Artist to watch Bri Zoli is new to your Spotify playlist, but she’s not new to the stage. She’s a classically trained flutist and vocalist who has performed across the globe and has finally put out music she can call her own. She released her first two singles last year, and her angelic voice and emotional melodies are here to stay. We were happy to get to talk to her at the start of this new year!
CROWDSURFER MAG: You put out your first two songs ever in 2020 –
BRI ZOLI: What a year, what a year.
CSM: Exactly. But how does it feel to be releasing music?
BZ: It’s great! I’ve been working on music for years and years. I just felt like the time was right for me in 2020. I felt like I was able to finally super focus on my music and it just felt like the right time to put it out for me, personally.
CSM: And “Lullaby” is your most recent single. What was the inspiration for that song?
BZ: So the vibe of that is definitely different from “Your Eyes Only,” which is my first single that I put out in June. “Lullaby” is kind of like a haunting, whisper-type track. It’s a vibe that I feel like I’ve been wanting to create for so long and I never knew how to put it into words. I think with “Lullaby” I really wanted to get out that poetic, melodic, haunting song, and I think we’ve really kind of hit the nail on the head there.
CSM: We watched the music video for “Lullaby,” too! You’re also a model, so how did having that experience play out for you in your music video?
BZ: So my boyfriend is actually a photographer and videographer. We met on a shoot a couple of years ago, so we’ve been collaborating on shoots and videos just for fun throughout the years. So obviously I was like, this is perfect, we can just do our thing, but it’d be music video! But the thing no one tells you is it’s so much work! I did all the post-production myself, so I was like, this takes so much time! But it was an amazing experience.
CSM: We’ve been talking to so many people this last year who decided to learn how to do everything themselves!
BZ: You kind of have to these days! We have all the things we need to be able to do it, so why not just do it all?
And continuing to speak of skills, you not only have modeling experience, but you also grew up in music! How has that influenced your songs today?
BZ: So I grew up classically trained in flute and voice, and it was like my whole life. I think growing up in that world – I was in an orchestra and just playing with the world’s greatest composers and constantly being around that kind of music – I think it really
influenced me, and I think that also influenced “Lullaby” in those beautiful, harmonic big choruses and all the instrumentals that went into that. I think my personal style is very much emotional in that way, so I really appreciate all those lessons and just constantly being around music because I think it really helped prepare me for being an artist.
CSM: What’s your writing process like?
BZ: If I’m just doing something about myself and I’m inspired, I’ll sit at the piano and just play something and then melodies come to me. I rarely start with an idea first, it’s kind of like “this sounds cool” and then I’ll do a melody and then whatever comes to me. And it’s kind of the same when I work with producers!
CSM: How did you stage name come about?
BZ: So this was something that I was literally harping on for years! For me, my stage name has to have a meaning and make sense. I wanted to keep “Bri” because you know, that’s my my first name,
but I didn’t want to use my last name. So I’m Hungarian, my mom’s a hundred percent Hungarian, and she was gonna name me Zoltana because her father’s name was Zoltan. And I’ve always loved that name. And I was like, Mom, why didn’t you name me that, that would have been so cool! And my nickname would have been Zoli, which is what I decided to be the second half of my name. What could be more perfect to honor who I could have been and can be?
CSM: Did going through quarantine and lockdown and all of that help you grow in your music?
BZ: Absolutely. Being able to collaborate virtually with other artists has actually been amazing, and having that time I wouldn’t have had before, I’ve been able to focus so much more. I feel like this year I probably wrote more songs than the last couple of years!
CSM: What can we look forward to from you this year?
BZ: So I have my third single coming out soon, it’s going to be called “Faling.” It’s going to be different from the first two, it’ll be grungier and moodier, I’m really excited about it. And then after that my EP will probably be coming out in late 2021!
CSM: I’m excited for that! Did you make a New Year’s Resolution?
BZ: I think to be not as hard on myself, to stop overthinking things, and just go with my creative process. If I write something, and I like it, it’s better to just put it out in the world than to refine it millions and millions of times.
CSM: I think we could all use a little more of that mentality. If you like it, go for it! I saw you joined the Game of Thrones bandwagon, even though we’re all off of it?
BZ: I actually really love it! The funny thing is I watched the finale first and I was so confused, I was like, why do people like this? But now I’ve started from the beginning and I totally get it. So that will be my 2021 guilty pleasure.
Well, thanks for taking time to talk to us today!
BZ: Thank you so much!
Take a listen to “Lullaby,” and keep your eyes out for Bri Zoli’s next single!
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