This time I was privileged to actually interview new up and coming British singer/songwriter ZARIF!
Zarif is of Scottish-Iranian-Jewish descent and ranges from different genres including Funk, Pop and Soul.
She performed as an opening act for Beyoncé last year on her 'I Am... Tour' and I was lucky enough to watch this performance. Ever since, I have become a fan. Check out Zarif doing her thing in her new video 'Box Of Secrets' featuring Mz. Bratt:
Now Zarif is on the verge of her debut album being released and I was given a chance to ask a few questions to her. Check out the questions after the jump and enjoy!
24/7: Hi Zarif, thanks for giving me this opportunity to ask you a few questions.
Firstly, I am going to talk about your album, which I believe is titled 'Box Of Secrets'. Can you tell me a little about the album and what the theme is behind it?
Zarif: The album is my own personal box of secrets! It's the way I see the world, observations, anecdotes. It's very autobiographical. It's also very eclectic and though it's soul based, I've tried to get all my influences in- rock, jazz, folk and of course pop.
24/7: What producers did you work with for the album and how long has it taken to record it?
Zarif: The main producer on the album is Fraser T Smith, who has done people like Ellie Goulding and James Morrisson. He was great to work with and I learned a lot from him. There's also Tommy D who did 4 tracks, and Blair McKichan. It's taken a long time to record, just over 2 years. Also some of the songs were started off in my own bedroom and I decided to keep some of those early takes on there. I hate when things are too overproduced so I've tried to keep bits of it raw and live sounding.
24/7: You were supposed to release the album last year and the tracklisting was a little different. Why did you choose to scrap some of the songs from the original tracklisting?
Zarif: I've written new songs since then and decided to put those on and get rid of a few older ones. Otherwise the album would get longer and longer... I can't release a double album for my first album!
24/7: How many tracks will be on the album now and has it been finished or is it still going through the final stages?
Zarif: It's finally all finished! I'm so excited! It got mastered a couple of weeks ago and even the album cover is done now. It will be 12 tracks.
24/7: I loved your first single 'Let Me Back' and wanted to know if it will be included on the album?
Zarif: It certainly will! The song is not necessarily indicative of the album as a whole but I had to put it on there just cos it was my first ever single.
24/7: What is your favourite track from the album and is there a set release date for it?
Zarif: I have 2 favourite tracks I think. The first is Box Of Secrets, which I love as it's a complete mixture of live instruments, samples and also more modern electronic production, and I love fusing the old and new. Also I love to dance to it on stage! My other favourite is The Day The Music Left Me, which is the newest track.
24/7: Your new single is the amazing 'Box Of Secrets' and it features the rapper, Mz. Bratt. What was it like working with her?
Zarif: Wicked! She was so easy to work with and came up with the rap really quickly in the studio. She's really lovely, and it was a good vibe on the video shoot too.
24/7: I had the pleasure of seeing you live went you went on tour with Beyoncé last year. What was it like to perform at such venues like the O2 and for opening the show for someone like Beyoncé?
Zarif: It was absolutely amazing! It was something I'll never forget, definitely the highlight of last year. It was the first time I had performed to such large crowds, or done such a long tour, so to do that while at the same time opening for one of my idols was so good!
24/7: I know you recently performed at Plan B in Brixton. Do you have any more shows coming up in the near future?
Zarif: Yes there will be more closer to the release date of the single (August 16th), and the main one so far will be YoYo (at Notting Hill Arts Club) on 19th August. More dates will be posted on MySpace.
24/7: To finish up, I would like to ask a few questions about yourself. Who would you say your main influences are?
Zarif: My main 3 influences are Steve Wonder, Michael Jackson and Prince. That's the soul, the funk and the pop! I also love people like Aretha and Minnie Ripperton, and bands like Led Zeppelin and Raconteurs.
24/7: What inspires you to sing?
Zarif: All the people I listed above! Listening to great music and watching great performances makes me want to sing.
24/7: How did you get into the music industry?
Zarif: I started out by making demos of my songs in my bedroom with friends, and then started playing at open mic nights and put a band together (who are still my band now!) Eventually I got spotted by the Nextmen and was on their last album, and got signed through that.
24/7: Finally, is there a message you would like to give my readers?
