Metal Queen Zahna- Celebrating HEAVY and HOPE

Zahna is Metal's new Queen and her talents and tenacity take her way beyond the Christian Metalcore scene she has dominated. 

Everyone told me how much I would love interviewing Zahna and I really did. She has so much to say and her energy is infectious. 

We discuss bouncing back from a life altering illness, teaming up with a member of Korn for a new album, touring with her idol  (this summer) and finding your own unstoppable power. Can't wait for ZAHNA Part 2! 

TC Out! Tune in next week! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Hey friends, it's Terry Carr, and this is the Carr Stereo Podcast. Welcome back for another week. Busy stuff going on. You can actually listen to me on the radio again. I'm on the hog. Everything at rocks. 1059 the hog. Check me out on again. If you're in the New York City area on July 9th, join me for Bond Batch, the Bond Scott birthday batch at the Cutting Room in New York City as we celebrate Bond Scott's 80th with a bunch of amazing performers. Don't forget to follow me on Facebook and Instagram. And you can always check out Car Stereo Podcast video content on my Terry Carr YouTube channel. This week we are going metal. I love the female energy in metal music. And I caught up with Donna, D-A-H-N-A-B. Everybody told me, you're gonna love Donna. You've got to have it on the podcast. And if we next, Donna has a great new record. It's heavy, it's amazing, her songwriting, it's a great book coming out in September. She collaborates with her biggest rock star fan, Brian Hetwell. Of Horn, he's a fan of Donna. Head actually signed the band with its crossover label and guessed it on their track, Viber. Donna has a wild journey, too. She came back from the brink of death, really a life-threatening illness. We talk all about it. She's taking her career into her own hands, and of course, working with Head from Horn and scoring the opening slot on a tour featuring her favorite band. It's a journey of hope and heavy as the Car Stereo Podcast welcomes Zana. So I literally just met you on the Zoom like 35 seconds ago, and I feel like we're best friends already. I don't know how that happened. I've been wanting to have you on the Car Stereo Podcast for a really long time. I am with the incredible Zana. It is so nice to see you. And you know what? This is exactly how I pictured you'd zoom in with like this very cool kind of vibe, sort of vibe behind you. Welcome.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Yes, thank you so much. Thank you for having me, Terry. This is awesome. I apologize if my internet cuts out. Um, but yeah, I'm really happy to be here and so much is going on, like we discussed before you started recording. So yeah, I'm really excited to get into it, but prepare because for girls, we tend to take longer on interviews and I'm okay with it.

SPEAKER_02 2:18

You are killing it. I want to mention to you, I'm so inspired by what the women in metal are doing. And I have gotta call this out because women in metal now are doing things that we were not. I'm from a different generation coming up in the music business in the radio world and seeing so many different trends. We were not allowed to do what you guys are doing. You guys are taking your careers and saying, you know what, this is my career. I'm not changing shit for anyone. I'm gonna have good people in my wheelhouse. I have the tenacity to be in it for the long haul. And I don't really care what a label or a manager is telling me. I'm not saying that you wouldn't be down to take some good advice from a producer or somebody around you who sees something or feels that there's a way to make it better. But back in the day, you had to be one kind of rock woman. I really see it in the metal community, whether it's you or Molly from Living Dead Girl or Kristen from Daedric, you ladies are doing what you want to do to move your career forward. Was that always something that you said, you know what? Digging in my heels, I'm not straying here.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

I I definitely used to be more timid, but after I experienced uh kidney failure in like 2019, I realized that uh I really don't have time to worry anymore and I've gotta just do or die, literally. So that's what we're here to do.

SPEAKER_02 3:47

You had some mega challenges. I mean, here the career is going. Career is going. So you get diagnosed with kidney disease maybe like about 10 years ago, I think.

SPEAKER_01 3:57

Yeah, it was about uh 20, I was 24 years old. I'm 33 now, so it's gonna be about 10 years since I was diagnosed. And then I'm about seven years into my uh transplant. I have my kidney was donated by my mother, and uh it was such a paradigm shift in my mind. Uh really some really psychologically trying times. But um, I have to admit that without that experience, I don't think I would have found the tenacity to get to this point because there was so much more beyond that. Um, and so uh I don't know, it's like just surviving by the seat of your pants, and then all of a sudden it's a Cinderella story, and you're and you're at the castle and you don't know how it happened, but it did.

