With a string of recent singles stretching back to last year, it seems Zella Day is building up to the anticipated release of a second album. Today she drops the latest breadcrumb on this trail with the wonderful “Golden”, saying:
“The Genesis of ‘Golden’ happened as a tornado was tearing through Nashville and whispers of a global pandemic were evolving past a rumor. I was in Alabama writing with John Paul White as my phone was lighting up with messages from friends and family back home. I was supposed to drive back to Nashville that evening, but plans changed like the weather. In the stillness of the studio, ‘Golden’ was written communicating with powers beyond my control, expressing and coping with the magnitude of the situation by creating art; singing a melody into the moment to address its fragility and infinite beauty.“
A delectable and danceable country-tinged pop song, at first you’ll probably hear “Golden” as a straight-up celebration of good times. However, focus in on the lyrics and you’ll realise Zella’s got a whole lot of emotional turmoil bubbling away, and this simple dance starts to wrong foot you at every turn. That she was recording “Golden” just as the world was undergoing serious distress is telling, as the song seems like a love song at first, Zella singing about “when we move across the floor / we are golden”, but then shifts into a meditation on the varying fortunes of people around the world, and the unignorable pain of the poorest of them. It doesn’t stop “Golden” from grooving onwards, Zella trying to dance and sing away her worries. She concludes with the message “I don’t wanna be a man / I don’t wanna be a woman / I just wanna be golden” – something she wishes for the entirety of the human race.
Watch the video for “Golden” below or listen to the song on streaming platforms.
With news of a new album hopefully coming soon, make sure to follow Zella Day on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
You can also see her at these dates:
Wed Sept 8 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up
Fri Sept 10 – Mon Sept 13 – Redondo Beach, CA – Beachlife Festival
Sun Sept 12 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst
Tues Sept 14 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
Wed Sept 15 – Reno, NV – Virginia Street Brewhouse
Thurs Sept 16 – Napa, CA – JaM Cellars Ballroom
Fri Oct 1 – Sun Oct 3 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits
