Zemmy

'Somebody Sure' video playlisted on Magic TV (Sky channel 363, Virgin channel 340) - Magic TV, Box TV

That's lovely isn't it! - Aled Jones, BBC Eadio 2

'Somebody Sure' video being broadcast on Magic TV (Sky channel 363, Virgin channel 340) - Magic TV, Box TV

"Laid back, beautiful song", Caroline Beavon. (Re track 'Somebody Sure')

Track playlisted on the station - Q Magazine Radio

Loving 'Like Drowning' by soulful pop singer/songwriter Zemmy. Outstanding vocals! - Myspace UK

Song 'Limbo' used in CBS/TNT television series 'Charmed' - CBS/TNT

Up next is Zemmy who has a very vibrant persona, it can be seen within her that she loves to entertain. Getting into her set, her music has a rock feel that creates an infectious vibe causing the head to subconsciously bop along to the beat. Grateful for her drummer who made and effort to come all the way from Wales and the audience are as appreciative as she is! - RWD Magazine

Beautiful vocal, soulful with a honest fragility.

The lyrics are accomplished and intelligent.

For me it's a pop song that gives you more than you would expect. I could hear this on the radio tomorrow anywhere. - The Unsigned Band Review (Vicki Blight, Absolute Radio)

It was the vocals that drew me in on this one, that and the songwriting. [Re track 'Somebody Sure'] - BBC 6 DJ, Tom Robinson, Fresh On the Net

One to watch. - The Guardian

Like Drowning is a testament to Zemmy’s unique talent... with two impeccable soul tracks, Like Drowning, and Lonely Too. - SB.TV

Just to sit and watch you sing that...what a privilege. It was stunning... You will probably hear about Zemmy all over the place. (Live session on the show - two tracks performed) - BBC London Radio

Zemmy is a Nigerian singer-songwriter from London. She makes lovely, mostly acoustic pop music that could be described as sophisticated lounge pop with the same particular ‘appeal-to-anyone-quality’ that makes Sade’s music so attractive. [Featured track: Somebody Sure] - Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape

(Love From London is an ongoing series where correspondents Alex Kenning and Izzy Lawrence introduce us to bands generating excitement across the pond.)

Zemmy is a singer/songwriter originally from Nigeria. She has been based in London for the best part of 15 years and has been honing her unique twist of pop with catchy melodies and great lyrics.

If comparisons need to be made, there are bits of Sia, Sade & Dido in there, along with influences of church hymns and classical music from her school days.

It’s early days as Zemmy has just started getting a bit of radio support here in the UK (and I was pleasantly surprised to hear that KCRW’s very own Jason Kramer is also an early supporter.

Stream and download her track “Somebody Sure” via Soundcloud. - Alex Kenning, KCRW

This London-based, Nigerian singer-songwriter makes gorgeous, timeless acoustic pop. (Re track 'Somebody Sure') - The Independent

Languid shades of Big Calm-era Morcheeba from the Anglo-Nigerian singer-songwriter. (Re track 'Like Drowning')

http://epaper.thetimes.co.uk/epaper/viewer.aspx - The Times (Playlist Magazine)

That was fantastic! Amazing! (Re live performance) - Dave Monks, BBC Introducing Merseyside

"Somebody Sure" is a savory slice of striking, upbeat and soulful folk/pop from Zemmy, an independent songwriter born in Nigeria and living for the past fifteen years in London. We like the whole feel of the track, from the insistent rhythm base to the Zemmy's bright, airy vocals -- all driven with the jangle of an acoustic guitar and a melody that finds that sweet spot between Enya and Frou-Frou-era Imogen Heap. - Direct Current

As she says in her bio, Zemmy writes soulful pop songs in the vein of Sia, Sade, Dido, Imogen Heap, and Enya. But in my opinion her music sweeps and sways more than any of those artists and reminds me more of someone like a more interesting Corrine Baily Rae or even Sinead Lohan (remember her?!) Of the few songs I’ve heard, my favorite is called Somebody Sure; which features the line “’Cause everything is easy till you are lying flat on your face.” So, so true. Check it out below.

(Another beautiful voice with lyrics filled with introspection is @zemmyofficial. You must check her out! So good. [From twitter])
- Fred Hystere

Wow! This is amazing. This is one from Zemmy Momoh. She is a brand new wonderful singer from the UK ... I am a big fan of hers now man. (Track 'Somebody Sure' played on his show 07.01.12) - Jason Kramer, KCRW

This sassy, soulful lady is creating something slightly out of the ordinary in today’s musical landscape. With a distinctly 80s vibe, this lady has a jazzy, cosmopolitan vibe with elements of electro and rock smattered throughout her sound. Vocals are very much Lauryn Hill meets Sade. - More Than The Music

This sassy, soulful lady is creating something slightly out of the ordinary in today’s musical landscape. With a distinctly 80s vibe, this lady has a jazzy, cosmopolitan vibe with elements of electro and rock smattered throughout her sound. Vocals are very much Lauryn Hill meets Sade. - More Than The Music

