Soul in bloom

Toronto's hidden gem Zaki Ibrahim is destined to make it big

The first hot topic was of course Shö, Zaki’s fresh-off-the-press limited edition EP. “The idea with Shö was to keep the EP runs exclusive,” she pronounces ‘exclusive’ half jokes, half serious. “At the end of the sampler we added 3 hidden tracks that change up with each small CD run.”


I’d hooked up the sampler prior to the interview, so I knew how sweet it is. New listeners will turn to fans and fans are sure to appreciate the refreshed sophistication of performance faves on Shö. For instance, there’s the sure to make you swoon Parisian-esque accordion remake of My Joy, or the minimal clarity of Connect Mattalike, reminiscent of Sade vocals. Whatever, also in re-mastered form, is a shining example of Zaki’s blended, genre-less style. Using elements as diverse as what sounds like a circa Bladerunner sample to the dark syncopated echo-ey beats, the sun-washed electric riff of the chorus, and the stable cowbell-ish anchor – Whatever leaves you kind of curious and stunned, definitely wanting more. The newer tracks like Grow and Daylight are just as mesmerizing, and evidence that Zaki’s brilliance is not about to slow down.

 

It was hardly surprising that when I asked Zaki how long she’d been into music she said all her life: “Even when I was a kid I was always writing little songs, then when I was in high school I was trying to rhyme”, Zaki says laughing, “and sing, and [I was] perform[ing] at like, community halls”. But despite her life-long interest, Zaki explains that it wasn’t until she met up with Darp here in Toronto that she started writing songs and recording. “Only in the last 4 or 5 years, and it’s been only in the last 2 years that I’ve been really making my music my real focus”. She’s referring to Darp Malone. Although Zaki has collaborated with many folks, including The Quartertones, Tumi and the Volume, and DJ Serious, she’s worked closest with Darp Malone on most of the beats on her EP, and he’s been a major collaborative influence on her work in general. “Collaboration is a big part of what I like to do.” Zaki describes it as having a great effect on her writing process and always changing the way songs come about with different forms of collaboration. Speaking of the creative process, I wanted to hear more.   

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EW: What’s the connection between writing melodies and writing poetry or lyrics?
ZI: A lot of the songs start from my free-writing, [I’m] not sure if I can call them all poems, kind of poems because they’re abstract pieces of writing – you know, playing with words, playing with couplets, sonnets and things, with half-line, half-poems. So those are very therapeutic, and a lot of songs come about that way.

 

EW:  How is a song born? How does it reach the state of, say, the version on the EP?
ZI: So there’s the poetry, and my grabbing from that, (but) the process is often different. It often comes from hearing a bassline or hearing a rhythm in my head, and I’ll grab from stuff that I’ve already written if it fits with the general sentiment of what it is.  There’s finding the melody or the rhythm and seeing how it fits into a piece of writing, or there’s also hearing the beat, or hearing the melody and being inspired by it to write whatever the mood or the topics that come up in your head in what you hear.  So the process is different every time.  What I’ve started to do (Zaki’s eyes light up) is make music, beats with your mouth, or making stuff up, and I’ve used different methods of writing that way, almost on like some Bobby McFerrin kind of thing, making the beat in my head, and then recording that, and then writing over that  – whether it’s like a repeated phrase or something like that, I mean it’s different every time, the process - it changes.

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The new version of My Joy on the EP reflects yet another process – that is, the process of rewriting a track "from the ground-up", to use Zaki’s term.  Originally the track had been written and recorded over Darp Malone’s jazzy, old swing piano sounding beat.  One night when Zaki was performing with a band the keyboardist played it with a different rhythm, giving it a completely new feel.  Upon listening to the recording of that performance, Zaki and Darp got inspired to start playing in the studio with different drum sounds, and instruments until something sparked with the accordion.  “It was like YES!, That’s the accordion, yes!”  It’s exactly that kind of discovery that is really important to Zaki, she explains,  “I think and hope that [the process] is ever changing. That I’m always able to try different ways.”

From the sounds of it, her music venture fulfills her desire for variety on many tips.  When I asked her about writing/recording vs. performing/touring she explained that while on the surface they are very different things, they are equally challenging and rewarding. Each time she goes to the studio is a fresh experience, just like each time on stage gives her a new rush. “Even if it’s like nine or ten shows in a row, every single time it’s like whoa...I don’t know if I can do this!”

EW:  So what about other art forms? What else is Zaki Ibrahim into or good at?
ZI: Hair. Cooking… I love to do hair in my time off and I love cooking, although I haven’t had a chance to do much cooking lately, what else…I want to say basketball but that’s in my head, dancing - also in my head!

At this point Zaki and I are both laughing, but I have to interject.

EW: Nah, I’ve seen you dance, I’d say dancing is definitely another, I’ve seen you rocking out -
ZI: Yeah but I’m way better in my head though!  I do headspins in my head.  In fact, I was hospitalized one time for trying to spin on my head, yea because I was positive that I could do it, and then, hehehe,  I heard like the doctors and nurses laughing outside after they asked what had happened…

So Zaki didn’t pursue the future in b-girling, but it’s just as well.  With more touring and songwriting on the horizon, she plans to spend a good portion of the coming year focused on making an album.  If things go as she hopes, she will also make a trip to  her home, South Africa. In the coming months; a trip which Zaki tells me is long overdue.  And well deserved, I would add.  The smart, humble, hilarious and hardworking singer is definitely an inspiration.

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EW: Zaki, where do you draw your inspiration from?
ZI: What inspires me as a person is everything, everything around me.  Even if it’s negative, it’ll put me through an emotion.  Everything inspires and everything reacts off everything else.  And not to be too general but I’m definitely inspired by art, soulful art.

When we turn to the topic of Toronto, Zaki also cites local artists as a source of inspiration. “The amount of talent right here in this city is mind-blowing. I feel really lucky to be living in this city, and I feel like it’s a really good place for me to be right now”   When I look up at others scattered around the studio, there’s a subtle nod from everyone in agreement. It’s like Zaki’s words remind everyone of Toronto pride. True That.

 

 

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Catch Zaki's movements at D6 Music: www.districtsixmusic.com

Or be her best freind on Myspace: www.myspace.com/zakiibrahim

 

 

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