As the arts begin to drive mental illness out of the shadows, rapper/singer-songwriter/ producer Zanillya is determined to be at the vanguard of this change. As the daughter of late Disco legend Bobby Farrell (Boney M), the reality of the music industry was imprinted on her from an early age. As she witnessed first-hand the beauty and excitement, but also the dark side of it all. Yet it is by creating music that she feels she can come to terms with her own lows.
"To define is to stagnate. So, I probably would say I don’t define myself, says Zanillya. She may avoid defining herself, but her music does it for her. Beloved by tastemakers across the board from Sway Calloway, Toddla T, Jack Saunders, Jamz Supernova to Future Classic, Wonderland, Fred Perry and i-D. as well as receiving continues radio support from the likes of BBC radio.
She has started to carve out her own space in the music scene, releasing inspired tracks that touch on self-confidence, mental health, the life of an artist, and empowerment. Channeling heavy energy into something beautiful, her debut EP ‘Choose Life', is an exercise in cathartic writing, flowers blooming from a ground of pain. The ever evolving artist has crafted an uncompromising sound that sits across a number of genres, nodding to Dancehall, DemBow, Hip-Hop and R&B.
Working tirelessly on her music over the last few years, Zanillya has worked with major brands like FIFA, UEFA, Nike, Colgate, Vodafone, Smilf, Showtime, MTV, River Island, Ray Ban, Facebook and many more. The track 'Nothing to lose' of her debut EP was featured in the American Series Grown- Ish season.
This spring Zanillya released the contagious and energetic new Dew Bow cut ‘Dushi Bida’. It's her first track in Papiamento, the Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean, but that’s heavily influenced by Spanish. On the new track she pays homage to the Island Aruba. Co- produced with long time collaborator Humphrey Dennis, ‘Dushi Bida’ was born from a deep down desire to represent the island Aruba, her father’s birthplace.
Gearing up to release her sophomore EP, Zanillya will be showcasing a different side to her already versatile sound.