London based singer/songwriter Zemmy Momoh, is truly artistic in every aspect. Her soothing voice blends so well with the acoustic guitars and brings a rich pop melody to your ears. It's nice to know that good pop music still exists out there. - WDTH Digital

Something great to start off the week from Singer/ Songwriter Zemmy Momoh. (Re track 'Somebody Sure') - Best In New Music

Awesome, unique and beautiful tune. - David Hayman, Music Supervisor (Vapor Music)

really enjoyed the track... Your voice is heaven (about track Like Drowning) - Claire Anderson, Jazz FM

"...a track that's impressed us over the past few months... rather gorgeous". (Re track 'Belonging') - Gary Crowley, BBC London 94.9

"Gary and I really like the tracks you posted on BBC Introducing; excellent work!"

'Belonging' played on 06/08/11 on Gary Crowley's BBC London radio show
- Stevan Bennett (Producer, Gary Crowley BBC radio show)

Film placement for song 'Everything's Okay'
Film: The Girl In the Mirror http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1701176/soundtrack

TV placement for song 'Limbo'
Television show on American network CBS
- Various

A beautiful performance by a talented singer and musician. Loved your performance at Flavour Live. - Flavour Magazine

...introducing Zemmy, the next act onto the stage. Undeniably talented she sings and plays the guitar, with a country style vibe to her tracks... - Alya Mooro (reviewer Spoonfed, RWD Magazine)

Zemmy has a big voice which combined with melodic songwriting, makes her a very promising new artist. I produced and mixed two songs for Zemmy at Nevo Sound Studios and I remember the vocal recording session as the pinnacle of the whole process. Zemmy sings beautifully and we only recorded 3 or 4 takes before I knew I had more than I needed. The takes were so good I had a hard time choosing one over the other.

Yoad Nevo (Morcheeba, Air, Goldfrapp, Jem, Sugagbabes, Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys, Moby)
- The Unsigned Band Review

Plenty of time for this talented singer songwriter. A lovely tone to her voice, with nice accompaniment and some solid songs.

Best of Myspace 120 - Playlist will be featured on the Myspace homepage twice a week and available to buy on iTunes.

- Myspace (Gill Mills)

A great track from this fine artist ('Limbo' played on his Introducing show. 'Everything's Okay' also played previously.) - Tom Robinson

It never ceases to amaze us here at BOBCOM how much unsigned talent there is out there, and Zemmy is a great example - great voice, great tunes, great sound! We're honoured to have her in our FastTrack. - BOBCOM (May newsletter)

Super sexy soulful pop with seriously catchy riffs and hooks, fabulous vocally too. - The Unsigned Band Review (Sarah Champion, Absolute Radio)

Hailing from the motherland with a sweet-soulful voice that could make a snake come out of its lair is none other than Zemmy Momoh. She is a London based songstress with Nigerian roots who says “I’d put my sound somewhere broadly between Sia, Dido, Sade and Maroon 5.”

Without further ado, read more on her!

Who is Zemmy Momoh and what does she represent?

Ooh, open with a toughie. I’m a Christian Nigerian lady living in London. I’ve been here for about fourteen years now. In general I hope I represent a fun-loving, compassionate and optimistic outlook on life. Although on some fronts I’m also doing a very good job of representing procrastination!

How old are you? Ignore this question if you believe that a woman never tells her age.lol!

Haha, I’m 24. I tell my age but then wince a bit after.

You are a London based artist with Nigerian roots. How did London end up being your main performing base?

I came here (the UK) to attend good ol’ all-girls boarding school when I was ten. Our home in England was in London and I loved it so here I still am. I live here permanently but I plan to go back and forth between both countries as my homeland needs fixing up in all sort of different ways.

You cite Sade and Dido as being some of your musical influences, showing your versatile ear for music. Talk to us more about this.

I love so many different styles of music. I grew up listening to Lionel Ritchie, Michael Jackson, Gloria Estefan and lots of disco funk. Then my early teens belonged to Backstreet Boys, Britney, Christina, Mariah Carey, Destiny’s Child and the like. I was such a pop princess! Then getting into my mid-teens hip-hop, bands and alternative stuff started to catch my ears and I’ve just carried on loving all kinds of styles – apart from metal and country!

Currently you are gigging around London with your band. How did you guys meet, and what is the name of the band?

Ah well it’s actually me as a solo act type thing and then my band support me (like KT Tunstall or Dido or Beyonce all have their bands), so I just go by name. I met the boys through the ever glamorous method of placing wanted ads for musicians, and luckily it was them and not disturbed psychos who responded.

In your interview with Art and Things, you mentioned that you were pursuing an MA in Public Policy at UCL, quite far removed from music. Have you graduated since? If so, congrats. If not…Keep on! What is your interest with public policy and how does this tie in with your musical pursuits?

