Having recently announced her new album Arkhon is now due to be released on the 24th of June via Sacred Bones Records, Zola Jesus has shared the third single and video from the album, entitled “The Fall“.
Nika Roza Danilova comments on latest cut “The Fall” saying: “I wrote The Fall for myself. It was an exercise in using music as a tool for the sake of my own inner catharsis. I had a lot of turmoil and complicated emotions that I couldn’t process in any other way. I suppose some feelings require you to write a pop song in order to fully understand them. For that reason, this song is very precious to me.”
Speaking on the track’s accompanying video, she adds: “Working with Jenni Hensler as a director was such a soul-feeding experience. She’s someone I’ve been collaborating with for ten years, and a dear friend to me. I value her own artistic perspective so much that at some point I realized there was no one else I could trust with my vision. We connected on an emotional and spiritual level regarding the intent of the song, and then I handed it over and let her make her magic. I’ve never felt so freed by a collaboration. And working with choreographer Sigrid Lauren was such an empowering experience. She was able to interpret and support my idiosyncratic movements in a way that allowed me to feel free in the moment.”
Director Jenni Hensler comments: “When we fall, we have the inner strength to pick ourselves up again. We sometimes have to struggle to find that strength, but it is there within all of us. The journey Nika goes through within the video, including confronting her reflection, removing her mask and the symbolic choreographed dance that follows are my way of expressing that.
I’ve debated whether to write a heartfelt statement speaking of the long-standing collaboration and friendship I’ve had over the years with Nika, about how she has touched my life and how we have both grown. Or to only speak about the meaning of this current collaboration. The two are connected, intertwined. This video is about the feeling of being stuck in a position or way of thinking about yourself and of the world around you, including the pressures to conform to a certain way of expression. It’s about the mask we wear, and the ways artists are forced to comply in order to succeed. This oftentimes makes us forget that creating art is one of the most transcendent forms of expression and that fully feeling, being in the present and enjoying the process while creating is at the core of who we are and the art we create. It is about change and coming into the power of our creativity. We need to wholly feel and release the magic within. When we make ourselves vulnerable and find the strength to do that, the art has a deeper meaning. The unspoken feeling when we truly feel connected and in the present moment of ecstatic joy or pain as we create is palpable. When Nika and I spoke about the vision for the song, we discussed a yearning for something better, a breakthrough of creative potential, and learning along the way. And then a sort of enlightenment when you realize that you are in control and do not need to conform to external standards. There is power and magic in knowing that. There is power in the desire for something better, the feeling within that desire including the drive and excitement it brings. There is strength in the feeling of expressing the sensuality simultaneously brewing and fully releasing that inner fire. This is an expression of all of that and reflects the journey of our collaboration and metamorphosis over many years.”
Listen to “The Fall” and watch the video for it below:
Zola Jesus has also announced a run of US Tour dates with The Cult and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club as well as an appearance at Summerfest in Milwaukee. Full dates are listed below.
Jul 8 – St. Paul, MN – The Palace Theater*
Jul 9 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest
Jul 10 – Chesterfield, MO – The Factory*
Jul 12 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre*
Jul 14 – Cincinnati, OH – PNC Pavillion*
Jul 15 – Huber Heights, OH – Rose Music Center at The Heights*
Jul 16 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE*
Jul 19 – Washington DC – The Anthem*
Jul 20 – New York, NY – Pier 17*
Jul 22 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia*
Jul 23 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion*
Jul 24 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall*
Jul 26 – Syracuse, NY – Cooper Crouse-Hinds*
Jul 27 – Rochester Mills, MI – Meadow Brook Amphitheatre*
*With The Cult & Black Rebel Motorcycle Club