SPEAKER_02 4:34

It's so energizing for artists to hear this too, because of course, not only did you go into like COVID hell because you were starting your career, but you went into kidney and covet hell at the same time and still came out on the other side and said, you know what? All right, I'm gonna sort of pick up my shit where I dropped it and move forward, which is incredible. So you've got a new record that's coming out in September called Break or Breakthrough. Very, very exciting. I want to talk about famous fans because I think a part of that paradigm shift that you were talking about, too, was when Brian Head Welsh becomes a fan, Brian from Corn, and it's not necessarily that you reach out to him and say, Hey, here's our stuff. Can you produce our record? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It doesn't really work like that. He kind of becomes a Zana fan because he sees you guys, I think, live, right? And is you're kind of on his radar and play the same event.

SPEAKER_01 5:32

Yeah, that's exactly what happened. I mean, we, you know, we we have a really tight-knit music community, and you're gonna rub shoulders with a lot of cool people and maybe not so known people, and wherever you lie in between is what you are at that point. And um uh yeah, we just happened to play his actual time slot. Uh, the show is running late, and our set got pushed to his speaking point, so he was already there. And of course, you hear about you know, artists through the grapevine that are trying to come up and you know, just seeing what's out there. But uh yeah, if I hadn't done my last independent album the way I did, I I worked really hard for three years to come up, not only out of kidney disease and and transplant and COVID mess, and then also on the brink of financial ruin because I had just put in like 20 grand into touring right before the pandemic shut it down. So I was like, dude, I have a lot of bills to pay. And it was just a different kind of hell. Like, you know, I was working like three ways, like I was working three jobs, like waitressing shifts, like it was just so you know, difficult because I had lost so much like muscle throughout my kidney transplant that it was just like tears of just like not being able to stand very long. But like literally, you have your health insurance and all your meds to pay for, plus, you know, all this debt that you just accrued because you, you know, believe. So um, yeah, I think it I didn't know I could stretch so intensely. I think that uh yeah, a lot of this new album is about those times that I didn't really get to write in the last album because I was still uh not really going through the mud yet. Uh I had known about my disease, but I hadn't really gotten to understand what was about to happen in the world and in my life and in my health. So um break or breakthrough is is very fitting for the album that's coming out because I literally thought I was gonna rip in half or actually make it. It was not, it was do or die. Um, so a lot of the struggle, you're gonna hear some really painful lyrics and some really redeeming lyrics in the in the next stuff and uh just fire, just absolute fire. So I can't wait. I hope it was all worth it.

SPEAKER_02 7:32

So much power. Everything I've heard has been so powerful. And I think coming out of the other side, you look at the journey very differently than when you're actually going through. You're entering the journey, that's one phase. Then you're in the journey, that's the second phase. And then when you come out the other side, you have a whole new perspective. Yeah, wow, everything I've heard from this record is so incredibly powerful. So you're on Brian's label now, Crossover Records, which is very cool. It's got the little X like cross when I first saw it, I was like, what is this label? Then I was like, Oh, it's Crossover Records. I get it now. It's Brian. And I think it was your husband who kind of came to you and said, Look, like head's a fan, and I think he wants to sign the band, right?