It was an MSc degree but yes very far from music indeed! I graduated in 2009 so thanks for the congrats. I’m interested in domestic and international development. It’s probably because I come from where I do so I grew up seeing a lot of poverty, lawlessness and bad governance, then coming here the gang culture really riled me up. It’s crime reduction in particular that has my interest. I really can’t stand criminal and anti-social behavior. If I get any clout as a musician I hope to use it to do something about keeping kids of the streets and helping ex-offenders resettle.

You’re currently in the process of recording your debut EP. What can we expect and when is it dropping?

It will be a three track record of soulful pop songs. I actually wrote all three songs one after the other so they have broadly the same flavor. I tend to flit between more pop/soul and more singer/songwriter type pop. It should hopefully be out in early May. Just one more track to record. I’ve actually got the other two available to buy from my Bandcamp site right now: http://zemmy.bandcamp.com.

In 2009, you were one of the artists selected in Mercedez Benz Mixtape 26th edition. Never heard of MBM, can you elaborate more on this? How does the selection process work?

Well I had never heard of it till the scout contacted me on myspace. I just thought ‘scam’ and didn’t even bother fully reading the very long message. Then I came across it later online and saw it was totally legit and kicked myself. So I rushed back and asked if I had missed my chance to appear in the series and they said I still could. It’s just a really cool initiative that Mercedes-Benz do. They deliver it to subscribers (which they have a lot of) and you get all these great tracks from up and coming acts for free. It was lovely to be selected.

You have a gig scheduled for March 10, 2011 in London. Can you please give us a briefing of what we can expect to take away from your concert?

Well you can expect me to be dripping in sweat by the end! It’s always so hot on stage! You can also expect me to sing my heart out and throw some serious shapes while I’m doing so. My band and I love playing live so we pour ourselves into our performances. We’re actually trying to incorporate some more elements into our show at the moment (new instruments, cool effects).

Like Drowning is my personal favorite, what was the inspiration behind this song?

Why thank you! I was sitting in the dark on my bed and the chorus melody popped into my head then the first thing I sang out loud was ‘Just like drowning’. And then that melody belonged to those words and they weren’t going to be separated. Then I just thought back to times when I felt suffocated by people and felt that I just had to get away because I couldn’t breathe around them. Then I wrote the lyrics as if it was a boyfriend ‘drowning’ me.

What can we expect from Zemmy and the Band in the future?

You can expect us to be releasing more stuff, possibly playing some good support slots (fingers crossed) and hopefully playing some bigger and better shows.

Are you indie or signed?

It’s the indie life for me : (

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Just thanks for very much for featuring me on your site! - Embrace You

Shure Creative Award 2009: Winner
http://tinyurl.com/nva5od

Perform at Saint Lucia Jazz Festival 2010: Runner-up
http://tinyurl.com/68gna94

Quiksilver Quiksessions Unsigned 2009: Top 10 finalist
http://tinyurl.com/5uzkm94

Jamie Oliver Unsigned 2008: Top 24 finalist
http://tinyurl.com/69pn922 - Various

"How beautiful was that" - BBC Radio Nottingham presenter Rey El-Salahi about the track 'Superman' played on the Soulfood Selection part of her show.

(Track at around 2:40) - BBC Radio Nottingham

Brilliant and beautiful Station Sessions last night! Two very talented ladies wowed the crowed at St Pancras International, so a big thanks to Zemmy and Kelli Leigh for putting on such a great show!

(Performance link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSjIFNb9G1Y&feature=player_embedded)
- The Station Sessions (www.stationsessions.com)

Zemmy Momoh wins the 2009 Shure Creative Award

Rob Hughes Jun 15 2009, 4:51pm

Amy Macdonald judges the final of the popular singer-songwriter competition
Zemmy Momoh has been announced as the winner of the 2009 Shure Creative Award. Momoh was chosen as the winner by chart-topping singer Amy Macdonald

To be in with a chance of winning the award, which is jointly sponsored by Shure and the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance, applicants were asked to upload a video of themselves performing an original song to www.shurecreativeaward.com. This was followed by a round of public voting and judging by a panel of experts, resulting in a final ten being passed on to Amy, who chose the overall winner.

Momoh’s winning original song, Bleed me dry, can be viewed at www.shurecreativeaward.com.

Commenting on her decision, Macdonald said: “I really enjoyed listening to the great variety of entries but I picked Zemmy as the winner as I think from her entry she showed the clearest potential as an original singer songwriter. I personally felt her chorus had the strongest hook. I also liked her lyrics and feel she will benefit the most in developing her songwriting and performance skills from this great opportunity.” - MIPRO

Silk laden vocals over soft music create the wonderful sound that is Zemmy. She has the ethereal ambiance reminiscent of Dido or Sade. Love the colorful pictures she’s painting with her music.

Zemmy is an artist who gives her listeners real music, something that is lacking in
today's music business.

