We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Zhariah a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Zhariah, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
Resilience is not a foreign concept to my life. I’ve always had to have it, getting bullied in school, losing talent shows. Not getting into the college I want and even applying to 80 festivals fresh off of Afropunk and getting none of them. I know that hard moments are always followed by even bigger moments, or even better ones than we imagined. I just think of my younger self who wanted to accomplish so much i know if I give up on her it’s like im giving up on my younger sister, so I push through it all.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’ve always been creative, but music is the center of my world. Recently, I stepped into modeling a dream I’ve had since I was young, and it’s surreal that my very first casting put me on a runway and in Vogue. That moment reminded me that when I trust myself, doors open.
My sound lives in pop with alternative influences. I used to make trap metal, but when I moved to LA and finally felt like I didn’t need to wear a mask, I returned to my younger self—the one who loved being girly, dramatic, edgy, and expressive. I’ve never been afraid of standing out, and I think it’s important for alternative Black women to be seen in spaces where we’re often erased or stereotyped. That aesthetic got oversaturated anyway, and I’m intentional now about creating something fresh that still feels like me.
The last three years were the hardest of my life. I’m a Pisces, and Saturn in Pisces dragged me through it. My first apartment’s ceiling caved in, I gained 50 pounds, and I lost most of my wardrobe during my move. I felt like I lost the version of myself I spent years building. But through all of that, I learned that outside validation means nothing if you don’t know who you are. Getting ostracized by people in my old music scene taught me to move smarter, protect my energy, and build something real.
I no longer feel like I have to look scary to be protected. I just have to be intentional. Success, to me, looks like supporting my lifestyle through my art, collaborating with artists and brands I admire, and connecting deeply with my audience.
Leaving the rap world was a huge decision—especially as a voluptuous Black woman, where the path to attention and money can be “easier.” I respect that lane and still pull influence from it, especially when it comes to sexual autonomy and power. But the world I’m building blends that confidence with the pop culture I grew up on. I’ll always experiment upcoming EP, even leans into a “c*nt Limp Bizkit” pop-rock direction. I think it’s smart to wait until the full project is out before boxing myself in. The EP will be my reintroduction. Im excited for the merch and photo shoots, I’ll be creative directing
Right now, I’m rebuilding without a mask and with a clearer understanding of how to run my art like a business. That was always the missing piece. I’m looking for a team because my ideas are bigger than what I can bring to life alone. I want to get more connected with my supporters—the way people wish their favorite mainstream artists would.
This is my fresh start. My next era is intentional, edgy, feminine, fearless, and fully mine.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
As an independent artist with no label backing, manifestation, inspiration, and art direction have been the pillars of my entire career. Honestly, they’re all you have in the beginning, and if you use them right, they’re all you need. People assume I’m already signed, but the truth is: I built this with intention.
01. Manifestation
Once you truly believe you can have what you desire, the world starts bending to meet you. I’ve literally seen it play out — from going viral in 2020 after spending all of 2019 using the 333 method at my job at MGM, to manifesting Afropunk on my vision board, to finally making it back to LA after being forced to leave as a kid. I’ve even manifested myself into rooms with people I used to crush on, only to realize I didn’t actually like them.
But the real point is this: being an artist already proves you’re a creator. You take a blank canvas and turn it into a world. Once you understand that, nothing feels out of reach.
02. Inspiration
You have to keep one eye on the past and one on the future at the same time. I knew the 80s pop wave that took over in 2025 was coming as early as 2022. I see music bending into new forms because we’re stepping deeper into the Age of Aquarius — the rules don’t apply anymore.
I study the greats, but I also study small creators, designers, authors, and astrologers who are inventing new ways to connect every day. Inspiration comes from everywhere: heartbreak, fake friends, the internet, TV shows, and even random drama. Anything that challenges your perspective is fuel.
03. Art Direction
Today, everything is about personal branding and connection. I’ve been obsessed lately with studying how to build a powerful ethos, not a fake persona, but the real me amplified. I’m honestly considering going back to school for it because it’s become a hyperfixation.
Performance art and aesthetics have always been my thing, but being an artist is about transforming your world into something people can feel. I used to think I was an outsider, but now I look around and think: girl, you’re in Vogue and you look like a pop star. LA is full of people who grew up as misunderstood nerds, emos, and alt kids. We didn’t fit in because we were the trendsetters.
Fashion, styling, colors, scent, set design, all of that is storytelling. Even if it’s just your iPhone and a dingy parking lot, your idea will hit differently depending on your artistic spirit. Some artists speak through big, bold gestures; I’m an emotional resonance artist. Both can shake the world.
I became known for performance art and my alternative take on female sexuality. BDSM silhouettes, red tones, heavy metal energy. Now my vision has shifted into inner strength, fantasy, confidence: fuchsia, chrome, cherry red, and high-fashion pop references. Same soul, new era.
What I Tell Emerging Artists
Keep one foot in the past and one in the future. Remember that your vision was handed to you by something higher because people need what only you can create. Resources will come. Support will come. Don’t chase the numbers, chase the impact and the longevity.
When that’s your compass, even your failures feel like progress. Tune out the noise and never forget why you started.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
🌟 2026 Vision (Passionate + Polished)
2026 is all about collaboration and alignment for me. I’m ready to work with people who feel as excited about creating as I do. I’m looking for a producer I can build a real partnership with—someone who wants to develop a sound and a world with me for years, not just one song. I want to make music in the same room as other artists, exchanging energy, experimenting, laughing, dreaming—actually collaborating, not just swapping files.
I also want to find an emerging A&R who sees the bigger picture and wants to grow with me. I don’t need heavy development; I need strategy, opportunity, and someone who believes in my vision enough to help elevate it.
A team is on my heart too: a stylist who understands my evolving aesthetic, a booking agent, a manager I can trust, and a mentor who knows how to guide both the artist and the human. Someone who understands what it means to be a Black alternative woman carving out her own lane.
And if the universe wants to send an investor who believes in supporting creatives like me? Someone who sees the value in my ideas and wants to help me build something iconic? I welcome that with open arms.
2026 is the year I expand creatively, step out of my comfort zone, and find the collaborators who will help bring my biggest ideas to life. I’m ready.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1acX2jfBZ38KLMwFh3ldm7?si=X_Oew4CQSS2wbbJP2JpMXw
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_zhariah/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Queenzhariah
- Other: https://li.sten.to/Zhariahsmusic
Image Credits
Phot01: @afropunk
Photo 2: @trademarket
Phot 3: 2spooky.world
Photo 4: @me
Photo 5: Gucho polka
Photo 6: 2 2katelyn.clix
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