SPEAKER_01 8:17

Yes, yes. My husband's a huge part of our success story this day. Um, he has always been grinding, and and you know, he he's got a lot of good instinct for this business. Uh, and and luckily I get to I get to benefit from that as well. And, you know, we just make a really uh uh power team. Um but you know, we were actually at the at one of his um uh cover gigs. He, you know, he's a full-time musician, so he's always gigging. And he had received a preliminary call that morning, and we kind of knew that like, oh, there's this new label, like, oh, maybe like I can't remember if they scouted us or we submitted, it's just so blurry. Um, but I know that we got one initial call um uh from a friend that was already on the label or a friend spoken, and he was just kind of being like, dude, I think, you know, I'm I'm putting in words for you, like, I think you guys can do this. And um when I found out that they were actually interested in signing us uh there at my husband's uh gig at the restaurant, I just stepped out back and started screaming in the air, just like, ah, you know, like a victory yell, I guess. Um, because you know, you just you don't know what you're gonna do when you have, you know, caught the rabbit. You finally did it. Like you've been tying like trying for years to chase this thing that you don't even know is real, you don't even know if it's actually a safe bet. Everything you do in music is kind of a gamble. It's a really chaotic industry, um, and a lot, a lot of uh investment goes in, but it could be all for naught. It's a gamble, you know. Um, and so when you just finally like have someone like Brian seeing you, like you just feel unstoppable. You feel like I I don't care what anyone else says. That person knows who I am, and this is awesome. Um, and so when we start working together, it was by far the best experience I've ever had on a record label. Um, they're really supportive of our vision. They get that we're kind of uh a little, we got some costumes in our van, it's a little, you know, uh interesting. There's some art art artistry there that, you know, I know Brian appreciates by being from corn because they've got their whole gimmick too. And it's just so fun. It's become a reality that you can just be free and who you want to be in creativity, and somebody likes it, someone digs it and is literally willing to put their endorsement behind you and their money. And so I I I just I couldn't be more grateful. I'm so glad I didn't give up all the times that I wanted to. Um, and and and here we are. So yeah, it's pretty, it's pretty moving.

SPEAKER_02 10:38

And the cool thing about him is he's also a good dude, which is like so important. I say this to artists all the time because we've all you know traveled this music community together. Some days you have good people in your wheelhouse, other days shit bags come in the wheelhouse, and you're just like, wait a minute, what's going on here? He's a really good dude. So do you ask him to be on Defiler? Does it like how does that did you have the balls to actually like ask him, hi, will you be on my record?

SPEAKER_01 11:08

Yeah, so we uh the cool thing for you. Yeah, the cool thing is that we we uh we got signed. They were they were gonna pick up my last album, but it had already been out for a little too long. So I'm like, look, let's just do a new album. So they they agreed, which is huge. That's you know, a brand new album, like so. I did, and I was like, this has to be the best written album that has ever been written. Like I the pressure is on. And uh so I go in thinking about all these things from writing from the ground up. Like, what does this record need to accomplish and how do we need to write it? And I just realized, dude, like you need to get Brian on a track. So we literally wrote this song. We start out with an instrumental, and I'm like, man, this is so cool. But as we start writing, I'm like, dude, we need to get a feature. What are we doing? Let's let's get Brian on this. So I left I initially left the second verse open for him, and he uh I was so nervous to send the email. I I think I left it super, super plain, like really simple, one or two questions, two sentences, because it's better to just be direct and not write paragraphs because you don't you just don't know, you know? And then so he heard the demo that we wrote out and he was like, I dig this, I like it. And I was like, oh my gosh. And I was like, Do you want, do you want, you know, do you want to write your part for it? And he was like, you know what? Let me see what you write. So I was like, oh my god, now I have to write a a freaking verse for one of the biggest rock stars in the world, dude. And so the pressure was crazy. And and you know what? I just I think I was flying that day. I took a flight, I don't even remember where. I was like, okay, I'm gonna write this verse on this plane. And it took me like 15 minutes only, and then I just sent it to him because I thought it was pretty metal, and he loved it. So it was awesome. He went and recorded his part out in Bakersville where he he lives, and uh, we got the stems and we started mixing and going ham on it, and the and it was just such it was so obvious that that was the song. Yeah, he has he's a huge part about it.

SPEAKER_02 13:00

The video's incredible. I love seeing the two of you together. I love when he comes bounding in on his part on the course. It's just so incredibly cool. So let's talk about, let's talk about another track. Let's talk about The Archer is such a powerful song. Oh my goodness, I feel really empowered when I hear that song. Give me a little bit of a backstory on your inspiration. You know, I never like to ask people what's this song about, because I think everything is interpretive, you know, for I'm interpreting it differently. But what inspired you to put that amazing banger together?

