Born March 13, 1995, singer/songwriter Zella Day grew up in the small town of Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona, where she was raised in an arts-friendly household and developed her passion for music. She embarked on her career early with the self-released album Powered by Love in 2009, when she was still 14 years old. The EP Cynics vs Dreamers followed in 2012, as did a popular acoustic cover of the White Stripes’ stadium anthem “Seven Nation Army”, which drew significant attention online.
Day’s Hollywood Records debut, Kicker, arrived in 2015, and introduced a new synth-heavy indie pop sound, along with a few gentle coffeehouse numbers that recalled her earlier work. The album reached Number 7 on Billboard’s Alternative Albums chart, and she followed its release by touring with Fitz & the Tantrums and Michael Franti, and performed at the 2016 Coachella Festival.
After a period of public inactivity that lasted for nearly two years, she announced in late 2018 that she was leaving her record label in the interest of artistic freedom. She teamed up with Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach, who signed her to his Easy Eye Sound imprint, and Day transitioned to a more band-driven sound that steered away from the pulsing pop of Kicker. In the meantime, she also developed a friendship with fellow singer/songwriter Lana Del Rey, and the two performed together at various tour stops and one-off events. In April of 2020, Day announced that her first EP for Easy Eye Sound, Where Does the Devil Hide, would arrive in August.