What is your ultimate goal with your music?
Having people like my stuff enough to pay to come and see me play, and being able to play shows around the world would be amazing. I love performing live so I'm just hoping I can keep doing it and eventually do it to a multitude of loyal fans. --- Zemmy

Review by: Leslie White
- IAE Magazine (Leslie White)

Zemmy is a 22-year-old MA student at UCL. She plays piano and sings. Her music is a collision of soul-splashed pop and folk-inflected indie. The next time we have a party we’re definitely going to ask her to play some music for us. With her voice, she could sing about two girls one cup and convince us that there’s romance and beauty to it somehow. (We doubt that someone as sweet and lovely as Zemmy knows what two girls one cup even is. We certainly don’t.)

We called up Zemmy and asked if she wanted to hit up Woolworths on it’s last day to see if we could grab a bargain so we could put it in the magazine. Unfortunately when we arrived at the moribund pic-n-mix emporium it was already closed, so we just milled around Camden market for a bit and then went back to Sonny’s to get pissed.

Art and Things: So, Zemmy. What do you do when you’re not playing piano and singing?

Zemmy Momoh: Well, I’m doing a Masters in Public Policy at UCL. And I’m learning guitar.

AAT: Oh, awesome.

ZM: Yeah, I need a guitarist.

AAT: Haha, maybe someone will e-mail you.

We pop into a little shop selling Cannabis paraphernalia and general tat.

AAT: See anything you like?

ZM: Erm…

We spot a hideous Princess Diana memorial plate. The likeness is sketchy at best.

AAT: Holy shit, how about this?

ZM: Hahaha Oh, god! That’s probably one of the worst things in here.

AAT: Sonny, take a picture of this plate!

Sonny: No.

AAT: How did you start doing music?

ZM: Well I started singing when I was at school and I’ve just kept doing it since then, really.

AAT: What kind of stuff to you listen to at the moment?

ZM: Little Dolls, I like them ‘cause they’re weird.

AAT: What are you planning to do next, musically?

ZM: Just write more songs, hopefully some darker sounding stuff.

Eventually we got cold and went to sit in Sonny’s kitchen and drink wine. We mostly
talked about films. These are Zemmy’s favourite films.

1. Amores perros
2. Almost Famous
3. Mean Girls.

Check out Zemmy’s myspace for recently uploaded new material. Try ‘Bleed Me Dry’.

Interview: Peter Bloxham - Art and Things magazine (Peter Bloxham)

United Kingdom’s Indie artist Zemmy is refreshing to the ears with her amazing vocals, catchy hooks, and indie pop sensational sound. Zemmy recently spoke to our Webzine about her music and why she loves signing and performing. Here is what developed from my online conversation with the lovely and talented Zemmy.

Isaac: Let’s get started with this interview. When and how did you first become interested in music? How long have you been playing music?

Zemmy: I’ve been extremely interested as far back as I can remember. I loved to sing and dance when I was little and always did so in school productions. My first musical obsession was Michael Jackson. I used to watch the ‘Making of Thriller’ video almost every night before bed when I was about six. I completely immersed myself in music and famous musicians when I was young. I actually didn’t seriously consider it as a career until the last year of my undergraduate degree when I wrote some songs which I thought were pretty good (even though looking back they’re actually awful!). I absolutely loved singing but didn’t ever want to sing for singing’s sake. It was the songwriting that got me and I wanted to sing the songs I wrote. I got the biggest buzz and the most intense jealousy pangs when watching famous people performing. I love performing. I fantasized about it constantly growing up and incessantly watched musicians’ performances on TV and online. I still do.

(I’ve been playing piano since the age of about 5. I took classical singing to grade 5 and I now play a little bit of guitar).

Isaac: Who would you say are your biggest musical influences and why?

Zemmy: I tend to get influenced by individual songs, performers and the qualities and characteristics of those performers rather than by any act’s musical style. My main ones are:

Beyonce – for her captivating performances and the passion and pizzazz she puts into them.

Imogen Heap – for the passion which comes through when she sings, for her originality and for the complexity in her vocal melodies.

Maroon 5 – for the intelligence in their pop writing – I want that kind of respect for my type of pop.

Dido – also for the intelligence in her pop writing and the ability to write catchy but meaningful pop songs.

Sia – for her original songs and her one-of-a-kind-ness.

Mariah Carey – for her ridiculously amazing vocals – she was the first artist who made me want to be a performer.

Isaac: What has been the greatest highpoint in your career so far?

Zemmy: I haven’t been doing this all that so it’s only a minor thing but my highpoint so far has to be when I played at a particular venue in London to a large and an incredibly attentive audience. There was just something special about that show and it was personal turning point. I felt like that I’d always wanted to be on stage.

Isaac: What has been the greatest disappointment in your career so far? What did you learn from that experience?

Zemmy: The lowest point has to be when we played to an audience who couldn’t care less whether we were there or not. After one particular song, we got about two people’s sympathy claps. That was horrendous. But you learn to take the punches and understand that you win some, you lose some. It felt like I had no clothes on and everyone was staring. The nice guy who booked us tried to explain that that particular crowd could be a bit funny and we actually went down well but it was a depressing night. I had to learn not to be so sensitive. There’ll most definitely be many more times where a particular audience will hate you or be indifferent. (Hopefully not too many)!

