Recently I was blessed with the good fortune and opportunity to interview Zaimah
Beloved; a remarkable artist whose trails, trials and triumphs have served as the
bedrock of her musical creativity and lyrical pursuits.
At the surface of Zaimah’s music lay a mix of serene vocals, colorful production, and
innovative song structures. Beyond this, tucked in anecdotal messages of liberation,
femininity, love, generational conflict, and triumph and boldly wrapped in her strong
posture of faith. Zaimah’s music is thought-provoking, exploring missives of Black
History and introducing political, social, and religious commentary. A rich tapestry of
themes interwoven with sultry rhythms and emotional vibes that captivate and invite the
listeners to the deepest depths of her artistry.
Hailing from the City of Buffalove (Buffalo, New York) Her last album release “The Black
Swan”, is indicative of Zaimah’s grand range and conscious effort to make an impact
not only on her surrounding community (to which she attributes a lot of her musical
influence) but to the world as well.
Hasan: “What was your motivation for Black Swan? And can you also explain the
symbolism?”
Zaimah: “Yeah, that’s like my favorite album that’s released so far. Black Swan
was like I was on my way to the Universal Sound/album. Black Swan, that album,
was especially for black people. There is a saying or an expression called the
Black Swan effect. The effect is a concept expressing something occurring in
society or the world, and no one knows just how significant the effect of that
thing will be and how it changes things in a way that nobody anticipated.
This was my nod to the Black Swan effect because that’s how I see my people,
Black people. I see us as the thing that’s happening and also the thing that has
happened in the world, and we’ve yet to see the true extent of how much we’re
going to impact the world because we’re still getting our stuff together.
The Black Swan effect is definitely representative of how we are going to impact
the world.”
Hasan: How has your sound evolved since then or your last release?
Zaimah: “I’m Muslim. I come from creating music for the community that I’m
around AND the people that I most interact with. So my last several would be
considered community music. They were albums that I knew would reach the
people that I was in association with. It was truth music intended to engage and
raise the consciousness and vibration of the listener. Conscious music is how I
define my music. My former albums had very specific Muslim-oriented themes
but were also rooted with socially conscious themes. So this album that I’m
almost finished with extends the branches of universality as witnessed in my
single “Thank You”, where I sing the refrain “Thank You” in 33 different
languages. The album that I’m finishing and I’m working to release in February
2024 (God-willing) definitely has a universal aim of reaching a wider and diverse
global audience. I’m no longer looking at any community as small, like if they’re
going to have a conference or convention and they want to bring me, I want to be
there and want them to embrace my music. You won’t know the Religion of the
person creating this album. You won’t know there’s not any religious affiliation
connected to the music but the universality of the sound/lyrics will naturally
connect us. This is probably the best music I’ve created.
Her latest single release “Thank You” can be found on all streaming platforms.
Website: www.zaimahbeloved.com
Instagram: zaimah_beloved
Facebook: facebook.com/Zaimahbeloved
