Meet ZENA DALY

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to ZENA DALY. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi ZENA, so happy you were able to devote some time to sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our community. So, we’ve always admired how you have seemingly never let nay-sayers or haters keep you down. Can you talk to us about how to persist despite the negative energy that so often is thrown at folks trying to do something special with their lives?

imagine giving weight to the voices of people who’ve never dared to build what I’m building. People who’ve never bet on themselves, never risked rejection, never cracked open their soul for the sake of truth or art. Why would I, someone sculpted by sacrifice and vision, shrink because of the opinions of spectators who’ve never even stepped into the ring?

People doing the work—the real, soul-taxing work of becoming—don’t have time to hate. They’re too busy healing, creating, surviving, and minding the business that actually feeds their purpose.

But let me be honest: it wasn’t always like this. There was a time when every comment pierced. Every silence, every sideways glance, every backhanded compliment… I felt all of it. I bent myself into shapes to be more palatable, more digestible, more lovable. Until I realized—people don’t hate you because you’re wrong. They hate you because you remind them of what they’ve abandoned in themselves.

I am deep. I am intense. I speak on what others avoid. I challenge the room just by entering it because my presence refuses to pretend. Passive-aggressive, manipulative people mistake my clarity for threat. Narcissists call it ego. But the truth is, I just don’t like small talk when the soul is starving. I want conversations that taste like lived experience—smart, ghetto, sacred, scientific, divine. I can laugh loud and still listen to lectures on quantum mechanics. I contain multitudes, and that unnerves the people who only ever gave themselves permission to be one thing.

And as for whether people like me? That’s not my business anymore. Their opinions won’t stop evolving, no matter how hard I try to shape-shift. So why bother dimming my light when it was never the brightness they couldn’t handle—it was their own reflection in it?

I persist because I was built to. Because silence, shame, and shrinking were never my birthrights. I persist because my very existence is a refusal to disappear.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I go by GODZENA — an artist, oracle, and storyteller whose work lives at the intersection of spirituality, sonic excellence, and emotional truth. I’m a multidimensional creative with over a decade of experience across music, theater, visual art, and design, and I use all of it to build immersive, transformative experiences that leave people feeling seen, awakened, and empowered.

My vocal journey began in Miami Gardens, with a cultural foundation built off of the traditions and legacy of my family from Roatán, Honduras, and was refined through both formal training and lived experience. I’ve always believed that artistry is a sacred calling; not just something you perform, but something you embody. Every time I create, I’m opening a portal where healing, rebellion, softness, and power co-exist.

What makes my work unique isn’t just the genre-blending or aesthetic, it’s the intention. I create for the ones navigating identity, pain, and purpose. For those who’ve been told they’re too much and chose to be even more. My work centers the mystical, the ancestral, the overlooked and the unapologetically powerful.

Recently, I had the opportunity to perform at the American Black Film Festival in honor of Love Jones and even in a limited time frame, I was reminded that it doesn’t take long for people to feel the weight and greatness of my voice and presence. It’s something spiritual. Immediate. Felt in the bones.

Right now, I’m focused on bringing that energy home to miami where Ill be curating live shows throughout Miami that feel more like spiritual events than concerts. I’m also in the process of creating new music that reflects this next era of evolution rooted in truth, soul, and divine timing.

This season is about alignment, not just visibility. It’s about resonance, not just reach. Most importantly. being in proximity —in my mind and in physical contact with my desired reality, so I can achieve all of my goals. My brand is luxury, liberation, legacy, and soul work.
This is GODZENA.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, the three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey are discernment, emotional resilience, and creative versatility.

Discernment taught me how to move with intention and know who and what is for me, and to walk away from anything that drains my purpose. In this industry, talent will open doors, but discernment determines which ones you shouldn’t walk through. For those just starting out, I’d say: learn to trust your gut early. Pay attention to energy, not just opportunity. Ask yourself not just “Can this help me?” but “Is this aligned with who I’m becoming?”

Emotional resilience saved me more times than I can count. This path will test your confidence, your vision, your sense of worth. You have to be able to hear a “no” and not let it shrink your spirit. You have to know how to hold grief and still keep creating. For new artists, nurture your mental health like it’s part of your craft. Because it is.

And finally, creative versatility because I don’t just sing; I design, I write, I direct, I coach, i dance and the list goes on and on and on. I had to become the team I didn’t have. That flexibility not only kept me employed, but helped me express my vision fully. My advice: don’t box yourself in. Learn the skills that help you stay independent, and don’t be afraid to take up space in more than one lane.

This journey is not just about talent; it’s about becoming someone who can hold the life they’re manifesting. That takes work. But it’s holy work.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

One of the most impactful tools in my creative and personal journey has been The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, especially the practice of Morning Pages. At first glance, it might seem like a simple exercise — writing three pages, longhand, every morning — but the clarity it brings has been deeply transformative.

Morning Pages have helped me quiet the noise in my mind and reconnect with my true voice. Not the one shaped by fear, performance, or survival, but the voice rooted in who I really am. Through this practice, I’ve been able to recognize the people, patterns, and environments that no longer serve me. Letting go didn’t come from a place of bitterness, but from a place of self-respect and alignment.

The pages also showed me how I was standing in my own way. They made me realize how much of my creative block was tied to my own thoughts. I began to notice the limiting beliefs, the inner narratives, and the ways I was shrinking myself without even realizing it. Morning Pages became a mirror that helped me see where I was out of sync with the version of myself I was trying to grow into.

I’ve had to start the book over many times. Life isn’t always consistent, and there were seasons where I was simply trying to survive. But each time I returned to the work, I discovered something new — not just about my creativity, but about my identity, my worth, and the type of life I’m building.

For anyone at the beginning of their journey, especially if you’re feeling creatively blocked or emotionally overwhelmed, I highly recommend starting there. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be honest. The more you show up for yourself, the more powerful and unshakable your art becomes.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/godzena?igsh=YWlocTMzeHpzYnJq
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zena.lei?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@godzena?si=uqjCkhsRMX-1VvI9