Isaac: What draws you to want to play the type of music that you do?

Zemmy: I have a soft spot for the style I make and have always enjoyed listening to similar artists. I love a good melody and I naturally write melody driven songs. I’m not so much drawn to my style as much as it’s just what comes out when I write. It’s kind of like ‘this is the face I was born with’ – this is just the music I make.


Isaac: What do you feel it takes to play this type of music that you play?

Zemmy: It takes real passion – anything less and it will sound false. I think you have to have a knack for original melodies and lyrics – it’s very easy to get standard lyrical clichés and come across as insincere when doing pop music. And if melodies can be described as cliché then it’s also very easy to get cliché melodies. There are many, many perfectly nice and okay pop songs but I think it will take something extra to stand out and really make it.

Isaac: What do you think you will create that will make your performances and who you are stand out in the music industry?

Zemmy: I hope to create intelligent, catchy songs which will appeal to a broad range of people. I want to be known for my live performances as well as songwriting capabilities so I’m trying to hone my performance skills and really perform my head off at every gig I do. I want to have the energy of upbeat pop acts (Beyonce (my performance hero), Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake) but tailored to my style – to basically be a fireball onstage. My favourite ever compliment was when someone told me that everything about me onstage was just mesmerizing. I’m aiming to make everyone think that. Also, my vocals are very important to me – I want them near perfect as possible every show as it’s the real test of a singer/songwriter to deliver great vocals live.

Isaac: If you had the opportunity to do one cover, what cover would you do and why? How would you put your own spin on this cover?

Zemmy: I absolutely love a song called ‘Counterpoint’ by the band Delphic. The whole song is done with electronic instruments but I’d probably play it just me and piano.

Isaac: What does it take to be a good songwriter?

Zemmy: I think it takes honesty – being honest with yourself about the strength of your songs and whether it’s just you who thinks a particular song is that good; passion – it’s a brutal industry and you have to be borderline obsessed with it to keep going despite countless rejections; openness – in terms of feelings and letting moods and emotions take you somewhere a good song can come out of; a good gut feeling about your songs – sometimes the wrong people will hear your song first and dislike it, which may put you off; you have to trust yourself if you really feel deep down that the song actually has real potential.

Isaac: How difficult is it to juggle music, family and work obligation, and life in general? Explain.

Zemmy: I’ve found that can be a selfish existence if you don’t watch it – not intentionally, you can just get very into your own head, especially during the low points. For instance, on a bad day you’ll be thinking, ‘I’m crap’, ‘I’ll never make it’, ‘No one likes my stuff’, and it can get you very depressed and only thinking of your own issues and not interacting as much with family and friends. Even when you’re feeling positive about it all it’s a career choice that demands all of you so you have to watch that it doesn’t squeeze everything else that’s important out of your life.

I’ve been studying until very recently and it’s been hard to juggle college work with a budding career. What is challenging right now is knowing that I can’t get a job that will demand too much of me – late hours in the office, taking work home, being called in at weekends etc – as I have to reserve evenings and all my free time to pushing the music. It’s a very scary notion that you’ll be relying on sheer determination alone – thinking ‘I’m definitely going to make it in this business’ – and working hard for uncertain rewards in the future rather than accepting a job which will reward you for your work now.

Isaac: What is your definition of being an Indie artist/band?

Zemmy: Doing all your heavy lifting – I’m constantly online for hours and hours looking for ways to get my stuff out there, looking for venues to contact, promoters to hound, blogs to badger for reviews, staking out the latest competition in my genre, keeping on top of music trends etc.

Indie bands need to have a nose for networking (I’m not so good at that myself!), and be in the skills trade – using skills of friends/acquaintances and letting them use yours (e.g. doing backing vocals for your producer friend who’ll cut you a free demo) so everyone helps each other out and saves money.

Having humility – you are at the mercy of your fans – the mystique of the illusive famous star is no longer there for most of us – you have to engage listeners and show your gratitude and you have to be available to the people who support you. All this is extremely time consuming but extremely worth it.

Isaac: Where can fans access your music online?

Zemmy: Everywhere! It’s a must these days! These are my main sites:

Facebook: www.myspace.com/zemmym

Myspace: www.myspace.com/zemmym

The SixtyOne: www.thesixtyone.com/zemmy

Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/zemmymomoh

Sonicbids: www.sonicbids.com/zemmy

Last FM: www.lastfm.com/zemmy

Isaac: In five years……

Zemmy: I want to have toured worldwide, played major festivals, have a dedicated fan following, be a recognisable name (at least among avid music lovers), be completely living off making music, have songs placed in major films and TV, be writing for other artists, collaborated with artists I admire, walk into a shop and hear my song playing, have the clout to be able to rally people to do some good, be an inspiration to other people... basically be living my dream. Wouldn’t that be nice!
- Isaac Davis Jr (Junior's Cave)

Hailing from London, Zemmy Momoh isn't just yet another singer-songwriter. She's got a real talent and we have our fingers crossed that we'll be seeing a lot more of her very soon.

