One Step Closer

In a genre that hasn’t always been the most welcoming to women, Zahna is proving that heavy music is more dynamic—and more powerful—than ever before. With her signature mix of raw aggression and soaring melodies, she has carved out a space that is both intense and emotionally resonant. Now, with a new album on the horizon, a growing fanbase, and a major partnership with XOVR Records, founded by Korn’s own Brian “Head” Welch, she’s entering a new era of her career.

For Zahna, this collaboration is more than just a career milestone. It’s a testament to years of dedication, evolution, and raw faith. “Brian had the power to actually help me,” she says, reflecting on the journey that led her to XOVR. That kind of support has fueled her growth, not only as a musician but as a leader in the scene—one who wants to elevate Christian voices in heavy music and push the boundaries of what’s possible.

Musically, she continues to refine her craft and remain a student of her instrument. Her ability to blend her greatest influences and technique into something uniquely her own has made her a force to be reckoned with. With her latest project set to build on the success of her previous releases, a vision for world domination (in the best way possible), and a relentless drive to keep growing, Zahna sat down with us to talk about her artistic journey, working with her heroes, and what’s next for her in this new chapter.

You have a couple of new things to talk about, being signed to a new record label as well as a single that came out recently as well. We’ll talk about those in a bit, but first, for those who don’t know you, can you give us a little elevator pitch for Zahna?
Sure! What’s up HM Magazine? It’s your girl Zahna. I’m so excited to be here today with Walter and we’re kicking it off. Like he said, I’m a recording artist. I am in the genres of rock and metalcore and kind of everything between that. I am now signed with XOVR Records and I have the pleasure of working with Brian “Head” Welch, who is the guitarist of Korn and also fronts the band Love and Death.

And as you said, I just put out a single called “Pile of Pills.” It was my heaviest single yet. I was really pleased to see the reaction for it. And it’s still circulating and getting some momentum. Other than that, though, I’ve got a new album coming out under XOVR Records in 2025. Right now, we’re just waiting on mixes, but I’d love to talk about it today with you guys. And yeah, I’m from Texas. That’s most important.

Love it, a fellow southerner, that’s awesome. So obviously signing with XOVR Records is a big move for your career. It seems like there’s a lot of really cool things coming down the pipeline for you. What are some of the immediate positive impacts of signing?
That’s a great question. Immediately, there’s the satisfaction of knowing that we finally got to a point where we’re getting some recognition from legacy people and legacy acts like Brian. I know I’ve been on the radar for a while with some bigger names and it was really discouraging for a while, because you think, “I know these people know who I am. I know they follow me. I know that they know my name, but I’m out here doing this independently and working my tail off to put out albums and it’s hard without a team.” But I guess the biggest flex is just getting there.

My last record, Stronger Than Death, took three years for me to put out independently and even without a record label, it exceeded my expectations. And that stuff, you definitely don’t realize while you’re in the thick of putting it out, especially when you’re doing it independently. You have all this overhead for it, you’re working three jobs, you’re suffering a lot to do this, and it’s all a gamble. You don’t really know if it’s going to take off. 

Stronger Than Death was a necessary step, and in the moment, it was extremely hard. It was a gamble, like I said, but when you see the impact, it’s so worth it. It just hit over 3 million Spotify streams and 8.5 million streams combined, I never imagined in my life that we’d get to that point. I’d be stoked if it got a million, you know? The fact that it exceeded every expectation—and then, not even a year later, it got attention from Brian—it was definitely worth it.

And you don’t see that in the moment, of course. There was a lot of struggle and pain to get there. But that’s kind of how I feel with this new album that I’m making as well.

Once the label greenlit the new album, we took three months to go and write the new Zahna album, and for me, that’s the easiest and fastest— part. It’s the most fun part of being in music.

I start talking to Brian’s team and XOVR Records back in December, and Stronger Than Death came out in February of 2023. So it hadn’t even been a year before we started to talk with them. February was a really hard month as well. My husband’s father passed away and it just put a huge wrench in things because they were originally going to re-release Stronger Than Death and circulate it to a bigger crowd. But because there was a lot of personal things that happened, a lot of deadlines were missed.

So I was like, “Hey, you know, what if we just do a new album?” It was (surprisingly) the easiest ‘yes’ I’ve ever gotten. And I was like, “Really?” And they said, “Yeah, here’s your new budget. Here’s everything that we’re going to do for it.” It’s truly not a traditional label deal. It’s more of a partnership with equity, with both parties having equity within the masters. Once the label greenlit the new album, we took three months to go and write the new Zahna album, and for me, that’s the easiest and fastest— part. It’s the most fun part of being in music.

