Guided by her smoky vocals, Zsela crafts art songs with touches of wispy dream pop and intimate bedroom R&B. Her self-released debut EP, Ache of Victory, appeared in 2020, leading to a record deal with Mexican Summer, which issued her more vulnerable and lushly arranged full-length debut, Big for You, in 2024.
Brooklyn native Zsela Thompson made her self-titled recording debut as Zsela (ZHAY-la) in early 2019 with the dreamy ballad "Noise." It made some waves upon its release, collecting hundreds of thousands of streams in the lead-up to April 2020, when she followed it up with the three-track Live! EP (on which she thanked Talk Talk, Nina Simone, and Tim Buckley) and the five-song studio EP Ache of Victory, that she'd recorded with producer Daniel Aged (Frank Ocean, Kelela). Ache of Victory garnered critical acclaim and had many fans within the industry, and as word continued to spread of her haunting, sophisticated slow songs, she was invited to perform at venues including Carnegie Hall and MoMA PS1 in the months to follow.
After relocating to Los Angeles, Zsela signed with the Mexican Summer label for the June 2024 release of her first album, Big for You. An even more lushly and artfully arranged outing, it was produced by Zsela with Aged and Gabe Wax (Beirut, Soccer Mommy) and featured guests including Marc Ribot, Nick Hakim, and Slauson Malone 1's Jasper Marsalis, among others. ~ Marcy Donelson
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