What's your earliest musical memory?
Waiting for my parents to leave the house then sneaking into their bedroom with my sister, putting on Lionel Richie or Gloria Estefan and going mental. We did this a lot. I think we were about five and three, respectively.

If you could hold a recording session with any five artists, who would you choose?
Pharrell Williams, Mark Ronson, Caleb Followill, Aretha Franklin and Beyonce. People who've made me think "You're far too talented for your own good. I'm jealous."

You want to describe your music to a stranger on the street, who do you compare yourself to?
I'd tell them I sound somewhere broadly between Maroon 5, KT Tunstall and Sia and then wonder if I actually do sound like that.

You are going to live on a desert island for a year, which three albums do you take with you?
Must confess that I'm not so much of an album buyer; I tend to pick my fave tracks from a record and buy those. But I'd take Kings of Leon 'Because of the Times', N.E.R.D's 'In Search of...' (a record I actually have in its entirety) and Michael Jackson's 'Greatest Hits'. Though I'd probably just try and sneak my iPod through - it's only little.


If we were to look at your MP3 player, what is the most embarrassing track or album that we'd find?
You'd find a few Backstreet Boys tracks. Though I carry them round with pride. The Backstreet Boys were an integral part of my childhood... and they have some jams!

What sets you apart from the rest?
This is a toughy... I think my voice is unique - well I've been told that anyway. I grew up listening to a lot of pop and r'n'b, but during school I sang a lot of classical music. This I think gave me an interesting vocal technique, as my voice is almost the typical pop/r'n'b voice but then I flip into my head ('choir' type) voice a lot when I sing. I also think that combination gave me an interesting take on melodies and I would hope that this is where my uniqueness predominantly lies.

What is next for Zemmy?
More and more gigging, all over the UK and hopefully an EP release in the near future.We want to solidify our reputation as a great live act. The main aim for the start of next year is to get some really good support slots so we can keep building our fan base. It's actually our one year anniversary as a band in a few days but, typical boys, I bet they won't remember.
- The Music Fix (Colin Polonowski)

Hold on! Stop the presses! Check out Zemmy, wow! what a voice. And she is unsigned.

Zemmy Momoh hails from the old home town of London. Not sure which end of it, guessing maybe the east end. (The best end). Then I come to find out that Zemmy is a 24 year old originally from Nigeria but based in London for the last thirteen years.

Zemmy is a singer songwriter who says she has been influenced by Paula Cole, Dido, Imogen Heap, KT Tunstall, Jem, Sia, Beyonce, Maroon 5, Aqualung, Alicia Keys, Regina Spektor, among others. Well I for one can certainly see her up in that company in the near future.

Check out her appearance on The Station Sessions - Zemmy : Session 4 - Season 2. Which appears to be some kind of TV series made in St Pancras Station, now that's a huge station to be singing in.

Now tell me, why is she still unsigned? Must be a bunch of cloth eared record producers out there. - Barrie Moore (Bearly Rambling)

Modern-day pop music quite rightfully has a reputation as being home to a large amount of thoughtless rubbish, and when browsing the UK top 40, it becomes all too easy to forget that the genres definition is neither A.) ‘An R&B collaboration’ – nor B.) ‘Music performed by odd exhibitionists, reality TV contestants, and/or those unable to write their own songs.’ Fortunately, not all pop-music is so derisory, and to dismiss the genre completely would be to deprive oneself of some great emerging talent capable of contributing to a much more reputable future for mainstream music.

London based Zemmy is one artist with the potential to help provide such legitimacy to the current sad state of affairs. Despite already having been introduced on BBC Radio Six, she is still a relative newcomer to the music business having kept her songstress ambitions under wraps until the conclusion of her university degree in 2007. Boasting a full band behind her, not to mention some immensely promising recorded tracks, Zemmy is a talented young lady whose star is on the rise.

She may be a new name to a singer-songwriter scene that has witnessed a joyful resurgence in recent years, but it would appear that Zemmy is in a musical position that gives her every chance of bridging the gap between the current crop of chart dwelling fans and proud pop-music abstainers – not a bad place to be at all. Her vocal ability will likely please the large percentage of pop fans who like a strong soulful voice, while the clever way in which she uses her natural instrument to create songs rather than just sing them will bring joy to those who often give a wide berth to the pop scene. It is certainly refreshing to hear a strong vocalist reel in their delivery to the advantage of the song as a whole.

