Zeztra Talk New Single, Their Voices And More

Dublin born singer/songwriters Avril and Lorna Meade form the powerful sister alt-pop duo Zeztra. Their new single ‘Always On My Mind’ is out now on Good Deeds Music. They very kindly chatted to us about the track, their voices and more: 

Who is in Zeztra and what do they play?

We are sisters Avril and Lorna and we are what makes up the pop/alt duo Zeztra. Both of us share lead vocal/BV’s and Lorna plays guitar and piano live.

When did you begin songwriting?

Of course, being sisters, we began writing child-like songs from a very young age, but it was only when we were between 15 – 17 that we began writing seriously.

What is your earliest musical memory?

Our parents entered us in a local talent competition called ‘Dublin Docklands’ when we were 6 and 8 years old. We performed the song ‘Sisters’ from ‘A White Christmas’ movie and we won the competition. That is our earliest memory of performing together.

Your new single ‘Always On My Mind’ is out now. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

Since we are sisters, we experience a lot of the same family traumas. We both lost someone in our life that was very special to us. Because we could not communicate with them anymore, we wrote this song as a message to them. Maybe if they did hear it some day they would know that we do still think of them and they are Always On Our Mind.

Where did you record the song and who produced it?

We recorded and produced this track with David Morys Prendergast at Clique Recordings. John Reynolds then added some extra production layers and mix & mastered the track. Myself and Avril play a big part in the production side of our songs, so this was very much a collaborative piece that was brought to life with these two amazing producers.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?

Literally every recording session is the best fun ever, unless the track requires a lower level of humour. Myself, Avril and David are such a great team in the studio. We have way too many funny videos from our time together. John had two gorgeous dog/bears in his studio that would cuddle up while we spun our track hundreds of times… They must enjoy our music, or they didn’t want to be rude. Either way they brought a lot of joy to the recording sessions.

Was it a difficult song to write?

The initial writing process of ‘Always On My Mind’ was a tough topic to write about. However, during production we always try to make our ‘sad’ songs have an uplifting beat, vocal melodies, and instrumentation to them. We feel this makes the emotion both raw and hopeful.

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

Honestly, we hope that our audience truly connects with our tracks and personalities, and relates to them in some way, which makes them want to see us again.

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

For the percussion on this track we used a variety of random objects to experiment with different sounds. For example, we used a ribbed pipe and hit it with drum sticks to create a ‘child like’ percussion section in this track.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

Not a particular instrument/mic but we do love having a full live band on stage with us when we perform. It’s always such a great vibe!

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

We are born and bred in EastWall, Dublin Ireland. We grew up with relatives across the road and around the corner from our house, so quite a tight knit family. East Wall in five words…

1. Community 2. History 3. The Bees Knees 4. Home 5. Family

Which of your tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

a) Happiest = ‘Dancing Freely’ b) Angriest = ‘Fool’ c) Most reflective = ‘Always On My Mind’

How do you look after your voices?

Doing vocal warmups and exercises before a gig is a must. Drinking honey and lemon on the lead up to a gig (and on gig night depending on the vocals)

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

In complete honesty, we are not big readers but we do love the novel and Netflix series ‘Heart Stopper’. The raw emotions, fluidity, and overall vibe of this story would really fit perfectly with our tracks.

Do you have any future music releases planned for 2024/2025?

2025 will see the release of our long awaited Debut EP!

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

We have a wide range of musical influences which range from a huge variety of genres. Those include Carole King, Fleetwood Mac, Olivia Dean, Billie Eilish, Queen, Chapel Roan, The Last Dinner Party, and Raye. Now that we have typed it out, our influences are predominantly female artists, who range from a multitude of genres.

Recommendations: An oldie, but a goldie, have a listen back to Carole King’s ‘Tapestry’ album. What a creation!

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2024/2025?

We just recently played a headline gig in Whelan’s venue, Dublin. What a night…Further dates will all be announced shortly…

In addition, you have toured with Maverick Sabre. How did that opportunity arise and what are your memories of the experience?

It was honestly an ‘in the right moment, right place’ kind of thing. We were invited by Mav to perform alongside him on one of his tracks at the Academy, Dublin. 20 minutes before the support act was set to perform, they could not go on stage. Maverick quickly asked us if we could perform a support slot on stage within 20 minutes. It was a huge opportunity that we could not turn down, no matter how unprepared we were. We got on stage and performed our first ever support slot for Maverick Sabre. Definitely a night to remember. As a thank you, Maverick invited us to perform with him on the rest of his UK & USA tour. We booked the transport straight away and got the chance to perform alongside artists such as Jorja Smith and Olivia Dean. We have nothing but amazing memories of that time. We will be forever grateful for Maverick and his team for having us a part of their tour.

What makes Zeztra happy and what makes you unhappy?

We are huge animal lovers so any time we feel low it’s great to get a little squeeze from our furry friends. Reaching our goals in the music industry and seeing a trajectory makes us extremely happy, to see all the hard work pay off is a dream! It’s quite hard to speak about what makes us unhappy but I suppose every day life problems (which we usually turn in to songs), and the down times during our career. It’s really hard to experience the high highs and low lows whilst trying to keep going. But, it is all part of this journey that we are on together, and we can’t wait for what’s to come.