Nika Roza Danilova is the solitary girl with about a decade of opera study behind Zola Jesus. Her powerfully intense voice, thick with emotion cuts through every track leaving a distinct and permanent gash in the listener’s memory. Her first officially released music included a couple of 2008 7"s: The Poor Sons EP on Die Stasi and Soeur Sewer on Sacred Bones. In 2009, Zola Jesus became one of the most talked and blogged-about underground artists, and her release and touring schedule reflected that.

In her latest offering ‘Stridulum II’ Nika’s voice is brought to the forefront, unleashing a full range of emotions while sounding dramatic and foreboding, yet at times even poppy. Nika succeeds in creating pop songs that start off as minimalist beats and melody and go on to extend into synth and vocal layered crescendos.

Only 21 years of age, yet Nika is still more than capable of creating an opera of “huge, heart-wrenching songs powered forth on epic synth and crashing war drums.” (The Guardian, UK)