Concert Review: Zāna Brings You Gypsy-Pop At Mercury Lounge
Zāna, in origin, is Romanian name for a mythical fairy that brings positivity. I mention this origins because Zāna, at Mercury Lounge, did the same thing. The Yugoslavic songstress is prepping herself to be the Queen of Gypsy Pop; fusing Latin and Arabic influences to create pop jams that ask you to go beyond shaking your hips into belly-dancing.
I, sincerely, believe that people took Zāna’s concert as an opportunity to practice their belly dancing. Couples swayed their hips and stomped their feet at the demand of the songstress/ leader to dance. She commands her crowd to MOVE: not just stand there and nod. From originals like, “Into My Bed” and “Why Can’t You,” to covers of “You Know I’m No Good” and “Seven Nation Army,” Zāna plays to the desire for love to behave how you want it to. Most of us, if not all, demand our hearts and the hearts of others to follow certain guidelines, and still manage to be shocked when they do not.
Love is wild, and Zāna captures that through rhythms that drive you wilder. Latin and Arabic music was created to go for the mystical aspects of a soul, and she does that with a voice that could, easily, fit into a jazz or blues festival. She feels plucked from a Billie Holiday competition, and, somehow, placed in a chic, Middle Eastern lounge. She summons an old soul with colorful sophistication and a worldly youthfulness that enraptures audiences. Who does not want to dream that they are in Moroccan Rooftop party listening to Amy Winehouse of Nina Simone? These women brought the magic and meanness of love, and how we all are trying to get the magic while avoiding the mean. Zāna does the same.
Bubbly in personality, and honored that her friends to a late show, Zāna, definitely, gave me the vibe that I was witnessing her beginning through a much larger, prosperous path. Every artist starts in a smaller club filled with close, loyal friends, but it is your talents that invites strangers to become your fan. Zāna has the talent. For More Information On Zāna Click Here.
