Malaysia’s very own hip-hop queen, Zamaera recently invited Sevenpie to her debut release of “Z” the EP.
In partnership with TGV Cinemas and Lakefront Xperience, Zamaera is set to wow the crowd with a one-of-a-kind experience on her nationwide tour happening this April and May. While her latest EP, “Z” will drop on the 29th of May, pre-orders are made available from the 15th of May onward, so mark those dates down on your calendar because we can definitely assure you, you’ve not heard anything like what she’s about to drop!
Need more details? Check it out here.
We spoke to Zamaera about 2 years back (check it out here), but let’s admit it, 2 years is a looong time so we wanted to see if anything has changed. So, we had a little chitty-chat session with the bubbly lass right after “Z” the EP performance last Friday and we asked a few hard-hitting questions.
So sit back and relax because Zamaera spilled the beans with us from Sevenpie 🙂
1. Hey Zamaera! It was a great show earlier. Looking at your mind-blowing performance just now, perhaps you can share with us about some artists that you look up to?
Picture credits to the official photographer at the event.
Hey Sevenpie! Thank you so much! There’s a bunch, but the people I constantly listen to in terms of hip-hop is Tupac, Missy Elliott and Lauryn Hill for female artists because my dad would put their songs on replay most of the time.
It’s funny because it was never just hip-hop, I also love Celine Dion and The Police, so it has never just been hip-hop and I get to appreciate music this way. Plus, I believe it is never about genre, but how music makes you feel.
2. Who and what inspire your lyrics?
So, different songs have different inspirations- I get inspired by almost anything and everything. Being a creative person, you have to be able to give yourself that space where you can just look at things and interpret it in your own way.
But my writing style is very self-reflective, and if I don’t have a point of reference I’ll look at myself first. That’s why my common theme is always about growing and if I can’t write about anyone else, who is better to write about than myself? I know myself the best and that was what “Helly Kelly” was about.
3, What is “Z” the EP is all about?
“Z” the EP’s theme was written based on growth and progression; every song was written based on different aspects of my life.
“Z vs Z” is essentially the “new me” talking to the “old me” by seeing all the mistakes that I’ve done and making sure that these things don’t define me as a person.
“Truth” is about asking better questions like “what’s my purpose being here alive?”. Because I feel like sometimes at this time and age, we don’t tend to question things as much, we do things just because other people think it’s right.
“Killing me softly” and “Almost” are about love and romantic sort of relationships.
Picture credits to the official photographer at the event.
4. How would you describe “Z” the EP in one word?
This is a tough one! This is the question that is going to get me thinking for a while. Even though I’m a lyricist there is just so many words to choose from, but I would say that “Z” the EP is very challenging. As you can see from the concert the instruments to the lyrics to the documentary it was definitely challenging.
5. What are some cities that you are looking forward to visit the most on your upcoming nationwide tour?
Definitely Penang! Because I haven’t been to Penang in like FOREVER and I heard that Penang has been great! But we also have plans for Johor Bharu, Miri, and Kuala Lumpur as well so that is very exciting!
Picture credits to the official photographer at the event.
6. You have 5 major songs (Still callin , Helly Kelly, Wanita , Z vs Z, and Truth). Which would you say was the most fun producing?
Oh, that’s a tough question, I mean “Helly Kelly” because that was the first song that I did on my own and I had no budget, no idea on what I was going to do. All I knew was that I wanted to do this song and I had an idea, so it was produced by Kidd Santhe and that was the moment I knew that I was going to turn everything around; I knew I was going to do it and not wait for anybody. I also love “Still callin” although I haven’t had a chance to perform that song but I’m definitely going to do it during the tour.
7. It’s pretty clear that you have an amazing loyal fan base. We noticed that you’ve been hosting a few online giveaways (the recent EP release party giveaway, and “Me VS Z” contest). Are there any plans for more?
Of course! I love my fans! Because I came up with the giveaways myself so I’m so proud of it! And when people start becoming a part of it, that’s when you know, you just want to make these things happen even more. And I have a little something in mind for when “Z” the EP album comes out so definitely stay tuned for more!
8. We know you’ve released “Wanita” which is a Malay song. Will there be more Malay songs for your Malay-speaking fans?
This year I do have a project that I sort of have in mind that I want to do in Malay, but I don’t want to say that it is just for the Malay fans because when I make music, it is for everyone. Even when I make English music is isn’t just for the English-speaking fans and the beauty about music is that the rhythm always comes first regardless of what language it is.
9. Your EP is very much influenced on growth, would you say that confidence is part of the growing process? And do you think that your “alter-egos” helped with that path down self-awareness/self-love?
I would say that in terms of confidence, I don’t think I had any issues with confidence. I know it’s crazy, but of course I had some moments when I was feeling a certain kind of way, but I think it was because my parents had always pushed for me to do things that I wanted to do.
I have always been very comfortable with myself in terms of the way that I sound and the way I look, but it was more of what I was going to show and write about.
If you really look at the lyrics of “Z vs Z” for example and break things down, you would find that there are some things that are really deep, but that’s when you realize that if you share your mistakes and your flaws as much as you show your strength, you will soon realize that the energy that comes out from people is amazing, because that’s what it takes to grow.
First acknowledge that you have flaws and things that you need to work on, then admit it, and then you can take action.
My action was writing about my flaws and performing it to the world.
Picture credits to the official photographer at the event.
10. Can you agree that it is one of the most rewarding thing to be an artist? Being able to touch and bring those emotions out from your listeners and fans?
Yeah! Of course, not just as an artist. Sometimes I would sit inside a Grab car (fun fact: I don’t and can’t drive!) and sometimes I would talk to the drivers and they tell me their problems and I just want to make them feel good. Whether it is through performing or through conversations because time is so short, and you want your conversations to be of substance.
Picture credits to the official photographer at the event.