SPEAKER_01 13:36

Yeah, I think at the time, I think it was pretty obvious all the corruption going on in our nation. Uh it's just blatant at this point. Um, you know, and it was there was just so much truth being covered up. We don't know, you know, it's just so many narcissistic traits in our culture that is becoming so uh aware, you know, and and the thing is we can point at culture all day long, but the truth is is that the dark darkness lives in everyone. Um and so the Archer, when I wrote The Archer, I was kind of putting multiple perspectives in that song, you know, it's a cry about injustice uh not only around you, um, but also, you know, the evil inside of you that lives, that you always have um, you know, that that dog that's that's the good part of you that that always keeps the flesh in check, you know. And so for me it was an empowering song that no matter where this evil comes from, like if it's outward or if I find it in myself, it's going, it's done, it's gone. And so it's it's very much a uh principle in in the Christian faith, which I am a Christian, that you know, the the spirit overcomes the flesh every time, and it's far more powerful. Um, and so it's just uh a battle cry for justice and truth and uh that evil cannot hide forever. It's we're gonna find, we're gonna find where it comes from for sure.

SPEAKER_02 14:48

I love that the little guy tapping on your shoulder, the little you tapping on your shoulder to tell you, hey, you better get your better get your shit in check. Oh, and you know, you're going out with Fly Leaf. I saw the dates, couple of dates announced. We got a Philly date, and we have a Boston date. I believe uh Philadelphia folks, it is July 11th, and then Boston is the next date on July 12th. That's gotta be super cool for you. I'm sure growing up, that was a band that you, you know, I know you're in Evanescence was a big moment for you, and I'm sure Fly Leaf was definitely in your wheelhouse.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

Yeah, it's it's terrifying and and exciting and exhilarating at the same time because you know, I grew up uh, you know, in eighth grade and uh walking to Wendy's and practicing all of Fly Leaf's material and learning it as subject material to learn, screaming, you know, um, and songwriting. And so it's it's it's it's scary to meet your heroes at the same time. This is and and at the same time I was super blessed because I had tried so hard to go and see Fly Leaf uh before Lacey left uh the band live, and I just couldn't make it. Every time they were around, I just couldn't go. And never in my wildest dreams did I think the first time I would see this massively pillar influential band in my life, I would be opening for them. I never, you know, and so it's just again, you can't believe what's going on in front of you. It's hard, it's crazy. I just I'm fanning out right now. That's what I'm talking about.

SPEAKER_02 16:15

I just got chills when you said that. Like I literally just got chills because that is an incredible, an incredible moment for you. It's one of those moments in time that you read about in books where the world kind of stops. You gotta take a breath. You have to not feel pressure. You've got to you've got to enjoy this moment.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:33

I know you're gonna kick ass. That we already know, but you gotta take in a little of it and you've got to enjoy it as well because this is a big moment. When was your first moment, Zana? When was the moment that you saw someone? Was it Amy from Evanescence, where you just all of a sudden kind of got sucked into that world and your life changed as a person?

SPEAKER_01 16:55

Yes, absolutely. Well, I can tell you that the first time I ever heard Bring Me to Life by Evanescence, I want to say I was in elementary school, and it just stopped me dead in my tracks. I was like, I remember just getting off the bus and running to my room for my radio to wait till that song kept playing again and again. And I just wait, wait, wait. And I just remember hearing like the guitars, and I, you know, and at that time I'd also discovered Lincoln Park too. Um, and I was about to discover Switchfoot, and I just tended to gravitate to these like rock beats that um I love so much, and seeing my dad play guitar, he started teaching me, and I was like, I this it feels intuitive. I think I can do this, and it helped me release the own music I kept obsessing and writing in my head. Uh so that's kind of the whole reason I got into music. I could not stop hearing music in my head, and it just wouldn't leave me alone. Um, and so uh yeah, the there's been so many moments. Uh, there's also been really tragic moments where I was like, dude, I think I'm done in music. I don't think I can do this anymore. Like I am being broken apart. Like, you know, there's betrayal, there's people talking about you behind your back. There is a lot of financial things that are very difficult to overcome to be a band. Um, you know, you need a lot of money and you need really good writers and you need you need a lot of help. Um, and you don't know who to trust, you know. Um, but I'm so glad that I didn't quit. And there's so many moments that, you know, I think the first time I ever played in my band in what is it, ninth grade, I started a rock band, a garage band with my friends from high school, and our first show was Herman's Barbecue in Cibolo, and I had no idea what was gonna happen. And I got on that mic, and all the only boys, all boys on every other band. And I got that mic in my hand, and we started playing the songs we had written, and there was this electricity that I had never experienced, just run through my body. And I just started performing, I don't know where it came from. And so uh after that, we get off stage and all the boys are like, Whoa, you're pretty good, you know. And as a girl, you're like, Yeah. I don't think so.

