How did you get your stage name?
Growing up I had a lot of nicknames but, my predominant one was Izzy. When I was looking for a way to brand myself a lot of my inspiration came from the kids who I grew up with and the human condition of my generation better known as gen z. With that I adapted the name Zy for a while because of the meaning behind generation Z and then end of the nickname Izzy. At the time I was becoming more aware of how misunderstood our generation was and how frowned upon we were because we started our lives under the age of the internet. I felt as though our generation was very broken. Most of the people my age who I grew up with came from broken homes and turned to the media to find ways to cope whether it was watching YouTube videos, streaming music or building platforms on social media. We all had to grow up fast because we were so exposed at very venerable ages. As I began to mature, I knew I needed something better as my artist name. My middle name is Sehailah (Seh-high-luh), so with that I combined my old concept to a beautiful name I already own creating Zehailah.
When and how did you start making music?
I started writing music in around the second grade. Being bullied growing up I often found myself questioning the behavior of the people around me at a young age and desired to understand why people acted the way they did and why it affected me. So, when I learned to write I began writing my thoughts and feelings in secret in notebooks and eventually it morphed into poetry, storytelling and writing lyrics. I was educated in music theory beginning in kindergarten and joined my school band in third grade where I played clarinet up until my freshman year of high school. Iām also self-taught in guitar and piano. Once I got my hands on an iPad for the first time, I would make beats on garage band until one day my aunt took me to my first studio session in middle school. This was a pivotal moment for me because I wasnāt satisfied with my sound and knew I had a lot more work to do. I took vocal lessons for a year as a kid and learned to discover my range. I spent hours upon hours perfecting my craft in secret, my passion for making music wasnāt really something I brought up often out of insecurity and only my circle of friends knew how seriously I took it. I preformed in every talent show I could as a kid, every night I was either writing, doing research, or playing an instrument. So, this has been something years in the making.
How would you describe your music for someone who hasn*t heard you before?
My music is relative and it has changed so much that Iām not entirely sure how I could describe it to someone. What I can say is that everyone has a dark side to them whether they recognize it or not. My music is about recognizing your own bad side or how another personās behavior affects another. One thing Iāve noticed is that people behave in patterns. Someone hurts them so they hurt others and it is a pain everyone knows far too well. Whether it is in heartbreak, friendships or within themselves we have all suffered in one way or another. I strive to recreate those feelings in how my music sounds or within the things I say. To recognize oneās own pain and put it in a way that other people can feel it too is like a super power to me, and I strongly admire every artist who has been able to do that for me.
What artists inspired you the most and who do you currently listen to?
As far as artists who have influenced my sound, I include people like The Weeknd, Melii, Kehlani, PartyNextDoor and most importantly Tory Lanez. My favorite rapper will forever be J. Cole but I listen to almost everyone who is big in the R&B/Hip Hop community. Some days you want to be sad and listen to some soft R&B, somedays you wanna feel like a bad bitch so you play Meg the Stallion. It all depends on how I feel.
At what point did you start taking music more seriously?
I think I have always taken it seriously and knew it was what I wanted to do but I never had the proper resources and support to get it done. When I turned 18 I promised myself that I would go after everything I worked for behind closed doors and thatās exactly what I did. The past year I spent building relationships and connecting with so many wonderful people and finally took my life into my own hands. It has all been a learning process but I know God has a plan for me and I am just supposed to work hard and let everything fall into place.
What kind of support do you get from your home town/state? (Include
state/city)
I think the urban cities of Rhode Island are really birthing a lot of talent and I see our state being very successful in terms of art in the upcoming years. I just want to see everyone win and I get the same response from the people around me. There will always be people who will sweep you under the rug or throw shade but the majority of the people where Iām from have been super supportive. Rhode Island is small so anyone who does anything successful is usually welcomed with a lot of praise and I love our underground scene of amazing artists, photographers, videographers, designers and more. We are all working towards making our cities somewhere to come to and somewhere to be proud of.
What really makes you stand out and different from other artists?
I am not a singer, I am not a rapper, I am an all-around artist. I know everyone says that and it sounds ClichĆ© but I really do this. If I could multiply myself I would do it all on my own because for so long I was a one-man team. I was my own producer since I was a kid, my own photographer, my own videographer and editor, my own graphic designer, my own everything. Everyone is doing music now adays but who are the ones who really make you feel something? At the same time, I am humble. I know Iām good at a lot of things but I know I am not great yet. I donāt think I deserve too much credit until Iāve really done something impactful.
What*s your biggest goal in the music industry?
I donāt really have an end goal because I donāt see myself stopping. Wherever the music takes me it takes me, I just know Iām going to keep going until Iām big. I donāt expect to be the biggest artist in the world but I hope I do leave behind a story that empowers other woman to take control over their own narratives and not allow societal pressures to determine how they can and cannot represent themselves.
If you could collaborate with one single artist who would it be and why?
It is really hard to narrow it down to one but my two favorite artists are J. Cole and Tory Lanez. I admire Tory for his versatility. He is able to give us tracks like Loners Blvd. and hate to say all the way down to singing on the chixtapes. Coleās way of storytelling and lyrical expertness is undeniable. Both artists defied the mainstream system out of simply being so talented. They are legends in my eyes and to be able to get into the studio with either one of them would be a dream.