Zarif: Buy the album!! Ha ha! It's out on August 23rd. The single Box Of Secrets is out on August 16th and you can check the video on YouTube now.
24/7: I would like to say a final thank you, and I wish you all the success with your new single and your album.
Zarif: Thank you!
Zarif: The album is my own personal box of secrets! It's the way I see the world, observations, anecdotes. It's very autobiographical. It's also very eclectic and though it's soul based, I've tried to get all my influences in- rock, jazz, folk and of course pop.
24/7: What producers did you work with for the album and how long has it taken to record it?
Zarif: The main producer on the album is Fraser T Smith, who has done people like Ellie Goulding and James Morrisson. He was great to work with and I learned a lot from him. There's also Tommy D who did 4 tracks, and Blair McKichan. It's taken a long time to record, just over 2 years. Also some of the songs were started off in my own bedroom and I decided to keep some of those early takes on there. I hate when things are too overproduced so I've tried to keep bits of it raw and live sounding.
24/7: You were supposed to release the album last year and the tracklisting was a little different. Why did you choose to scrap some of the songs from the original tracklisting?
Zarif: I've written new songs since then and decided to put those on and get rid of a few older ones. Otherwise the album would get longer and longer... I can't release a double album for my first album!
24/7: How many tracks will be on the album now and has it been finished or is it still going through the final stages?
Zarif: It's finally all finished! I'm so excited! It got mastered a couple of weeks ago and even the album cover is done now. It will be 12 tracks.
24/7: I loved your first single 'Let Me Back' and wanted to know if it will be included on the album?
Zarif: It certainly will! The song is not necessarily indicative of the album as a whole but I had to put it on there just cos it was my first ever single.
24/7: What is your favourite track from the album and is there a set release date for it?
Zarif: I have 2 favourite tracks I think. The first is Box Of Secrets, which I love as it's a complete mixture of live instruments, samples and also more modern electronic production, and I love fusing the old and new. Also I love to dance to it on stage! My other favourite is The Day The Music Left Me, which is the newest track.
24/7: Your new single is the amazing 'Box Of Secrets' and it features the rapper, Mz. Bratt. What was it like working with her?
Zarif: Wicked! She was so easy to work with and came up with the rap really quickly in the studio. She's really lovely, and it was a good vibe on the video shoot too.
24/7: I had the pleasure of seeing you live went you went on tour with Beyoncé last year. What was it like to perform at such venues like the O2 and for opening the show for someone like Beyoncé?
Zarif: It was absolutely amazing! It was something I'll never forget, definitely the highlight of last year. It was the first time I had performed to such large crowds, or done such a long tour, so to do that while at the same time opening for one of my idols was so good!
24/7: I know you recently performed at Plan B in Brixton. Do you have any more shows coming up in the near future?
Zarif: Yes there will be more closer to the release date of the single (August 16th), and the main one so far will be YoYo (at Notting Hill Arts Club) on 19th August. More dates will be posted on MySpace.
24/7: To finish up, I would like to ask a few questions about yourself. Who would you say your main influences are?
Zarif: My main 3 influences are Steve Wonder, Michael Jackson and Prince. That's the soul, the funk and the pop! I also love people like Aretha and Minnie Ripperton, and bands like Led Zeppelin and Raconteurs.
24/7: What inspires you to sing?
Zarif: All the people I listed above! Listening to great music and watching great performances makes me want to sing.
24/7: How did you get into the music industry?
Zarif: I started out by making demos of my songs in my bedroom with friends, and then started playing at open mic nights and put a band together (who are still my band now!) Eventually I got spotted by the Nextmen and was on their last album, and got signed through that.
24/7: Finally, is there a message you would like to give my readers?
Zarif: Buy the album!! Ha ha! It's out on August 23rd. The single Box Of Secrets is out on August 16th and you can check the video on YouTube now.
24/7: I would like to say a final thank you, and I wish you all the success with your new single and your album.
Zarif: Thank you!
I would like to use this space to say another thank you to Zarif for spending time to answer the questions. Also another thank you to her team.
Now I would like to urge everyone to SUPPORT Zarif when her album is released on August 23rd. Also you can check out more from Zarif at these following links:
http://zarifmusic.blogspot.com
http://www.youtube.com/zarifTV
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