SPEAKER_02 19:01

You can rock and roll unless you've had your sausage fest I've played at a barbecue moment. That, my friend, is rock and roll. That is your indoctrination, that is your baptism into the world of rock and roll. So I love that story because it's so rock and roll, and that's your arrival. Like your arrival's not playing actually with Fly Leaf. The arrival is the barbecue. It's with all the dudes.

SPEAKER_01 19:26

Shout out in Civil O Texas. I love that. So many years ago.

SPEAKER_02 19:30

Texas of all places, done, over, finished, you're in.

SPEAKER_01 19:34

Yes. And then after that in high school, you're just like, well, now I have to beat the boys. Now I have to beat the boys in Battle of the Bands. And maybe you never did, but you were gonna show up, okay? You were gonna make your band at least get into finals for Battle of the Bands, you know, whether you lost or not. Um, so I've been doing this a long time. I've lost a lot of times, man. People think I win a lot, they have no idea all the failures behind this track record. And so um, I truly believe good things don't happen until you're ready. And I'm grateful that uh I had a lot of years of failing and discipline to keep you humble when it does happen because it's so easy to let it consume you in a good or a bad way. So um, we're just trying to stay uh, I guess, true to our purpose and true to uh the art and not just make it about pride or anything like that.

SPEAKER_02 20:20

I have to tell you, all of my friends in the music business keep saying to me, You have to meet Zana because you're gonna love her. You guys are gonna connect. And my friend Gary's like, I gotta connect you with her. You guys are gonna have such a great conversation. And I am not disappointed at all. They were completely right. I absolutely did fall in love with you. Girl Crush, huge fan. Cannot wait for September for break or breakthrough to hit. Zana, there's only great things on the horizon for you. Congratulations on all that you've done. And I'm so glad that you stuck with it. I think your story is so important, not only for musicians, but I think your story is just so impactful for anyone who's wanted to throw in the towel, has a vision, has a dream, and just kind of doesn't know how they're gonna get out on the other side. And I think that this record, this journey record for you is wow. I'm just so looking forward to September for the release.

SPEAKER_01 21:19

Thank you so much. I truly hope that it the album just touches people. Like I really hope I didn't have to go through all that for nothing. You know, so I hope that it does do what it needs to do in the world. And whatever happens from here on out, I've already won. I'm I'm so happy. I'm I'm I've already made it. It's you know, whether this night ends like Cinderella or it keeps going, it's it's already done. It's I'm so happy and proud. And health is good, everything is good with you. Your health is good? It it's manageable. I manage it. It is it is a new lifestyle. It's it's kind of up and down sometimes, but um, you know, whatever. It it doesn't, it's not gonna stop me. Zana, such a pleasure to meet you and such a pleasure to catch up.

SPEAKER_02 21:59

And we have to post Fly Leaf do part two, because I need to hear about your moments from those shows.

SPEAKER_01 22:05

Oh my gosh, I'm so nervous.

SPEAKER_02 22:07

No, you're gonna kill it. You are gonna kill it.

SPEAKER_01 22:11

Thank you so much, my love. You're so welcome. Thank you, Terry. I'll I'll talk soon, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_00 22:16

Don't forget to like this podcast and subscribe to the car stereo page on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Rob Morgan.