Dark arts, daggers, shadowy pasts and murky futures…it’s not all fun and games being the clandestine shoegazers of ZAZA.

Or is it?

Back before Jennifer Fraser and Danny Taylor were shrouded in the mists of time, they were just ordinary traveling musicians, drawn from points unknown to the indie rock hotbed know as Brooklyn, New York.  There they met in secret corners, forging alliances and sealing away their old selves to become the two-headed ether-dream know as ZAZA. Trees swayed to the breeze of their subtle symphonies.  In the distance, a rooster crowed.

Or did it?

Later, as daylight turned to darkness, the Brooklynites whispered tales of magic happenings, entrancing performances built upon gentle melodies and tender vocals.  More distantly crowing roosters, etc.  And though the answers are few and far between, ZAZA is backed by a phenomenal live show and their first EP release, Cameo, is a twisted-love soundscape that is impossible to ignore.

Or is it?

Check out ZAZA live if you can. Just don’t forget the secret password. (hint: it’s rubik’s)

ZAZA seems to be a project born of chance, as both of you seemed to be aimlessly driven to New York from disparate parts of the country when you finally met and formed the band. Does the project as a whole seem tenuous as a result of that, or does ZAZA exist exactly because the stability you found in each other allowed you to stay put in New York City and create your music?
Jennifer: What a thoughtful question.  For myself, everything has always spun on a declarative axis concerning Danny. His timing, in every aspect, is impeccable. We were, and are, exactly where we should be.

How has the move to the East Coast influenced your music and writing? Do you consider ZAZA to be a departure or simply an evolution?
Jennifer: For myself, I’m quite isolated in New York from the comfort of my old friends and family which, born of that isolation, is a complete devotion and [familial] tie to ZAZA.

ZAZA is purposefully dark and ethereal and you seem to perpetuate that same vibe in your interviews, using language that suggests obscured and enigmatic personas. Is that a conscious decision to conflate the themes of the record and your own identities? Is there a different Danny and Jenny outside of ZAZA?
Jennifer: Everyone, let’s pray, has many dimensions. But yes, I seem to embrace the shadowy aspects of art.

Did both of you become friends through music or was music secondary?
Jennifer: Let’s say music was second nature, very natural.

How experimental are you in your live performances? For example, when you’re looping and layering, are you more concerned with building or is there a definite sonic destination?
Jennifer: We are happy if we arrive, but there is that old saying about the “ride.” It’s usually a beautiful disaster.
Danny: There always needs to be danger. Everything should be played on the edge of a knife.

Can you talk a little about the involvement of Lauren Sieden? You call her the silent member of ZAZA. How did she come into the fold? How will she continue to contribute on future projects?
Jennifer: Lauren is a friend of mine who is a wildly talented artist. I had a vision for ZAZA upon its inception. I wanted to light torches for a collective, an uncontained fire. All my friends are artists, we should all be a part of one another’s visions. Lauren was instrumental in our first stage installations. It was a real process finding out what works. It’s still in the process. We are committed to a hypnotic stage design.

You’ve been noticeably evasive when discussing plans for an LP. Is it because you’re circling something you’d like to be a surprise or is it because the process of creating ZAZA record means that you won’t quite know what a song is until you’re done layering and mixing in the studio?
Jennifer: Mystery on a whole is seductive. That being said, you can never really plan, can you?

You’ve said that you’d like to see some ZAZA on vinyl sometime soon. Is that purely because of nostalgia or have you tossed your hat into the argument of digital media versus physical media?
Danny: Nothing will ever replace a physical objects ability to evoke possession, worth, and history. I plan on passing a stack of treasured vinyl to my children, not a hard drive.

Any side musical projects outside of ZAZA?
Jennifer: I’m in a monogamous relationship with ZAZA.
Danny: We’re Siamese twins.

Click here to download “Repetition” from Zaza