my comfort zone! I hate being stuck in a niche and she is an example to me of an artist who tried many different things and still achieved success! I makes me think anything is possible!
Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career?
DZ: Definitely! We learn a lot by trying! At the beginning, our music was so niche it was quite hard to understand for anyone other than the two of us. We learned to make it more accessible, always remembering to keep what makes it special and ours!
Who do you see as your main competitor?
DZ: I don’t see music as a competition! It’s art, there will always be people who think we’re their favorite ones, and others who hate our music, there is no right answer and I love it! I don’t do music to be compared, I do it because I love to do it!
What are your interests outside of music?
DZ: I paint! That’s actually my main job, I illustrate and write books for children! I also act, dance, sew, model… I believe life in itself is art, so I might as well try everything!!
If it wasn’t a music career, what would you be doing?
DZ:I guess my answer is a non answer because music isn’t my only career, my children books are my dream job! But I’ve always been a butterfly : I love doing many things at once, music and illustration are my two main ones ! I believe I wouldn’t be satisfied doing only one.
What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music?
DZ: Visibility ! we made the choice of staying independent, not getting into a music label, this way we can make sure to stay free in our creation, but it’s also a lot of work to make it to our future fans ears !
If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be?
DZ: Its very idealistic but I wish music successes would be more about creativity and less about shock and simplicity ?
Why did you choose this as the title of this project?
DZ: I feel like calling this album Fairytales and putting songs about magic in it make all the arts I practice make sense all together. I write farytales children’s books, I sing fairytales musics. this magical world has always been my safe space, my exploring universe, my inspiration ! fairytales are about everything that matter : love, morality, dreams, all in beautiful metaphors !
What are your plans for the coming months?
DZ: After this album, we will release in January a new single, Eau, in French, with a music video, as an extension to the album. I won’t tell too much for now…
Do you have any artistic collaboration plans
DZ: Yes ! we have a few artists we plan to collaborate with in the future, singers, composers, and musicians who will remix us ! All very exciting !!
What message would you like to give to your fans?
DZ: Just a big thank you ! listening makes everything worth it for us
