We caught up with Zand backstage at Reading 2023 to talk about her "very slay" debut at the festival, her recent team-up with Jeremy Corbyn for The Leadmill in Sheffield, touring with Peaches, her relationship with her fans, and what to expect from new 'Sewerstar' EP.
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00:00 (audience cheering)
00:03 - Hi, I'm Andrew Trendle, you're watching NME.
00:08 We're here at Reading Festival 2023 with Zand.
00:12 - Hello.
00:13 - How you doing, Zand?
00:14 - I'm good, how are you?
00:14 - I'm good, I'm good, the sun is out, vibes are high.
00:18 - Hell yeah.
00:19 - Is this your first Reading/Leeds?
00:21 - It is, this has been on my bucket list
00:23 for a long, long, long, long, long, long, long time.
00:27 So it is crazy to actually be playing the thing, wow.
00:30 I mean, I played it, but very cool.
00:32 - How was it?
00:33 - Slay, very slay.
00:36 I was like, well, it's certainly a festival that I'm playing.
00:40 It was really fun, yeah.
00:42 - But before you step on stage, you're like,
00:43 shit, it's Reading.
00:44 - Yeah, I've kind of got into this weird mind,
00:47 well, not weird mindset with festivals,
00:49 but just like, I've started playing so many shows
00:52 that they start kind of blurring into one,
00:55 but it was kind of one of those shows where I was like,
00:56 wow, oh, I'm playing Reading and Leeds, wow.
00:59 This thing might be one of those places
01:01 I was like 16 when I first came here,
01:03 so it was, yeah, surreal, but super fun.
01:06 - How was your first time when you were 16 at Reading?
01:08 - My first time, actually, was I 16?
01:10 Yeah, my first time was Leeds Festival when I was 16.
01:12 - It's better up there, let's not lie.
01:13 - I had the, it was one of those where you go
01:15 and you're like, wow, euphoria, teenage euphoria,
01:19 it was very much that.
01:20 Harrowmore were playing, I think,
01:22 and I don't know if it was the same year,
01:25 I think events unfold,
01:26 so a lot of my influences have played here
01:28 and I've seen a lot of people
01:30 that have inspired me come and go here,
01:31 so it's been crazy to actually have the opportunity
01:34 to be here, so yeah.
01:35 - Well, they're pretty crazy out there
01:36 at the best of times.
01:37 - Yeah.
01:38 - But how would you describe a typical Zand fan
01:42 and what kind of energy do they bring?
01:44 - Probably non-binary or just queer as fuck, if not.
01:49 Probably has dyed hair or some part of their head shaved.
01:55 Fantastic style every time.
01:58 I hate this term, but like, misfit,
02:03 people who feel that they find some sort of community
02:07 in my music.
02:08 A lot of the fucking queers and the sex workers
02:10 love my shit and I love them, so that's, yeah.
02:14 People like that.
02:16 - And speaking of community,
02:17 your last gig was at the Sheffield Lead Mill
02:20 with Jeremy Corbyn.
02:21 - Yeah, he's a G.
02:23 He was a lot funnier than I expected him to be.
02:27 We were kinda, when that came about,
02:30 we were kind of, I was in my dressing room
02:32 and they were like, "Oh, Jeremy wants to come and say hi."
02:34 - Wow.
02:35 - So I was like, "Okay, slay."
02:36 And he comes through and he's like, "Hello!"
02:37 And he's like, "Can I touch your hair?"
02:38 And I was like, "Yeah."
02:40 And he was, I don't know, we were taking like,
02:42 spy, like, hip-hop duo photos together.
02:46 He's cool and he's very passionate about what he does,
02:49 so it was really a honor to collaborate
02:54 with one of the last politicians in the country
02:57 who has a beating heart.
02:59 So, yeah, it was great, really great night.
03:01 - And what can you tell us about how that came together
03:03 and the cause?
03:05 - It was really fucking random how it came together,
03:07 actually, because his Peace and Justice Project,
03:10 their team, DMed me on Instagram.
03:13 And they were just like, "Hey, just reaching out
03:14 "in solidarity, can't remember what was going on."
03:18 And they were like, "Oh, we wanna get involved
03:20 "in something, what's your management email?"
03:22 So I was like, "Yeah, great, here's my management email,
03:24 "I'm gonna burp."
03:25 I didn't burp.
03:28 And they emailed my manager.
03:32 I didn't really hear anything about it,
03:33 it was just one of those things where I was like,
03:34 "Eh, something happened."
03:36 And I had a meeting with my publicist,
03:37 like, a month or two later, and they were like,
03:42 "Oh yeah, so this Jeremy Corbyn collaboration?"
03:44 I was like, "What?"
03:46 And they were like, "Yeah, 'cause we were meant
03:48 "to do an interview with him at the show."
03:51 So it was meant to be a big interview at first,
03:54 but then it turned into a collaboration
03:57 with the Peace and Justice Project
03:58 to save the Leadmill show.
04:02 And bringing awareness to music venues
04:04 and landlords fucking them over, blah, blah, blah.
04:07 So it was that, and also an interview
04:09 with Jezza himself in the future,
04:11 so I was just kinda like, "What the fuck?"
04:14 It was kinda like, "Why me?" but also Sleigh.
04:17 So yeah, fun how that came about.
04:20 We got an interview scheduled for the near future.
04:22 So yeah, that is kinda how it happened.
