Q&A: Zoë Coz Is Turning Her Hardest Memories Into Her Strongest Songs
WRITTEN BY MATILIA
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Independent folk-rock artist and singer-songwriter Zoë Coz builds intimate, storytelling-driven worlds shaped by folk, indie and alternative influences.Throughout her discography, her strongest signature is the emotional directness at the center of it all. Whether she’s writing through guilt, family tension, queer identity, heartbreak or self-reflection, Coz approaches songwriting as both a release and a way to offer listeners a safe place to explore their own feelings.
On her latest single, “Fight To Win,” Coz turns one of her most personal memories into a folk-rock confession about defensiveness, family tension and the process of becoming who you want to be. The song closes out her upcoming EP, a project shaped by long drives, big moves, love, loss, guilt and the emotional work that followed her move to California.
As she moves toward this next chapter, Coz is bringing listeners deeper into the stories, arrangements and moments of self-reflection that have shaped her sound.
Read our full conversation with Zoë Coz below.
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LIFE ON JUPITER: For people who are just being introduced to you, how would you describe who you are as an artist and the world you’re creating through your music?
ZOË COZ: Zoë Coz is an independent folk-rock artist and singer-songwriter crafting introspective, storytelling-driven music with a rich blend of folk, indie, and alternative influences. Coz is all about vulnerability. A lyricist at heart, she’s not afraid to open up about the good, the bad, the guilty, the ugly, or even the OCD spirals that sometimes define months of her life. With influences such as Adrianne Lenker, Death Cab for Cutie, Lizzy McAlpine and so many more, Coz is creating a world of intimate arrangements and engaging storylines full of self-reflection.
What do you feel makes a song unmistakably you, whether it’s in the lyrics, the emotion, the melodies, or the way you tell a story?
COZ: I think the way I tell a story and the time and care I put into my guitar parts and arrangements. I’m very honest with the way I write and play, and hopefully people can hear that.
How has your relationship with songwriting changed as you’ve grown as both a person and an artist?
COZ: It definitely hasn’t been linear. I think sometimes my songwriting informs my growth and sometimes my growth informs my songwriting. I was a really scared kid. Scared of disturbing the peace, scared of being honest and having that make things fall apart, scared of not being what people wanted me to be. I wrote because I didn’t talk about things and I needed an outlet, and now I think I write in hopes of giving someone else that outlet. Writing keeps me balanced, and it helps me become a better person with a stronger sense of identity every day.
What was the inspiration behind your latest single, “Fight To Win,” and what do you want listeners to take away from it?
COZ: "Fight To Win" is about being 16 and 17 and having a drinking problem, being too defensive, and how hard mother-daughter relationships can be during that time. I also look a lot like my dad, and that was weird when my parents were getting divorced. I held onto a lot of shit as a kid; I love my mom and dad. It’s really hard to stop being so defensive when you grow up in fight or flight, but it's always possible to become who you want to be, so I guess that's what I want listeners to take away from it.
How did you approach building the sound of “Fight To Win” around the emotion of the lyrics?
COZ: I wanted the lyrics to be the main focus, and I wanted the arrangement to feel like the words. For example, in the bridge, I was crying in the vocal take I ended up using. It’s the climax of the song, and it’s a really sad memory for me, so I wanted the electric guitar to sound like it was crying and following that. No matter how many instruments are in any given section, the lyrics always have space, and the arrangement plays off of them dynamically.
“Anvil” is one of your recommended singles. What does that song represent for you, and why is it one you’d recommend to new listeners?
COZ: "Anvil" is the first time I so explicitly and openly talk about being a lesbian and a relationship I had that really influenced my life as a teenager. It’s about a girl I dated when I was 15, and we broke up because her mother was super homophobic. I was too young, wrapped up in myself and how sad I was, to really think about the full picture. Writing this song helped me gain a lot of perspective, and I just hope she’s alright. I was incredibly lucky to grow up with such supportive parents and family, and I want my music to be a safe space for young queer people.
“Benny of the Basement” has become one of your most popular releases. What’s the story behind how that song came together, and what about it do you think made people connect with it the most?
COZ: Benny was the first track of my artist rebrand. I had finally found a sense of style in my music, in my arrangements, in the way I wrote and put together songs. It’s the first track of many that feel true to who I am as a person and an artist, and I think people can feel that. I actually got to record it with my favorite professor from college. I still work with him to this day, and we just have a really awesome studio chemistry. It was the first time in the studio where I felt like someone I was working with really understood my vision, my influences, and what I was trying to convey. I haven’t talked much about the story behind the lyrics either, but I think it’s written in a way that allows people to find their own meaning. It’s really for anyone who’s been to a shitty high school party and had a bad experience, anyone who’s been treated terribly in a relationship, or anyone who’s had some ridiculous friend group drama.
You’ve mentioned influences like Adrianne Lenker, Lizzy McAlpine, and Death Cab for Cutie. What have those artists taught you about songwriting, vulnerability, or building atmosphere in music?
COZ: Each of these influences has helped shape a different part of my artistry. My parents played music 24/7 when I was a kid, so their music ended up on all my playlists, my iPod shuffle, every speaker in the house, the car, you name it. Death Cab was one of those bands that really stuck with me for their bass lines and atmosphere building. Then, of course, Ben Gibbard's got a voice that’s so consistently recognizable, and no matter what concept or atmosphere the album is building, no matter what band he’s singing for, and no matter how much growth he’s had over time as an artist, you always know it’s him. It’s something invaluable, and it’s helped me in building my world as an artist and finding myself stylistically.
As for Adrianne Lenker—she’s a pillar of songwriting as we know it, but more than that she has such a unique set of experiences that she writes about, and even if you can’t possibly fathom what she's gone through personally, she makes you feel it when she sings, when she plays, how she arranges her stuff. There’s this mind-to-body, voice-to-guitar connection where it just all feels like one. It’s so vulnerable and so natural. I want to be that vulnerable. I think creating that space is super important.
I think Lizzy McAlpine has really mastered being so straightforward in her writing. In an era where music and media are so saturated, and everyone is trying to do the metaphor thing, it’s refreshing to have an artist who so simply and elegantly can tell a story and make you feel so much. I think listening to her music helps me keep grounded in my own.
Your live presence is described as deeply connected and genuine. How does performing your songs in front of an audience change your relationship with them?
COZ: I just love performing and I think that comes through. I love watching people react to what I’m talking and singing about, and I’m just so grateful to be able to experience that. I think when I perform them in front of an audience, they feel more real. It’s the songs in their most intimate and vulnerable form because it's not just me hearing them and giving them meaning.
You also have an upcoming EP. How does “Fight To Win” introduce or connect to the larger story you’re telling on the project?
COZ: "Fight to Win" actually closes out the project, but it’s been such a long time coming in terms of writing and recording; I really wanted to get it out as a single. The EP is about moving halfway across the country after high school, then the rest of the way after college, and all the things I thought about and processed on the long, long drives. I did a lot of work on my OCD, all the love I’ve experienced and lost, and all the guilt I’ve held onto, and this is just what came of it. I wrote a lot of it on the road and finalized it all after finally moving to California, which has been a dream of mine since I was a kid.
As you move toward this next EP and your next few singles, what can listeners expect, and what do you hope they’ll understand about you, your growth, and the music you’re making right now?
COZ: I think listeners can expect a lot of confessions, a lot of worst moments and some of the best music I’ve written so far. I’m really excited about this project. It’s been a long time coming, and I think they’ll see a lot of growth in my arrangements, my writing and my melodies. Music I’m super proud of and excited about!