But now we’re prepping for the mixes to come back, choosing singles, and creating a large marketing campaign. And I love that, that’s my bread and butter. I really can’t imagine me doing anything else in this world. I’ve tried to think about something else I could do that is a little safer and more stable, but you know, you just gotta try. It’s a marathon, it’s not a race, and we’re here chugging along, seeing what we can build together with that label and with that team.

Just getting to sit in front of Brian during the signing interview that we did was probably the coolest part. You’re here with this legend in front you, telling you that he’s fan-girling right now. And I’m thinking, “Why? You’re so much better and cooler than me. The fact that you even consider me or notice me is such a flex.” It’s a humble flex, but it means so much. So just getting to that point was truly a moment in time that I’ll never forget.

Yeah, absolutely. It’s something that any kind of creative person can speak to. Like, anybody who’s been involved in music, art, photography, video—whatever it is—if you’re a creative, you’ve had people along the way tell you that you don’t belong in the spaces you’re trying to get to, right? So, when you finally get to the point where you’re partnering with a heavy music juggernaut like Brian “Head” Welch, it’s huge. Let me read this quote from your website where he talks about you.

He said,“I’m always so mesmerized by vocalists who have incredible power, incredible range, melody, and tone. And on top of all that, having the strength to be so vulnerable—to share such an intense health crisis experience with the world while still dealing with the raw emotions and trauma from it—melts my heart, man. It touches my soul. I’m a huge fan of Zahna for many reasons, and I’m confident you will be too.”

So, when you heard him say that—as someone who probably listened to his music growing up—how did that make you feel, to have Brian “Head” Welch say such kind words about you?
It made my stomach flip-flop, man. In that moment, it didn’t feel real. I was just like, “This can’t be happening. This is too good to be true.” But at the same time, I don’t think people understand that when God sets you on a path, it’s going to test every ounce of you. I truly believe that walking as a person of faith means that promotion doesn’t come without an equal measure of suffering.

For me, it was during my health crisis, money struggles, the pandemic, and being separated from my first label. I had so much uncertainty. There were some really, really low moments—times when I thought, “I might just give this up and try something else. Maybe this vision I thought God was speaking to me isn’t real. Maybe it’s just me.”

I learned so many hard lessons—both in the industry and spiritually—and I’m grateful for the suffering because it became the subject matter of my songs, which mean so much to people.

I think everybody has that question at some point: Is this just me, or is it God? And honestly, if it was just about me, I wouldn’t have gone through all that crap. I wouldn’t. If it was just to exalt my own name, it wouldn’t have been worth it. But now I fully understand that the suffering was necessary for the promotion. The practical lessons I learned from being independent and the spiritual lessons I learned during that time—those were absolutely unmatched.

Before you can experience promotion, you have to know what it feels like to be rejected. You have to know what it’s like for people not to care about you, to stop giving your heart to people who are just using you or trying to gain something from you. I learned so many hard lessons—both in the industry and spiritually—and I’m grateful for the suffering because it became the subject matter of my songs, which mean so much to people.

So now, when I think about Brian’s words, I try not to cry. I think about all the times I wanted to give up and just thank God that I didn’t. To have someone from a legacy act like Korn actually praise me—it’s like, “Wow, I didn’t need all these random people’s approval. I just needed one person, the right person, to believe in me.”

Brian has the same vision for my music as I do. He believes in God. He knows what my mission is—to continue being an authentic artist. And honestly, most people wouldn’t understand that. But I believe it’s a perfect fit, and deep down, I think this is what I was holding out for all along.

Yeah, absolutely. you talked about, you mentioned just now you’re thankful for the struggle, you’re thankful for the suffering that you kind of had to go through along this journey. so speaking of your faith, it’s obviously a very important thing to you.

And I agree with you like I can look back on my own life and my own career so far and and at the time when I was going through these these times of suffering being like This sucks like God. Why would you do this to me? Like I don’t know how you’re gonna carry me through this but I have faith that you will and then every single time I get to the other side of it and I’m like, that like I had to do that I had to go through that so yeah to learn this lesson or for God to put me in the situation that I needed to be in even when I didn’t when I didn’t even realize it so my question to you what that would be like…What role does your faith still play in your career and your life right now? You know, I know you’re married, you collaborate with your husband on certain things. So how does your faith stand with you now as you are kind of in this new chapter of your life and your career?
I’m not sure I would be doing this at all without my faith.

When you cultivate faith and allow it to shape you, it permeates every aspect of your life. I’ve always found it strange when artists hesitate to call themselves Christian musicians, as if they can separate their faith from their work. I can’t do that. My faith is part of who I am, and since I’m the one creating the music, that faith will naturally be reflected in it.

