39 Quotes by Zola Jesus

No matter what you do, if there’s something you’re afraid of, you need to break through it.

The word ‘theatrical’ makes me cringe, because it suggests a performance is staged, put on, rehearsed. And while all this is true for an opera, I believe the act of singing and performing should always be honest, raw, guttural.

I guess something people wouldn’t expect me to listen to are artists like Alicia Keys. But she is so incredibly talented. She has this huge voice and great work ethic, which I really respect in an artist. She is also very humble and gracious and devoted to her skill.

I feel like humans are a disease. It’s a hard thing to communicate in a pop song. I mean, who wants to hear that?

I don’t find much influence in opera. It was such a different part of me.

I started performing opera when I was 10 years old. I didn’t perform as Zola Jesus until I was probably 18.

People don’t really understand who I am. They always think that I’m very dark or depressed, but it couldn’t be further from the truth!

The greatest benefit of being a solo performer is that it is seriously frightening, but at the same time very empowering. It’s just you and the audience. All the weight is on you to deliver the songs.

It sounds kind of stupid, but I’ve never not wanted to be a musician. It’s been inside me since I was little so I don’t know what else I would do.