Fresh Prospects: Zaza and the Psychedelic Orchestra and Leila Lamb

ZaZa, a French-Turkmen artist, transforms her love of performance into a visionary musical journey. Growing up, she discovered her passion for music through a deep desire to be seen, finding the stage to be a space where she could truly shine. ZaZa crafts a bold, rock-based sound that fuses elements of classical, jazz, and pop, creating an electrifying and genre-defying experience. Now based in Boston, she continues to make waves in the music scene. She has sold out Rockwood Music Hall and drawn large crowds at iconic local venues like the Middle East and the Rockwell Theater, showcasing her magnetic stage presence and storytelling. With new releases set for 2025, ZaZa is poised to redefine boundaries, offering a bold and authentic sound that reflects her journey and vision.

Leila Bahrami’s artist project, Leila Lamb, seeks to merge the seemingly contrasting concepts of femininity and horror into one identity. To her, girlhood and the female experience are inherently horrific—a split-screen of sugar and spice that mirrors a life of turmoil, confusion, skewed lenses, and objectification. She yearns to reclaim control by embracing these ideas and encouraging others to follow suit. She writes music for the dissonant: perfectly flawed, lovably vile, sweetly sour, and purely tainted. With lyrics that titillate and terrify, she blends sounds and bends genres, creating a corner of music inspired by the likes of Queen, No Doubt, Radiohead, Fiona Apple, Imogen Heap, and Kate Bush—with a modern twist.