The amount of times that I'm introduced to a new artist or band with the fact that first started making music in order to have an emotional or mental release is truly countless. There's something about the magic behind creating sounds through instruments and sharing your inner thoughts that naturally attracts us humans. That was exactly the case with 20-year--old newcomer Zahra who used her love of journaling and piano to work through a low point in her life. A the end of it, she had five songs, all recorded, performed, produced and written by herself. Without outside help, the I Feel Weird EP has remained in its rawest form, complete with emotional voice cracks and lingering pauses as the piano chords echo out into the space.
Since that initial debut, Zahra has taken time to heal over old wounds and learn how to spend time alone, thus came a new idea - in my company - which is the title of the second EP from this emerging singer-songwriter. Once again, we have five tracks on which to join the journey of positive solitude and re-learning, starting with 'naturally', an ambient lullaby-esque number flush with layered vocals and the ever-present piano. Between her last EP and this one, it's evident that Zahra has stepped up her production game and sought out new elements of soul, R&B, pop to incorporate into her signature melancholic style, most distinctly on 'own me'. It's in the second half of the EP, where her organic sound can be heard a little more, with the lamenting and reluctant 'i like my own company' in familiar minor chords, before the acceptance of 'sanctuary', which is noticeably more upbeat although still bursting with unfiltered emotion. We close the EP with 'a part of me', an optimistic note painted in the dreamy hues of a simply pop ballad in which Zahra recognises that she's so much more than her past struggles - "I'm not my anxiety, I'm not who you want me to be".