Interview: ZENON Isn’t Fooling Around

ZENON Isn’t Fooling Around

The Calgary singer-songwriter discusses their new single “FwL,” identity in motion, and how every track on their upcoming record tells the truth a little louder.

by Cam Delisle

Photo by Danielle Lastres

Published on June 27, 2025

On “FwL,” Calgary-based artist ZENON holds a mirror to the self-abandonments we carry in love. The single from their upcoming album Redecorating My Mind touches on vulnerability through swelling soul arrangements and searing lyrical clarity. Rooted in lived experience (much like all of their music), ZENON’s smooth voice is a refusal of binaries, of silence, and of staying small.

A pivotal chapter in the unfolding of Redecorating My Mind, “FwL”—an initialism for “Fool with Love”—promises not only personal transformation, but a challenge for how we connect to others and ourselves. We caught up with ZENON about the track’s origins, the healing work behind their writing, and how their evolving identity shapes every detail of their artistic identity.

Living in Calgary, what does an average day look like for you lately?

As of recently an average day is full. I like to have a somewhat consistent morning routine of 15min yoga and set my intentions for the day and then I dive into my work. I play 4-5 live shows a month, especially during summer, that means lots of rehearsing and practicing with the band and/or duo. Writing for the musical and myself is also a big part of my schedule. Getting into the studio to record, working on the album pre and post roll out and collaborating; many of those on the way as well. I’ve also been going to see more live shows and musicals recently in the evenings, some on my own and some with friends. I really feel the act of relishing in others’ art is a huge inspiration and motivation to keep doing mine.

How did you initially find music in your life? And how long have you been performing?

I’d say music really found me. I grew up in a household that would crack the deck doors in the summer and blast sound waves from all over the world or very often CKUA Radio which also caters to various types of music. I started performing when I was 6 and continued throughout my youth and young adult life. Whether that was through musical theatre, choirs or performance programs in Calgary it was and still is the place I’m most myself.

“FwL” is such a vulnerable and striking track. Can you tell us about the moment or experience that sparked the lyrics?

The experience that sparked this track stretches back to when I was in college. I was seeing someone at the time that had me feeling like I was never going to be enough for them. I was filling their cup and giving myself to the relationship to a point of no return. Once I realized what was happening I broke it off and wrote the song as a piece of closure for myself. Over the years I’ve found myself stuck in a pattern of bad relationships and in 2023 I decided to take a break from dating and reflect on how I show up in all my relationships, romantic and not. That opened the door to edit some of the lyrics when I was in the studio with the producer Dempsey Bolton and we dove more honestly into what needed to be said and changed some of the lines to reflect the new perspective on the past.

You’ve described the upcoming album Redecorating My Mind as “a warning, a wish, and an awakening.” How does “FwL” fit into that larger narrative?

It gives you your first preview into this evolution of the ways we show up to a relationship. Sometimes we show up as someone who gives and sometimes we show up as someone who takes. FwL is one of the first “warnings” on the album telling you to watch for those snakes in the grass who want to fool around with your heart.

There’s a real push-and-pull in the song between doubt and clarity. How do you navigate trusting your instincts—both in life and in your creative process?

I believe trusting your instincts in life and creatively is about being present in the push and pull, whether that’s doubt and clarity, grief and joy or all those fun dualities life offers us. As soon as I started allowing both things to exist and be okay simultaneously in my life I felt I could trust myself. That’s not to say I’m on top of it everyday, I think the important part is meeting myself where I’m at and that’s different all the time.

Your work often draws from personal experiences with mental health, identity, and social justice. Do you see songwriting as a form of healing, resistance—or both?

I see songwriting as both and more. It’s healing, resistance, representation and creation all in one.

As a bi-racial, non-binary artist working in Soul, how do you see your identity shaping the way you approach music and connect with your audience?

My identity is something I learn more about and navigate everyday. That in itself is how it shapes my approach to music, in learning more about myself through my writing I also learn more about my writing through myself. That extends to my audience as well, especially at live shows when I see myself in others, and there have been times where others see themselves in me. Our reflections of each other are so symbiotic and intertwined.

You’ve had a huge live presence—playing festivals, sharing stages with artists like Alex Cuba and Allison Russell. How does performing “FwL” live feel different from your previous material?

Live performance has played a huge role for me and I’m so lucky to have shared the stage with those artists. There’s a sense of added freedom with this song when I play it live. It feels equally as honest as my other material and yet because I’m no longer living in the physical, mental and emotional headspace of the song I perform it in a more relaxed and fierce way.

You’re also working on a musical theatre project with Dan Clapson. How is writing for the stage pushing you as a composer and storyteller?

Composing for the stage is pushing me to reach into my tool box full with a myriad of knowledge from what I learned in college studying songwriting. It is something I still do in my own writing and, I’ve found writing to a story line lends itself naturally to using more of those tools in the process. As a storyteller specifically, it’s pushing me to be more open to the story changing as it’s being written.

If “FwL” is the warning—what’s the wish, and what’s the awakening that fans can expect as you roll out this next chapter?

The wish is the next part of the album that is to evolve and go beyond the walls of safety and familiarity in our minds. That will be shared on the third single to be released titled “Shower Floor.” The awakening is what’s on the other side of that transformation and what’s to come when we embrace redecorating our minds.