The video for Zāna’s single, ‘Nah’ opens as it means to go on. A woman wearing high heeled shoes, emblazoned with a big cat on one, and the word ‘Nah’ in diamonds on the other, strides into a party – the heels sparking electricity as she goes. It’s the perfect representation of the sass, sultriness, and strength which come to mind when we think of Zāna.
A multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter, she mixes Arabic and Latin influences in her sound, creating what she describes as “gypsy pop”. She is a strong independent woman, who on the one hand can belly dance to the sound of traditional music, while appealing to a pop audience; and not only does she write and compose her own songs, she also produces it as well.
Music has always been Zāna’s passion. She’s studied at the Berklee College of Music, and obtaining her BA in Professional Music, and she’s worked with Grammy Award winning producers, Tim Mitchell, who’s produced Shakira, and George Noriega, best known for his work with Jennifer Lopez. Zāna’s previous release, ‘Call Ya’, has to date garnered more than 1.4 million views YouTube views.
Zāna’s debut EP, ‘The Beauty Of Zora’, is named for, and dedicated to, her grandmother, who had schizophrenia. With each track, Zāna addresses a different mental health issue she’s personally had to deal with, and in so doing, opens up to fans, while at the same time using the experience as a catharsis.
‘Nah’ was written by Zāna, and produced by LEFTI, and is a song all women can relate to, and maybe a lot of men can learn from. In the video, she strides purposefully into a club, with men catcalling, trying to attract her attention. She wards them off with the wave of her finger, choosing instead to go to where her girlfriends are sitting. The advances of the men don’t stop throughout the night, but Zāna pays them no heed. The message of the clip is simple: not everything women do is for the benefit of men – women can dress a particular way because it makes them feel good, not just because they want to attract a man. And “no” means no – if you’ve been rebuffed once, then it’s time to move on. ‘Nah’ is an anthem to what we think and feel about unwanted propositions – we want to say over and over and over again – “nah” – girls want to have fun, but on their own terms.
Find out more about Zāna on her official website.
