Lolo Zouaï's been on quite the winning streak. Since going viral with her debut track, "High Highs To Low Lows", in 2017, the 23-year-old singer-songwriter has collaborated with HER (on a Grammy-winning album, no less) and Dev Hynes, starred in a Tommy Hilfiger campaign and has sold out shows from here to South Korea. Zouaï (pronounced "Zoo-Eye") is especially popular in France, being as she is of French and Algerian descent, with a roster of songs that nod to her heritage, from Arabic melodies to French lyrics (the now-New Yorker was born in Paris but grew up in San Francisco after her family relocated).
Today, Zouaï is releasing the deluxe edition of her first album (also called High Highs To Low Lows) – a sultry record, stacked with sad bangers, that sees her deliver bittersweet lyrics in her signature saccharine vocal over moody, elecro-led R&B beats reminiscent of The Weeknd. And this is just the beginning – 2020 looks set to be an even bigger year for Zouaï and her of-the-moment sound. Here, she shares her formative firsts, from the way she side-stepped traditional label success in favour of building her own brand, to the first time she got drunk and the first time she fell in love.
The first time you realised you wanted to be a musician...
When I was six-years-old and I wrote my first song. It was called “School’s Out” and was about school being out and throwing a party. I was a little party girl! It was based on Aaron Carter’s “Come Get It”. I was really shy when I was younger, so I didn’t perform it or anything. Then it was in high school when I started seriously writing songs. I’ve only recently gotten over stage fright – about a year and a half ago, I did a five city tour across Toronto, Paris, London, LA and New York, and that was really the first time I just went for it. I still get a little bit nervous, but it’s not debilitating anymore.
The first time you played in front of a live audience...
I did high school talent shows, obviously, but that’s not the real deal. So it would have been with my music on the aforementioned tour about a year and a half ago. It was the Toronto date at a venue called Drake Underground and it was a sold out show, so very special.
The first record you ever bought...
Britney Spears’ first album.
The first time you made money out of music...
It was when I uploaded my first song to streaming platforms and got royalties via a site called TuneCore. I remember letting it sit there for a bit and after I hit a few million streams, I saw that I had like $10,000 in there, from one song. It was crazy.
The first time you encountered an obstacle in your career...
I had to sing in this tiny little room for LA Reid once, with a bunch of people staring at me, and it was really scary. It’s kind of how the music industry used to be and I don’t think it’s like that any more. I pretty much choked and I couldn't sing, then I realised it just wasn’t the right situation for me. It was before I wrote “High Highs To Low Lows” and it was one of the events that led to me wanting to change the way I was looking for this career, which is why I decided at that time to be independent and put out music without a label. I thought trying to get a label was what you had to do. But then I realised that if you build your own fanbase you don’t have to fit a box. I felt like I had to be a certain type of artist. That just wasn’t who I was.
The first time you blew your paycheque frivolously...
I’ve just got my own apartment, so I bought things like a rug and a big mirror. Other than that, I don’t think I’ve spent much, because once people start knowing you, you get a lot of free stuff, so I definitely wasn’t buying clothes of anything.
The first time you got properly drunk...
It was my 15th birthday and it was with my five best friends. My mom was out of town – don’t get her arrested! – and between six girls we had two 40s of beer and half a pint of tequila and we all threw up. We were doing interpretive dance, but then everyone started getting mad at each other, crying.
The first time a politician made you angry...
Probably when I was little, with Bush. I didn’t really know what was going on, but I knew it was bad.
The first time you were starstruck...
It was when I met E40 and Too Short, at an album signing. I know their engineer, so my friend introduced us and I literally couldn’t get my words out. I just stammered, "I preordered your album." They laughed at me, thought I was really adorable, like a little 16-year-old.
The first time you properly fell in love...
My first boyfriend, I actually met him at a Too Short event. It was puppy love. I was 16; he was in college. We’d always hang out around San Francisco.
The first time you met a fan...
I remember the first time someone recognised me on the street. I was so surprised, but it felt really cool.
The first time you went viral...
It was my first song on Spotify. It was No7 on the viral chart. I think it just got picked up by the algorithm because it was doing well on playlisting. There was no promo. I was so happy. I knew that song was good, I believed in it a lot, so it made me feel like I really was made for this.
The first time you threw a punch and meant it...
I’m not a fighter, unfortunately. One time, somebody pushed my friend into a mantel and I tried to stop it and then I got punched. I was protecting my friend! I wish I would have pushed her back, but I just don’t have that instinct.
The first time you got given a rider...
There wouldn't have been much on there, but now it's seaweed snacks and coconut water. That’s really all I need. Then also tea, Nag Champa incense, which I love, if I’m lucky.
The first time you realised you were any good...
It was in school really, just being in choir and being chosen to do solos and stuff. It was always my thing. In middle school I won best vocals. In high school I won best singer, so I had confirmation that I was good, but I kept practising. I always had this confidence that music was what I’m going to do, right from the jump. I don’t know where that came from.
The first person you’d call if you were in trouble...
Probably my mom, although it depends what kind of trouble.
The first time you heard a piece of fake news about yourself...
Well, I’m new, so people are still trying to figure out my story; people think that I’m French and being fake American, trying to pretend, which is crazy. I grew up in America. Then there’s this other story, where one thing I said in an interview has been blown up into an inaccurate story of how I went to LA and got rejected. People just exaggerate the truth. It’s really stressful, and becomes hard to read about yourself, because you don’t recognise the person being described. I think you just have to ignore it.
The first thing you’d do if you were president...
First of all, I can’t be president, because I wasn’t born in America. But I would probably look at environmental policies and ban plastic bags or something. Moving from San Francisco, where people really care about the environment, to New York, where nobody seems to recycle, styrofoam is being used and people generally don’t seem to give a crap, was weird.
Your first celebrity pin-up...
Really weird, but it was Matt Damon. I just loved him in the Bourne trilogy. I was obsessed.
The first karaoke you always want to sing...
It’s usually a JoJo song or I’ll go for Beyonce’s “Halo” and then regret it. I take karaoke really seriously, so nobody wants to go with me.
The first time you won at anything...
A high school talent show. I’m bringing those up a lot! I was 15 and I won $100. It was for the first song I’d written as a high schooler, “If I Had To Choose”, which is still on YouTube. It was really cheesy.
The first thing you’d ask Kanye...
I’d ask him to listen to my album or ask if I could get into a session.
The first time you felt like a grownup...
It’s pretty recent, when I moved into my apartment in January. I travel a lot, but whenever I am there I’m very happy.
High Highs To Low Lows (Deluxe) is out now. lolozouai.com
Head to our Vero channel to see Lolo Zouaï’s film, book, TV and music recommendations, plus her favourite place. Join GQ on Vero now for exclusive music content and commentary, all the latest music lifestyle news and insider access into the GQ world, from behind-the-scenes insight to recommendations from our editors and high-profile talent.
Now read
Tove Lo: ‘My first diva moment? When I played Coachella with Alesso’
Beabadoobee doesn’t want her parents to read this interview
Krept and Konan: ‘The first time we blew big money? We bought matching white Mercedes’
