The sound of Zarif

According to The Guardian, 'Zarif is the next big thing in British soul', a major accolade for a major young lady. Having featured on the festival circuit and supported Chris Brown and Beyonce (!!), North Londoner Zarif truley is one to watch. Her songs are influenced by anything from Stevie Wonder to 80s pop Cyndi Lauper.

Zarif is a true lady and has a lot to give. I believe we have a new music and style icon upon us...Here are her 911's.


What are you doing right now?
Right now I just got home from being in the studio with Danny Byrd and I'm about to settle down to watch Glee, my new guilty pleasure. It's such feel good tv!

I like to sing because...
I like to sing because it's the most fun thing anyone can ever do in the whole world ever! I've done it forever and it's all I've ever wanted to do.

I like to illustrate because...
Sometimes a picture can tell much more much quicker than writing a whole paragraph of explanation. I love the immediacy, plus I love any excuse to get out the felt-tips and feel like a kid again!

What is your proudest moment in life so far?
I think it would have to be getting picked to support Beyonce on her UK tour. I had actually bought myself a ticket to the concert already, having no idea that I would ever be supporting her! So that was amazing, the whole tour was a surreal and brilliant experience.

What are your vices?
Coffee and chocolate! I'm not much of a bad girl so I guess those vices aren't that bad, but I do exist on caffeine and sugar especially if I'm writing, I need to be hyper.

Best music track to listen to to get the creative juices flowing...
Ooh that's a hard one. I find listening to new music always gets me going, it doesn't even matter what genre. When I listen to songs I've loved for ages I just get bogged down in thinking "how could I ever write anything this good??!!" so I end up not writing anything! New exciting music definitely helps.

What does 2010 hold?
I'm really excited because it's the year I will finally be releasing my first album! I did so much touring last year that it was hard to find the time to finish it, but now it's all done and I'm literally bouncing off the walls, I can't wait! The first single is called Box Of Secrets which is the title track of the album, and it's out in April.

www.myspace.com/zarifmusic