04:24 Very random, but yeah, great.
04:28 - Another collaborating with him on the next EP?
04:30 - Yeah.
04:31 I mean, I didn't have a Zanz and Jeremy Corbyn
04:35 collaboration on my bingo card for 2023 either,
04:38 but everything is happening this year, so, wow.
04:42 - And touring with Peaches,
04:43 that must have been pretty--
04:44 - Oh my God, that was insane.
04:46 I was literally like, when I got the email about that,
04:49 I was literally like, screamed so loud in my room.
04:52 I was just like, "Are you joking?"
04:53 And the night that we flew out to,
04:56 it was the first day in Amsterdam,
04:58 she just came straight to my dressing room.
05:00 I was just like, "Hello," and I was like, "Mother!"
05:02 (laughing)
05:03 I was just there, I was all like, "Are you joking me?"
05:05 Her entire show is insane as well.
05:07 Everything is just theatrical show.
05:10 She literally brings out a fucking
05:12 giant inflatable penis and shoots you out of this.
05:15 It's crazy.
05:16 And she walks inside, it's crazy.
05:17 She is the definition of a real artist.
05:20 It's insane.
05:21 - So you get a lot of inspo from an experience like that.
05:23 - Yeah.
05:24 Without even realizing, yeah, it was insane.
05:26 - Amazing.
05:27 And we are a few weeks away from the Suastar EP
05:32 featuring bangers such as Deliverance.
05:34 - Hell yeah.
05:35 (laughing)
05:36 - I mean, what can you tell us about
05:37 the concept and character of this EP?
05:40 - Of what, sorry?
05:41 - Of this EP.
05:42 - There's quite a few.
05:43 The concept for the EP was kind of like,
05:46 "Oh, let's go to this underground sewer realm
05:48 where there's some gremlin, dragonoid, humanoid creatures
05:52 kind of creating debauchery in fucking society."
05:55 And everyone's kind of like,
05:57 each song is like its own character and its own narrator.
05:59 And they may, not really a hero,
06:02 but maybe an anti-hero of some sort.
06:03 It's just kind of like telling its own story.
06:06 And that's kind of the story that I wanted to project
06:09 for the EP.
06:11 But I like the idea of creating different characters
06:15 and alter egos in my music.
06:17 I'm obsessed with cartoons
06:18 and being able to project that kind of narrative
06:22 in my music is really fun.
06:24 Rather than it just being kind of a straight,
06:26 tonal vision like this, about this, all that.
06:29 It's fun to incorporate different characters
06:31 and villains and blah, blah, blah in your music.
06:34 'Cause it's just, why wouldn't you?
06:35 It's fun to tell stories.
06:36 - Amen.
06:37 - So, it's fun.
06:38 - And beyond that, what's next?
06:39 Album in the works or just some more projects?
06:41 - Yeah, I have some really fun collaborations coming up,
06:45 like bucket list shit that I'm really excited to have out.
06:48 - Any hints?
06:49 Beyond Corbin.
06:52 - We have, one of my good friends who has the same,
06:56 the same, how do I say?
07:00 Their name starts with the same letter.
07:02 - Okay.
07:03 - Really excited about that.
07:05 And album is in the works, yes.
07:07 I'm hoping next year.
07:08 - Amazing.
07:09 What does the rest of this year look like?
07:11 - Very busy.
07:12 I am, after this I'm jetting straight off to America
07:15 to start my headline North American tour.
07:18 That still doesn't feel real to say.
07:20 That I'm doing my first headline tour in America
07:23 isn't insane to me.
07:24 And then I come back and I'm doing my first headline tour
07:28 in the UK.
07:29 And then I'm going to have a big sleep.
07:33 So, yeah, and the EP will be out.
07:35 And yeah, hopefully people will like it.
07:38 I don't know.
07:39 - And tonight, what are you going to do after this interview?
07:41 Are you going to go see some people or just chill backstage?
07:44 - Well, Chase Atlantic, they were like one of the only bands
07:46 I wanted to see at this entire festival.
07:48 And they clashed with my set, which I'm so pissed off about.
07:52 But I think I'll probably catch like Young Lean.
07:55 It was really cool to catch a bit of Scowl's set today.
07:57 They played just before me.
07:58 Cat is amazing.
07:59 My mind's gone black.
08:02 I'm like, who else is playing?
08:03 Who else is playing today?
08:04 - 75.
08:06 - 1975.
08:07 Oh, the Killers.
08:10 Like the Killers.
08:13 If not, I'll see them tomorrow.
08:14 - Yeah.
08:15 - Swarm.
08:16 Scout.
08:22 Oh yeah, shout out to Scout.
08:23 Yeah, it was slay.
08:24 I also really enjoy, I heard Hi Viz
08:27 from my dressing room when I was getting ready.
08:29 That really cool.
08:30 Yeah.
08:31 Oh wait, I want to see Joey Valance and Bray.
08:35 I feel like I'm saying it wrong.
08:36 - Oh yeah, I'll go see them.
08:36 - I feel like I'm missing them.
08:37 Wait no, they're on a set.
08:38 Yeah, after this.
08:39 I'm going to go see them.
08:40 - Cracky, Wuzand.
08:41 - Have an amazing night.
08:42 - Thank you, you too.
08:43 - Thanks so much.
08:44 - Thank you.
08:45 [BLANK_AUDIO]