That being said, I don’t always write songs with traditional Christian lyrics. I try to be honest about the dark times, the moments when hope feels distant. Looking back on my own struggles, I honestly don’t know how people get through life without God. I don’t know what kind of false hope they cling to, or how they see the future. Faith itself is a kind of vision—a choice to believe God’s promises over fear and doubt.

Faith is the foundation of my life. It determines my path.

For a long time, I realized that so much of my fear and anxiety came from expecting the worst possible outcome. When you believe in that outcome, you subconsciously start taking steps toward it. But if you truly believe in God’s promises—that you are meant for something greater—you start walking in that direction instead.

I never set out thinking, “I want to be a rock star.” In fact, I once considered becoming a minister or evangelist before pursuing music. But I recognized that music was a gift, something I was naturally drawn to, and that my emotions resonated with others. I realized I could use music as a form of ministry, just presented in a different way.

Not every song I write needs to be overtly Christian or end with “Praise the Lord,” but my faith informs everything I create. Suffering, as difficult as it is, refines faith. The Bible teaches that walking through suffering is an essential part of the Christian journey. It challenges your faith, exposes its weaknesses, and ultimately strengthens it.

So to answer your original question, faith is the foundation of my life. It determines my path.

I’ve had moments of doubt—times when I questioned whether I was on the right path. There was a period when I was working multiple jobs to fund my album, struggling to keep everything afloat. I remember one day at work, I was stacking glasses at the bar, feeling completely overwhelmed. I thought, “Maybe I was wrong about everything. Maybe I misheard God. Maybe this dream is just my own ego, and I’ve been imagining it all along.”

As I stood there, lost in those thoughts, a woman sitting at the bar suddenly looked at me, jolted as if something struck her, and said, “You hear God, and you know it.”

When you live a Spirit-led life, moments like that shouldn’t be surprising. But this was different. God responded to my private thoughts through a complete stranger. I was so stunned I just set the glasses down and walked away.

It’s hard to hold on to faith when you don’t see immediate results. People will question you, tell you you’re chasing a dream out of ego. But I think of Joseph in the Bible—how he was given a dream that made his siblings jealous, how they resented him, and how that very dream led him to his destiny. He went through years of suffering, including being falsely imprisoned, and I’m sure he felt abandoned by God at times. He must have wondered if his dream was a mistake.

I’ve had moments when I cursed my own dreams, thinking, “I should have never chosen this path. What would my life be like if I had taken an easier road?” But I’m too deep into it to turn back. That day at work, when the woman spoke to me, I knew I couldn’t deny God—even in my thoughts.

Since then, I’ve tried to let go of doubt. God’s will is going to prevail no matter what I do. And I’m just grateful that He remains faithful, even when I’m not.

Yeah, absolutely. It’s good to hear that, and I’m not surprised by your answer. From what I know about you through your lyrics and other interviews, it all makes sense. It’s interesting because you see a lot of bands now—legacy Christian metalcore bands—who are still great but are all on different faith journeys. Depending on how you see that, it can be disappointing or confusing. So it’s cool to hear how your struggles have drawn you closer to God and made your faith stronger.

I want to shift gears for a second to talk about your music. I have to be honest, I’ve had “Pile of Pills” on repeat. I liked the music you put out before—it had more of a straight-up rock style, which was great—but I’m a big metalcore fan, and I love the nu-metal influences that have been coming into a lot of my favorite bands lately.

When I first heard “Pile of Pills,” I thought, “She’s onto something new. She’s really giving us something different here.” It feels like a shift—not necessarily a genre change, but a definite evolution in style. Was that your goal going into this song and the new album, or was it more of a natural thing where you were just feeling heavier?
I’ve always loved screaming, man. I can’t deny it anymore—I love it.

With Stronger Than Death, my producer guided a lot of the sound. I’m still working with him on the next album—I absolutely love Kelvin, he’s such a pro—but he wanted to keep it more mainstream, and that broke my heart a little. I wanted to put in more screaming, but I also love singing. There’s such an art to it.

When I wrote “Pile of Pills,” I was working with a different producer and wanted to showcase the screams more. But honestly, that song turned out as heavy as it did because of the dread I was feeling. There was no other way to express the suffering I was going through.

For those who don’t know, I’m a kidney transplant recipient. I have a genetic disease that caused kidney failure when I was 20. It wasn’t supposed to fail that quickly, but it did. And for me, that was the worst personal hell. My whole life, I’ve had a horrible phobia of needles, hospitals, and doctors. Even the smell of rubbing alcohol makes me nauseous.

When I found out I was sick, it was like pulling teeth just to get me to go to the doctor. Eventually, I got scared enough to push past it, but when they told me I needed a life-changing operation, my mind just crumbled. I knew that if I didn’t get this transplant, I’d probably never be able to tour again because I’d be on dialysis. And that’s basically living a half-life—you have zero energy, and you can’t do much at all. I couldn’t stand that outcome.

