Written over the course of five years, 'Dreams' is a slow-burning coming-of-age tale wrapped in mythical imagery and rich textures. As the orchestration builds and bends, so too does the emotional arc of the song, from sadness and longing, to clarity and release.
So with the new single available now, we sat down with her to discuss her background and what has been inspiring her most over the years.
-
What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
I used to want to have nothing to do with music. In a kindergarten play in Zurich, Switzerland, I begged my teacher that I wouldn’t have to sing and was the only one who ended up not having a solo out of all the children. When we moved to Manchester, music became a much bigger part of my life. The choir attendance was mandatory, and I thought it was fun. At a parent-teacher conference, my music teacher wanted to sell us singing lessons like she did with every student. She went on about how talented I was, although she had never heard me sing. My parents nodded and said thank you, and then turned to each other to discuss, trying to find a polite reason to decline. But since they spoke in German and not in English, and all of us forgot that the teacher did not speak German, she never heard us declining it. A week later, to my surprise, I was pulled out of class for a singing lesson. Because of miscommunication, my singing journey began. From that day, it became my absolute favourite thing in the world, and I haven’t shut up since.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
I grew up listening to Back Eyed Peas on my dad’s iPod and would fall asleep each night listening to Linkin Park. To this day, Linkin Park is incredibly calming to me, which I don’t think is how anyone would describe their old work. When I began singing, I became obsessed with the entire soundtrack of Victorious, the Nickelodeon show and then the entire Ariana Grande discography. My music taste is very broad because my dad would always show me new singles he discovered between pop, rock and electronic music, and my mom would always play Brazilian music around the house. This was also the time YouTube really started booming, and I would spend hours watching music videos.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Probably the “My Everything” album by Ariana Grande, the harmonies really inspire me to this day or “The E.N.D” by Black Eyed Peas. I love how fun the music is.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
A song for you by Jonny Hathaway, but my piano skills suck, or Escapism by Raye and Shake 070, which walks the thin line of excitement and despair.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Experimenting, giving myself the space to try out new instruments and new harmonies. I write music to tell stories. What does the character that wants to tell their story want, and how would they lay out their truth?
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Saya Grey, Doechii and Ethel Cain.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Katseye or Ariana Grande. If it were possible, Freddie Mercury and Amy Winehouse.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Creating music for me is all about telling stories and communicating my inner world. In my songs, I use metaphors of existing fairy tales or perspectives of created characters to share very personal tales and disguise them through a fairy tale realm, which really seems to resonate with people. When I play my shows, I spill my heart out on stage, and what really always gets me are the expressions in the crowd. I think my souvenir gifts should be tissues, maybe with a cute design or something, because people always begin to cry. I think it’s the hope or anger in the melancholic parts that gets them. There will always be someone in the crowd whose eyes I meet, and in that moment, their guard is fully down, and their expression is so open and honest because something about my music resonated with them. I have had really beautiful conversations after. Once, amongst all my friends at one of my first quite big venues, there were two strangers in the crowd amidst all my loved ones, and their eyes were brimming with tears, and they were clutching each other in an embrace. Their expressions changed to every sentiment in my songs, from wide smiles to tears slipping down their cheeks.
And what is the most frustrating part?
I like to do music in an unconventional way. I hate social media and genuinely the way platforms are using AI. I have gotten multiple AI rejections by labels because my following didn’t match what they needed. And I was just heard yelling, trying to hammer at this virtual door like “Hey, come on, I know this is genuinely special”. I have the principle that I make music my way. Working together with my creative community to create music videos, I found fashion designers to lend us clothing or jewellery, and worked with people who miss expressing themselves creatively and gave them the chance to do so. Instead of focusing too much on social media. My bestie and I created stickers, and we handed them out all over town.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
“Show your emotion in your voice because that is your superpower”, and when I was bummed about the music industry, a friend told me “Zoé, you will find a way cause you always do it your way anyway.”
-
Zoé Hammer's new single 'Dreams' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.