Lolo Zouaï Dreams in Stereo
On Reverie, the French American artist embraces every version of herself.
By Samuel Albert
- Published on
“This is my Saturn in return album,” says Zouaï of the new record, “it’s an album where I’ve found my voice and feel like my vocals and production are the fullest they’ve been.” With an impressive list of collaborators already under her belt—including the likes of H.E.R., Slayyyter, Shygirl, Blood Orange, and an opening slot on Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia tour—Zouaï has stealthily been crafting one of the most untameable careers in pop music, and seems poised to have an even larger global breakthrough with the release of this new record.
“I’ve always had a very diverse range of musical tastes. I think it’s what makes my music exciting, but also what makes it hard for people to understand sometimes,” says Zouaï when attempting to outline what genre could precisely define her catalogue. “I know my music is worth hearing,” she asserts confidently, “I mix my love for R&B with classic chanson française, and also with my love for Bay Area hip hop, which is what I grew up on.” Inspired by the likes of Edith Piaf and François Hardy but imbued with a dance-pop sound reminiscent of Angèle and ADÉLA alike, Zouaï’s latest album plays somewhere in between the transcendental and the deeply introspective, in much the same way it’s also completely split between French and English lyrics.
“My French heritage was always something I knew I would bring into my music, and it just felt like time,” she says when asked where the sudden shift came from. “Back when I was younger, I just was afraid of being seen as like a ‘French’ artist for some reason, but then I realized that wasn’t hurting me and was actually a benefit,” she continues, “I just started to embrace all the sides of me and who I am. Like yes, I am French, I am Algerian, and I am American, and that’s what’s going to make this music and why nobody else can make this album.”
But it isn’t just a linguistic change that makes Reverie feel so distinct and more realized than Zouaï’s past work. There’s a real sense of urgency to the music that brings a more cerebral texture to the work. “It’s an album about grief which is a topic I’ve never sang about,” continues Zouaï, “there’s that grief of the loss of self, or of your past self that comes with growing up, as well as just that loss of who or what you expected your life to be—I guess we all experience grief as we get older, there’s the grief of just growing up.”
Of course, part of this growing up process for Zouaï also included the loss of her best friend in 2021. “That’s actually her voice on the opening track, at the end of the song,” she explains, “she was very bold and confident and outgoing and spoke her mind. In a way, I’m channeling her energy with the energy of this album.” And the confidence is palpable across Reverie. Not only in the songs explicitly about grief and the tumult of maturity (themes any Brat acolyte will find appealing), but also in the smooth way Zouaï flips between musical genres, languages, and vocal production.
“I hope this album just opens the world up or opens me up to more of the world” she concludes when asked about what comes after the album’s release, “I focussed so much on my French audience and my French speaking audience, that I’m confident they will discover me through it. In general, I think this is a really great album to discover me as an artist.”
Since speaking with Lolo Zouaï, she’s traversed the Atlantic another couple of times, promoting the album both in America and in France, and beginning her prep for the official release date. After our conversation, she’d planned to take a rest day, likely getting her nails done and trying to push through the exhaustion she felt after an overnight flight from Paris to New York. Having essentially been an international pop star since before she could even speak—combined with her ambition and the remarkable quality of her forthcoming album—it’s definitive that the Zouaï era will be soon upon us.
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