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Zonmai (FR/BE)
Zonmai is a 23-year-old French artist, based in Brussels for several years. Active since 2020 on SoundCloud, she has crafted a musical world style that blends autotune with French and US rap, French chanson, and new pop music. Her unique phrasing and melodies reflect the generation with uninhibited influences she is part of. Her introductory EP, *Cool Kiss*, is released end of 2022, and features three tracks that combine raw and syrupy sounds. Six months later, she releases her second EP, *Oula*, which expands her musical range with deeper tracks. Late 2023 marks her collaboration with label D·I·V·A·, as well as the release of her third EP *SunCash feelings.* In May 2024, zonmai reveals, in the EP *Birthday Saison*, her quest for herself, her relationship with others, always blurred by a wispy melancholy that feels like the first time we’ve heard it. It’s true, who hasn’t had a sudden urge for change and questioned their whole life on their birthday, an event perpetually haunted by a sadness that’s hard to put a finger on? As this rich discography testifies, Zonmai holds nothing back, and whatever the cost is, deploys a singular imagination that spits out an analysis of the world that is sometimes disillusioned, sometimes bursting with hope. Initially experimenting with music in her bedroom, she later collaborates with various beatmakers (ELK, Sutus, JCM, etc.), creating new colours and textures. Her style evokes the peak hours of MTV or MCM in the mid-2000s, reminiscent of Britney Spears’ Y2K era. In her bubble – which we’d never want to burst – her references to Mandyspie and Laylow rub shoulders with her punk energy, which is impossible to miss on stage. With nearly thirty concerts to her name, zonmai shares her music live with exclusive video projections, and nurtures a unique communion with her audience. She has performed at Les Ardentes, BXL Grünt Party, iNOUïS du Printemps de Bourges 2024, Nuits Botanique, and will be at Dour Festival on July 19th.