While Zemmy is unashamedly a pop-artist at heart, her music also offers a sense of intelligence that is regularly missing from mainstream records. Indeed, her songwriting skills demonstrate maturity and inventiveness beyond the short timeframe she has been writing for. Lyrically, she is already superior to many faceless songwriters whose work has long adorned the charts under the names of others. What is most refreshing is the clarity in which she presents her feelings; rarely does a meaningless, throwaway line rear its ugly head. As a result, the listener is given a definite impression they are hearing something genuine – a rarity in the pop-world.

“…it’s easy to become a monster when you’ve got rage as your guide. There’s nothing that I can say to you except, I don’t like this ugly me, she’s taken all my energy…”

Zemmy represents a new type of pop-artist – an intelligent individual with appreciation of her craft and the ability to demonstrate it. Her vocal delivery is strong but never dull, her songwriting creative and educated. While she is yet to announce any kind of official release, Zemmy and her clever undemanding pop-tunes will surely be gracing a record soon – keep going as she is, and there will likely be a big fan base awaiting it. A pop-star in the making? Let’s hope so!

SoundSense Online’s Recommended Starting Point – Limbo
Alternative Selection – Bleed Me Dry - Jamie Downes (SoundSense Online)

November’s Artist Spotlight goes to female singer/songwriter Zemmy. Born in Nigera and moving to London thirteen years ago, Zemmy has been working hard to get her music heard. She has been featured on BBC Radio 6's Introducing show and plays live across the UK with her three piece band. We caught up with Zemmy to discuss her music so check the interview out and be sure to give her music a listen!

For those who may not be aware of you or your music could you give us a brief introduction?

Sure. I’m a Nigerian lass and I’ve been living in the UK for about thirteen years now. I write mostly soulful, melody-driven pop songs which fall somewhere in between Maroon 5, Sia and KT Tunstall.

As a musician who have you been influenced by? And who were your idols when growing up?

It’s weird, I tend to get directly influenced by specific songs. Like I always list Paula Cole as an influence, but I only really know one song of hers (‘I Don’t Want to Wait’)! I also get influenced by a lot of songs that don’t necessarily have anything to do with my style of music. Like Incubus’ ‘I Miss You’ and The Temper Trap’s ‘Down River’. And by particular qualities of artists I love, like Imogen Heap’s breathy singing and the emotion she pours into each note she sings, and Beyonce’s stage presence.

Obviously all the Mariah Carey, Destiny’s Child, Christina Aguilera etc I listened to during childhood will definitely have directly influenced my writing style, just not on a very conscious level.

My first obsession was Michael Jackson. Did all the moves, learned all the routines, watched all the films, videos and ‘making of’s. I always adored music growing up but Mariah was the first artist who made me want to sing. She was another idol. There was also my *cough* Backstreet Boys phase. My sister and I were insanely obsessed. We were cool.

How would you define your style?

Soulful pop.

What is your favourite aspect of being a musician?

Writing songs and performing them live are equal faves.

What influences you when it comes to songwriting? Do you think you have a certain style or do you write about a broad range of subjects?

Great music is a wonderful influence. It just gets the creative juices going. Also just going out and experiencing different things and feeling different emotions is great. You don’t want any lyrics you write to sound false so if you’ve felt what you’re singing about in any capacity you can sing the words with confidence and real feeling.

I tend to write when I’m happy and encouraged, which is really dangerous because there’s a lot of rejection and dejection in this biz! When I’m happy I can tap into sad and other emotions but when I’m sad it’s all ‘woe is me’ and I don’t want to do anything and music can piss off!

I seem to write mostly about love. Just saying that makes me cringe but for some reason relationship issues are what I feel most comfortable and most natural singing about right now. It’s usually bad relationships. I’m getting bored of that though. I do write about things like temptation, the devil and other fun topics like that but I wouldn’t feel a hundred percent ‘real’ singing about that stuff just now. Dunno why.

Do you have a favourite song by yourself, and if so could you tell us about the track and why it is special to you.

There’s a song I wrote called ‘Call Me Back’ which I have a real soft spot for, more than it being a favourite. I really really like the lyrics. And the verse melody is rhythmic and quite staccato which I like because I love when I create melodies which have a rhythmic effect. (Not sure that will make any sense to you!) I also just really love the melody of the song. The ‘hook’ melody just popped into my head one day and wouldn’t leave.

If you could chose anyone past or present to collaborate with who would it be and why?

This is a tough question. Right now I’d say Pharrell, well really The Neptunes as I absolutely love their production and all the little isms they add into their tracks. Genius producers.

In an ideal world, where would you like to see yourself in ten years time?

In my ideal world I would love to have had several uber successful albums under my belt as well as several uber successful world tours. I’d be using my mega influential status as a pop juggernaut to try and affect some change here and back home. And I’d be deciding whether or not to have a fourth kid.

Where can M Is For Music visitors listen to your music and find out more about you?

They can check out the usual suspects… myspace, facebook, twitter, lastfm, and a plethora of other sites. And if they do then thanks a lot! The ones I use most frequently are:

www.myspace.com/zemmym
www.facebook.com/zemmym
www.sonicbids.com/zemmy
www.twitter.com/zemmym

Finally, if M didn’t stand for Music what would it stand for?

