Zohara

Zohara
Background information
Born
Zohara Niddam

1988 (age 37–38)
OriginLondon, UK
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • producer
Years active2012–present
LabelIndependent
Member ofOi Va Voi
Websitewww.zoharamusic.net

Zohara (זוהרה, born 1988) known for fusing electronic production with Middle Eastern instrumentation, pop, classical and jazz.[1]

Career

Between 2012 and 2014, in her room , Zohara produced her first album Growing up Anyways, released in 2016. The album is made of 12 original songs that mostly deal with the doubts of people in their early twenties.

...Anyway give it listen (and watch) yourself and make up your own mind. We reckon Zohara deserves to be up there in the charts and in the public consciousness. Whether she will though depends on the odd machinations of the music industry but she deserves it.

— FLUX Magazine[2]

In 2013 Zohara performed in Israel and London and made music videos. The videos were released in 2014–2015. One song, "Drum & Bass", was broadcast on MTV World,[3] and her song "Lost" premiered on British magazine Konbini.[4]

..Reminiscent of Bjork, say, but with a gritty, DIY sensibility, it's early days for Zohara – but these are promising signs.

— Clash Music[5]

In 2017, Zohara became the lead singer of the British band Oi Va Voi. Their album Memory Drop was released by V2 in 2018, to critical acclaim, and was featured in The Guardian, Evening Standard and Songlines. The band appeared on The Tom Robinson Show (BBC 6 Music), Clive Anderson (BBC 4), the Dutch TV show Nijverheid, and sold out both of their London shows at Omeara and Islington Assembly Hall. They finished 2018 touring in Germany, Holland, Russia, Turkey, and Israel. In 2019, Zohara performed at The Royal Academy of Arts as part of Anthony Gormley's exhibition, headlined The Shacklewell Arms, supported Audiobooks at Electrowerkz and Paper Dress Vintage, and continued touring Europe as the lead singer of Oi Va Voi.

In 2020, Zohara signed to Studio Bruxo, established by sound artist David Wrench, who has worked with artists such as Frank Ocean, Caribou, Glass Animals, Arlo Parks, Manics, Goldfrapp, David Byrne, Erasure, XX, FKA Twigs, Sampha and Jungle.[6]

In 2023, she released the single "Intro" on the London label Slow Dance, as part of their yearly compilation. Hard of Hearing Magazine wrote: "Also subtly ear-catching is Zohara, an incredibly exciting artist and producer. Her piece ‘Intro’ has something of mallwave about it but broadens its scope in drawing on Middle Eastern influences and the artist’s jazz background."[7]

In 2024, Zohara released her second solo album Welcoming the Golden Age. Five singles were issued from the album, three of them via Studio Bruxo: "Sing a Song", "Curly" and "Ballad21".[8]

In 2025, Zohara released three singles: "Thanks God the Russians Came", "I Didn't Have a Brat Summer" and a cover of Björk's "Jóga". Indie Underrated wrote of "I Didn't Have a Brat Summer": "Her voice is dramatic and emotive, with phrasing that showcases a heavy jazz influence. Sounding almost like a show tune written for the dance floor. The gloriously ironic video encompasses the song’s theme."[9] The Wild Is Calling described the single as "a fun psychedelic trip… stylistically we think it connects with artists like Björk and FKA Twigs. It’s really smart pop."[10]

Her cover of Björk’s "Jóga" received international press attention, including:

  • Earmilk: "resistance and radiance… a protest in grace."[11]
  • York Calling: "I had goosebumps while listening to the track’s climax."[12]
  • The Big Takeover: "If only all artists could approach covering a song with the same amount of imagination and creative intellect."[13]
  • Beach House Magazine: "layering in Arabic instrumentation and modern electronic elements in a way that feels natural, not forced."[14]
  • Obscure Sound: "The track invigorates in ZOHARA’s evident vocal power, in addition to the infusion of Arabic instruments with deep history."[15]

