Finding that middle ground isn’t easy when so much of today’s music thrives on extremes, either riding waves of anger or retreating into silence. It’s a space that can feel uncomfortable to navigate to some, but “Access Denied” stakes its claim there. The single holds a deliberate energy—one where strength and restraint coexist, where boundaries are drawn not with bitterness but with clear-eyed calm. It’s a rare balance, and it’s where the song flourishes.

We talked with ZADA about her writing process, the dance between vulnerability and control, and what she hopes “Access Denied” will mean to both new listeners and longtime fans.

If someone was hearing you for the first time through “Access Denied,” what do you hope they’d walk away understanding about you—not just as a musician, but as a person?

I would say that I want listeners to feel like they can find themselves within the song. It’s not too fantastical, I’m talking about dealing with self-confidence, strength, and creating boundaries—something we all want a better handle on. 

Every lyric on “Access Denied” feels very intentional. Do you edit a lot when songwriting? Or do songs like this come out mostly in one piece? 

The intentionality comes from authenticity and vulnerability. I think when you take judgment out and just let thoughts free fall, the lyrics come out quicker. Writing “Access Denied” felt like a late-night call with your bestie, a safe place, a zone for processing emotions and hyping one another up.  In terms of editing, it was a mix of both ease and precision. I might have had the concept pretty flushed out, but then making sure the song had a good arrangement and was singable was where a lot of the time got spent.

I noticed how even when you’re saying “Access Denied,” it doesn’t sound angry—it sounds free. Was that the feeling you had once the song was finished?

100%, the feeling of being in full control of your space again is irreplaceable. It’s so healing to create boundaries from a place of love rather than from a place of resentment or revenge. I don’t really believe in people getting back at one another, it’s emotionally draining and tedious, but I’m a big fan of protecting your energy.  So when you have your peace, it’s freeing.

There’s this incredible tension in the sound—it feels grounded in classic R&B, but also floating in something experimental. How did you and your collaborators build that world sonically?

I absolutely loved the production process of this song! I think we got the sound in part because of how long I’ve worked with Brian West and Chin Injeti, and also because we all come from different generations of music (past, present, and future). So when we create, we —I always want R&B, alternative references, and cool sound design!

There’s a lot of clarity in this song, but also grief under the surface. Were you trying to hide that softness at all, or did you want both emotions to co-exist?

Wow, this is such a great question. I’m curious to know how many others will pick up on this theme. I think the “grief” that you’re describing lies in the frustration of feeling like self-confidence is sometimes a result of someone going one step too far—that from there you had to build yourself back up. Hating the process but being proud of coming out stronger, if that makes sense.

I love the line, “We made oil and water look like paradise.” Did that lyric/this song come to you quickly, or was it one of those that took time to land?

That line came out really quickly! That being said, I often write multiple songs over the same production before deciding what lyrical direction to go, so that can take some time. I wrote the main melody/lyrics for the chorus and verse of “Access Denied” in an hour, including cutting a quick 30 second demo to bring to the studio to show my producers. From there they helped me carve out more ideas and bring it to life.

There’s a sense of ownership in this song—like you’re drawing a line, not out of anger, but clarity. Was that hard to arrive at, or did it come naturally in the writing process?

Exactly. From the beginning it was so important to me that this song didn’t lean too far into the pain and instead stood in confidence. At the end of the day I always want my listeners to feel uplifted, like they can do the hard things and come out stronger! I wanted the lyrics to be very straight forward… A+B=C. This didn’t work, I learned a lesson, and I’m moving on.