Zola Jesus is the stage name of North American singer-songwriter Nika Roza … Read Full Bio ↴Zola Jesus is the stage name of North American singer-songwriter Nika Roza Danilova (born 11 April 1989 in Phoenix, Arizona and raised in Merrill, Wisconsin, USA). Her music style combines electronic, industrial, classical, goth, and experimental rock influences.

Nika Roza Danilova was raised in Merrill, Wisconsin, on over 100 acres of forest. Danilova started singing early on, buying voice lesson tapes and opera sheet music at the age of 7; soon she began working with a vocal coach. It was not her parents' idea: "I begged them to do it. For some reason, I really wanted to sing opera even though I wasn't really exposed to it as a kid. I think my little baby toddler mind heard some opera song and then became fixated on how powerful it sounded," she later remembered. Danilova started performing opera when she was 10 years old, but experienced serious psychological difficulties. "I would too often lose my voice before performances due to anxiety, and was so hard on myself. I would beat myself up about any imperfections or flaws in my voice. I was such a perfectionist, and my voice was still so young so it couldn't do everything I wanted it to, and I resented myself for that. But since performing as Zola Jesus it's been getting easier," she later recalled.

In her teens, Danilova started to experiment in a more rock-orientated format. By naming her alter ego after Jesus Christ and the French writer Émile Zola she said she consciously wanted to alienate peers. "It worked perfectly – a lot of people wouldn't even say Zola Jesus because they thought it was sacrilegious", she said in an interview. "Using Jesus in my name isn't necessarily supposed to be a strong statement. I respect religion and I know people do need it, but it's a weird phenomenon in our world. It's so weird," she later commented. Inspired by favorites like Ian Curtis, Lydia Lunch, Diamanda Galás, Throbbing Gristle and Swans (but also bubblegum pop and classical aria), she started to record at home, using keyboards, drum machines and "anything else she had on hand". In 2008 she debuted with singles "Poor Sons" on Die Stasi and "Soeur Sewer" on Sacred Bones Records.

In 2009, while still studying at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Zola Jesus recorded (in her apartment) and released her debut full-length album The Spoils. The sound was in a certain way dependent on her surroundings. "I usually record in the winter because I am holed up. It's cold outside but warm inside with the heater and blankets. A lot of the songs are cold but in the coldness you find warmth. Winter has a lot to do with it.

Zola Jesus released an EP titled Stridulum in 2010, described as her most melodic work to date. Inspired by the Giulio Paradisi 1979 film of the same name, it marked "a huge leap forward in terms of fidelity and accessibility." After the release Zola Jesus performed at the SXSW festival, for her second time. Her second full-length album Stridulum II, which was an extension of the EP regarded as a debut in the UK, received 8/10 from NME which praised Danilova's classically trained voice as "the deadliest weapon in her arsenal" and called the album a "dark masterpiece."

Zola Jesus' third full-length Conatus was released in late September 2011 via Sacred Bones. The album's 11 tracks were produced by Brian Foote (aka Nudge; Jackie-O Motherfucker, Cloudland Canyon) and Danilova herself, including elements of cello, double bass, violin, and viola.

Zola Jesus has played with Former Ghosts and toured in support of Fever Ray and The xx. She also provides guest vocals on "New France" from their 2012 album Wonky.

Lightsick
Zola Jesus Lyrics

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Is it over
or has it begun
do you wonder
what will we become

when our eyes close
on the starry ends
when we finish our rows

and the folds are dead

when the lights go out
on us

when the will is real
but fate is a cold, cold thread
and the pins will fall
down to the motherland

sit down
let it take you in
kill off
or you let it when

when the lights go out
on us

when the signals fail to fade
and the waves will break the shade
fight the land
let it take you on
on

when the water turns to grey
and the darkness leads the way
fight the land
let it take you on
on

when the lights go out
on us

Overall Meaning

In Zola Jesus's song "Lightsick", the lyrics describe a feeling of uncertainty and unease about the future. The opening lines, "Is it over or has it begun, do you wonder what will we become" suggest a sense of ambiguity and apprehension about what lies ahead. The mention of closing our eyes on the "starry ends" and finishing our "rows" could be interpreted as a reference to death, adding to the uncertainty about what will happen after we're gone.

The chorus serves as a repeated reminder that when the lights go out, when we are left in darkness and uncertainty, we must fight through it and continue on. The lines "when the will is real but fate is a cold, cold thread" suggest that even when we have the drive and determination to succeed, the unpredictable forces of the universe can still throw us off our path.

Overall, "Lightsick" expresses a feeling of being lost and disoriented, but also emphasizes the importance of resilience and continuing to fight through difficult times.

Line by Line Meaning

Is it over
Are we at the end of something?

or has it begun
Or are we starting something new?

do you wonder
Are you curious about what's next?

what will we become
What will our future hold?

when our eyes close
When we die and our eyes shut forever

on the starry ends
at the end of life, when we look up at the stars

when we finish our rows
When we've completed our tasks and responsibilities

and the folds are dead
And the things that used to give us comfort or protection are gone

when the lights go out
When everything falls apart

on us
And affects us directly

when the will is real
When we have a strong desire to do something