In November 2025, the Bristol, UK performance venue Strange Brew apologized for cancelling an Oi Va Voi performance, partly over Zohara's cover art for Welcoming the Golden Age.[16][17][18]

Discography

Albums

Date Title
2016-11-13 Growing Up Anyways[19]
2024 Welcoming the Golden Age[20]

Selected Singles

  • 2015 – "Soldier"
  • 2015 – "Bass & Drum"
  • 2015 – "Lost"
  • 2015 – "Piano 1976"
  • 2015 – "New Village"
  • 2015 – "Play" (BalconyTV)
  • 2015 – "Amplify Me" (IndieCity)
  • 2023 – "Intro" (Slow Dance compilation)[21]
  • 2024 – "Sing a Song"[22]
  • 2024 – "Curly"[23]
  • 2024 – "Ballad21"[24]
  • 2025 – "Thanks God the Russians Came"
  • 2025 – "I Didn't Have a Brat Summer"[25][26]
  • 2025 – "Jóga" (Björk cover)[27][28][29][30][31]

References

  1. ^ "Introducing: ZOHARA". Mentioned Reviews. Archived from the original on 30 May 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  2. ^ "Zohara releases video for her spellbinding track Lost – Flux Magazine". Flux Magazine. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  3. ^ "New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Pop Culture". MTV. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  4. ^ Morrish, Lydia. "Premiere: Tel Aviv's multi-instrumentalist Zohara shows us 'Lost'". Konbini United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  5. ^ "Introducing... Zohara". Clash Magazine. 7 April 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  6. ^ "Zohara Official Website". zoharamusic.net. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  7. ^ "Slow Dance Compilation 2023 review". Hard of Hearing Magazine. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  8. ^ "Zohara Official Website". zoharamusic.net. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  9. ^ "Indie Underrated – Jethro Pickett & Zohara". Indie Underrated. 25 February 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  10. ^ "Music Videos We Love – Zohara". The Wild Is Calling. 26 February 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  11. ^ "Zohara channels resistance and radiance in haunting cover of "Jóga"". EARMILK. 4 August 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  12. ^ "Discovery: Zohara creates a bridge between Iceland and the Middle East with unexpected cover". York Calling. 4 August 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  13. ^ "Zohara – "Jóga" (self-released)". The Big Takeover. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  14. ^ "Zohara – "Jóga"". Beach House Magazine. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  15. ^ "Zohara – "Jóga" (Björk cover)". Obscure Sound. August 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  16. ^ Youngs, Ian (19 November 2025). "Bristol venue Strange Brew admits 'mistake' after cancelling Jewish band Oi Va Voi". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  17. ^ Stock, Annabel (7 June 2025). "Promoter apologises for cancelling Jewish band's gig over artwork row". The Argus. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  18. ^ Sinclair, Annabel (19 November 2025). "Bristol venue admits it was wrong to cancel Jewish band due to activist pressure". Jewish News. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  19. ^ "Growing Up Anyways on Bandcamp". Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  20. ^ "Zohara Official Website". zoharamusic.net. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  21. ^ "Slow Dance Compilation 2023 review". Hard of Hearing Magazine. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  22. ^ "Zohara Official Website". zoharamusic.net. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  23. ^ "Zohara Official Website". zoharamusic.net. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  24. ^ "Zohara Official Website". zoharamusic.net. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  25. ^ "Indie Underrated – Jethro Pickett & Zohara". Indie Underrated. 25 February 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  26. ^ "Music Videos We Love – Zohara". The Wild Is Calling. 26 February 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  27. ^ "Zohara channels resistance and radiance in haunting cover of "Jóga"". EARMILK. 4 August 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  28. ^ "Discovery: Zohara creates a bridge between Iceland and the Middle East with unexpected cover". York Calling. 4 August 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  29. ^ "Zohara – "Jóga" (self-released)". The Big Takeover. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  30. ^ "Zohara – "Jóga"". Beach House Magazine. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  31. ^ "Zohara – "Jóga" (Björk cover)". Obscure Sound. August 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
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