Philadelphia can be a difficult place to find your creative footing. Despite the wide array of colleges, renowned music venues, and a flourishing underground DIY scene, artists can often get swept up in the intense pace of city life. Philadelphia grits your teeth, tests your mettle, and tries your spirit, but the creative minds that come out the other side are unlike any others. However, Zinadelphia didn’t just survive this trial by fire, she stepped out looking like the cover of Vogue circa 1964.

Her latest EP, The Magazine, is a collection of all her creative passions: music, journalism, photography, graphic design and, of course, 1960’s mod fashion. At the core of all this, though, are the songs themselves. Throughout the six-song project, Zina touches on topics of love, friendship, betrayal, body dysmorphia, the predatory atmosphere within the music scene, and much more, all seamlessly sewn together by her charming and powerful vocals.

Zinadelphia and I sat down to talk at a pivotal point in her musical journey. She just kicked off her first headlining tour of North America and has sold out shows across the country, all built upon the foundation that is The Magazine. As we talked more about her life, career, and the growing pains of fame, it became clear that Zinadelphia has found her creative footing, and that she’s ready to dive headfirst into the future.

Zinadelphia | photo by Danielle Ciampaglia for WXPN

Music wasn’t always the career path Zinadelphia had in mind though. At Temple University, she began as a photography major before quickly shifting to journalism and ultimately settling on media studies and production. Her first foray into music came by way of the underground; immersing herself in the house shows of North Philly and running a venue called The Backyard during her sophomore year. Zina said she never outright tried to create a band, but that it just happened. That deep sense of community within DIY helped her find her place, find her band, and guided her through the early days of playing live.

“I would make music on the side, just for me,” she said. “Then when we’d go live, and it was completely separate. It was hard because all my songs are very live and maximal … trying to recreate it was difficult.”

As Zinadelphia grew out of the underground, she was met with rising expectations both good and bad. On one hand, she was playing larger shows, circulating around trademark Philly locales like PhilaMOCA and Johnny Brenda’s, but the demand for consistency quickly turned against her. She described her artistry as a delicate trifecta of musical releases, social media posting, and strong live performances, each requiring an investment of time to build up, but too much focus made the others suffer.

“I give every single fuck about everything, and I’m not ashamed of it,” she said. “Every time I post it’s a big deal. It’s a big process and it gets exhausting pursuing it. When it pays off, it’s great, but it never will unless it’s consistent, and it’s hard to be consistent when it takes so much out of you.”

Gospel Roots: Bright Hope Baptist Church – Paula Holloway “You Are My Friend”