From the Mass. Tiny Desk: Zola Simone's powerful ode to the creative journey

There were nearly 250 entries from Massachusetts to this year's NPR Tiny Desk Contest. Five panelists — Alisa Amador, Noble, Scarlet Keys, Victoria Wasylak and Amelia Mason — were tasked with choosing a favorite. But it's hard to pick just one. So as we prepare to reveal the panel's top choice, we're highlighting entries that left an impact.

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Zola Simone’s Tiny Desk entry “Nine Lives” cut through the noise. Their energy, message and voice were a breath of fresh air. There were many submissions revolving around the concept of love, but Simone's “motivational rags to riches” message stood out.

In the performance, Simone brings listeners an uplifting reminder: “Sinking and a shrinking got my eyes on the prize/ Out on the prowl, take my paws then I climb.”

The 21-year-old self-described “androgynous pop” artist from Boston began their professional music journey at 12 and released their first single “Real To You” at 13. Currently, they study at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music in New York and they played Boston Calling this year.

On top of that, Simone has also won two Boston Music Awards for New Artist and Song of the Year in 2021. The song “Easy,” which won them the honors, was inspired by the relationship between Casey and Izzie on the Netflix series “Atypical.” (The song was featured during the opening credits of the series finale.)

Simone wrote “Nine Lives” roughly a year prior to submitting it to NPR’s yearly contest. It started as a 20-second song in Logic Pro that was saved from the chopping block by Simone’s mom, who convinced them to continue working on it. Now, it’s a powerful ode to the creative journey and dealing with the successes and failures in an ever-changing music industry.

“I wrote it as a way to articulate some uncomfortable anxieties and doubts I was having in regards to my career,” Simone said. Sonically, the song is upbeat. It starts with a little melodizing before the lyrics start. “I can′t be pleased/ I'm a cat with nine lives/ An insatiable appetite. I wanna eat.”

“It’s never enough,” Simone repeats throughout the track. Their voice is strong and dynamic. Their range imitates breathing: Full lungs during the highs and a clean decompression during the lows. Simone is backed by a great band — Bobby Borenstein on guitar, Joe Campbell on bass and Jonathan Ulman on drums.

Simone’s charisma is also captured in the entry. Acting out lyrics mid-performance is a skill that has to be honed. “I don’t really have an approach to performing in all honesty,” they said. “I just do. I let my instincts and the music take over and I just let go.”

“I’m not the biggest believer in God but there’s nowhere I feel closer to a higher power than when I’m performing. It’s about connection, between the performer and the audience but also connection to yourself and something greater.”