Slope Media Group

Artist on the Rise

Zola Jesus

Sounds Like: Xiu Xiu, M83, darker Florence & The Machine

To be honest, my first state of Nika Rosa Danilova was through the song “Intro” on M83′s most recent album, so I can’t quite claim to be an expert on her music. However, after hearing her thunderous voice take the song to new heights, I figured that her music itself was worth giving a shot. Apparently so did everyone else, including the assholes over at Pitchfork who gave her album Conatus a 7.7.

Danilova’s voice and music remind me of what a haunting electronic church sermon would sound like. The fact that Danilova has a background in Opera therefore isn’t really that surprising, her dark, almost gothic voice commands and takes over even the loudest of drums. What is more surprising is how small the Zola Jesus lead singer is. I was fortunate enough to accidentally see her live and was left shaken by her voice and sheer presence.

If the genre “dark operatic pop” appeals to you, or if you love feeling a drum in your body, or even like the idea of a girl singing dark music, Zola Jesus is the girl for you.