Mother. Because I love mine and because I’m broody. - Emma Dawson (M Is For Music)

When I received an email six days ago that read 'New Artist To Consider Plugging' from one Zemmy Momoh, I thought it was from the same Zemmy Momoh that I went to boarding school with a decade ago and I wasn't gonna open the email because the Zemmy I know cannot sing to save her life. Anyway I opened the email and to my pleasant surprise, it wasn't (1) the Zemmy Momoh I knew and (2) this Zemmy Momoh could actually sing! We'll refer to her by her stage name which is purely and simply Zemmy...

SO who is Zemmy then? Well I'll let her tell you herself...

"I'm a female pop artist originally from Nigeria but I've been a Londoner for the last thirteen years. I like to think of myself as falling stylistically somewhere between Norah Jones and Beyonce and would describe my style as soulful pop. I started making a go at being a career singer/songwriter when I finished my undergrad degree. I found myself a lovely guitarist in early 08, a lovely manager in early 09 and my brilliant drums and bass were recruited at the end of last year. I've been with my wonderful band for just over a year now and we've spent this year (since January) gigging all over London." - Zemmy

It took me the first song to be completely hooked on this Pop/Soul singer and her other songs do NOT disappoint either. There's something about her voice that you cannot help but be captivated by and I just love her whole sound which she describes as 'soulful pop' but it's more than that. I would buy her album right now + it's an added bonus that some of the songs you're about to hear are live recordings and I know that not all of you will be immediate fans of live music over studio recordings but there's something about the organic element and authenticity that shines through on Zemmy's songs that the live music definitely helps bring out that much more BUT enough of me talking, let's listen to some music!

This one is a song titled 'Like Drowning' and I quite like it, I quite like it a lot. It's got that whole chilled-out vibe going on and by God, those guitar riffs capture your ears from the word go and do not let you drift away plus Zemmy's voice just does it for me... It's definitely not your usual or typical vocal powerhouse BUT it's rather soothing and beautiful to listen to and if lyrics and song-writing are your thing then I think you'll like this as well but tell me what you think though...

Here's a very beautifully done cover of the Kids in Glass Houses record, 'Easy Tiger' from their 2007 album 'Smart Casual' that Zemmy and her band absolutely nail. I totally love this cover and how Zemmy absolutely switches the levels on this song, I didn't even recognise it at first. You need to check out the original (HERE) to fully appreciate what Zemmy and her band have done here. They completely turn this rock song on its head and bring it down quite a few notches and turn it into this rather colourful poppy soulful pop song. I'm not sure if fans of Kids in Glass Houses will like it BUT I definitely do like it & hopefully you do too...

I'm loving Zemmy right now and I just wanna hear so much more music from her! You should definitely be up on this young woman BUT if you're not yet completely sold on Zemmy as an amazing artist then these next two songs should literally tip you right over...

This one is called 'Limbo' and I absolutely LOVE it... On constant repeat right now I tell ya! It almost reminds me of a Dido song (only slightly though) with its subtlety and the understated but also (at the same time) commanding vocals. Without mirroring my earlier comments about her voice, it really is just captivating and the musical backdrop, especially those drum patterns, aptly adds to this very compelling listen! I hope you like this one as much as I do.

I know I should go now & leave you to listen to the music without me butting in every five or so minutes with my two pence BUT just one more and I will be gone! This next one is a rough mix of a song titled 'Superman', you have to listen to it (I won't even comment, you give me your 2 pence on this one)...



#Tune!!!

Before I forget to say it, I feel a special mention should be made about Zemmy's 3-piece band; Ifan Emyr on Drums + Daryl Clayton on Bass + Zoltan Naggy on Guitar, because they do a smashing job, especially on the two live recordings we heard up top, giving those songs their full and rich organic sound... SO yeah definite kudos to the band!

I do not have to tell you that I am utterly and completely sold on the 'Soulful Pop' artist that is Zemmy and I hope you are too even if it isn't 'utterly and completely' yet but you cannot deny the potential that this young woman has. The variety in her music + her ability and willingness to play around successfully within such genres as Pop, Soul, Rock and even a bit of Folk is just beautiful and it means that she appeals to a wider range of audience such as Y.O.U and I think it's her voice that gives her that appeal. The first two songs we featured could not be more far apart and different from the latter two but her voice pins them all together. Did I already say that I'd buy her album right now? Well I so would!

Utterly & Completely SOLD!
- Ayohla Adepoju (We Plug G.O.O.D Music)

Beautiful music from the UK based singer/songwriter and her band members as they travel across London performing. Check out Zemmy and more of her work on her Myspace page. Support the artist. - This Is Real Music (Terrance Wilmore)

Bridging the gap between mainstream and alternative the Londoner aims to draw us in, draw us closer to her songs and each other. For a great example of Zemmy’s spell-binding sound check out her mixtape track.
- Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape