Zola Jesus: Artist You Should Know

A few months ago, KCRW DJ Mario Cotto and I were grabbing a bite and when I hopped in his car, he got one of his “OMG you have to hear this!” faces on and played me a track from Zola Jesus. I could tell this wasn’t a passing fancy, this was a major hardcore musical crush. Now, Mario’s written a 5Things blog post on “5 Truly Otherworldly Female Singers You’ll Hear About in 2011” and Zola tops the list.

Check out his full list here and read an excerpt below:

“I love, not only female singers, but female artists who have a truly unique sound and vision. Recently, I’ve come across a number of remarkable talents I couldn’t help but share. I think that each of these artists will not only be ones to watch in 2011, but ones you should seek out and hear as soon as possible. Live, if you can.

1. Zola Jesus

Backstage, Nika Danilova is a tiny tiny thing. A very sweet kind-mannered Midwestern girl too. On-stage, her presence and demeanor are very different. Amplified by the dramatic image of her long hair, which seems to drape her whole body like a yurei, she is haunted and totally haunting. Her voice is gorgeous and as big and pointed as the Washington Monument, if it was pointing at you instead of the sky. To boot, she’s released 4 EPs and collaborated on the Former Ghosts album, while endlessly touring this year, including opening for The XX.