To get the life I wanted, I had to go through my worst nightmare. My mom ended up being my donor, and she was a match, which was huge. That experience taught me a massive spiritual lesson—how someone literally has to sacrifice themselves to save you. It’s such a clear picture of what Jesus did for us. We were completely dead in our sins, and He gave us life through His body.

I believe there was a reason I went through all of that. When I wrote “Pile of Pills,” it was about two years post-transplant, in the middle of the pandemic. I had no income, I had been laid off from all my jobs, and I was constantly thinking about death because I’m immunosuppressed. I have a weaker immune system than most people, and I was terrified that if I caught COVID-19, that would be the end for me.

I had worked so hard to get this transplant, to live, and then for years after that, it felt like none of it even mattered. There was this sickness going around that I could still succumb to. It was three years of survival mode—financially, physically, emotionally. My relationships were suffering. It was just this piercing darkness I existed in for years.

I think screaming adds so much emotion, and I’m excited to showcase the new screams because they were tracked just this past summer. When people hear them, they’ll get the most recent evolution of my craft.

At the same time, I was working on the new album. With “Pile of Pills,” I was just so sick of taking all this medication. It made me feel terrible. It was insanely expensive. And I felt like I had no options left. When I walked into the studio, I wanted an extremely aggressive song that let me rip my screams because of the desperation I was feeling.

That song is pure suffering. It’s about that feeling of having no hope, of knowing that no matter what you do, you’re still going to die. It’s about the harsh reality of just working to live, living to work, and constantly trying to survive. When you’re in that mode, it’s not just mental—it’s a nervous system thing. You can’t relax. You’re always worried about the future.

So I wrote something extremely aggressive, something that bared my soul. And we got this really heavy track. But I sat on it for three years—it was written in 2021, and now it’s finally seeing the light of day in 2024. People really seem to like it, though some weren’t crazy about all the screaming. But honestly, I’m just happy to be back where I want to be.

The next album is going to have the perfect blend of screams and singing. There are still tracks that are entirely singing, and others that aren’t as scream-heavy but still use them tastefully. It’s not overly metalcore—it still has open riffs in some sections. I really believe there’s going to be something for everyone on this album.

So was the shift intentional?
Kind of, yeah.

I think screaming adds so much emotion, and I’m excited to showcase the new screams because they were tracked just this past summer. When people hear them, they’ll get the most recent evolution of my craft. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it.

I think it’s better. I honestly think it’s better.

I mean, it’s been three years of growth—growth in my vocal craft, in my songwriting. I’m just better now, you know? And the whole team was beyond stoked when they found out Brian “Head” Welch was going to be a part of this project. That lit a fire under everyone.

For me, it’s all about understanding the emotion behind the song. The song has its own life—it’s going to do what it’s going to do, and it has to be honest. So when screaming is appropriate, it’s there. When it’s not, it’s not.

I love singing so much, and I think that’s a big part of why I’ve improved. Being a vocal teacher and coach now has given me so much more insight—not just in the studio but also in live performance. I’ll look back at old performances and think, “Why did I sing like that?” So I’ve had to adjust a lot of my technique, and I’m excited to test it out.

I’ve been singing at church and doing small cover gigs—not for anything major, just to keep my chops up until touring becomes a regular thing again. It’s really just my love for the craft—combining vocal technique, songwriting, and even the marketing and commercial side of things. It’s everything I love.

So yeah, I can’t wait.

I’ll speak for a lot of people—we can’t wait either. Since we’re talking about your musical style and genre and all that right now…As you were writing this album and just as you are right now, who are your top three musical influences?
One OK Rock is a Japanese rock band that I absolutely love and they just put out a song called “Dystopia.” Maybe I like them so much because the vocalist shares my vocal range and I could sing his stuff really well. But I think it’s more so the catchiness and the crafting of the song. They have a pop punk, active rock edge.

I’ve also been getting into Korn a lot more lately, and Disturbed. Both have these sort of rock edges that are not necessarily metalcore. I want to introduce and fuse some of that into my own music, like some of David Draiman’s vocal phrasing. I tried to borrow some of his accentuation and emphasis in the new album—maybe people will catch it. Overall, I really love Disturbed and everything they stand for.

As for Korn, they got nasty rips, you know? And it’s not necessarily metalcore, it’s just nasty and open. I love that. So I would say those are the three bands that are leading me right now.

I really love Spiritbox, too. I love how heavy and melodic they can get, so I’m definitely listening to that. Maybe that’s four…

I’ll take four! Spiritbox is one of my personal favorites too. When they put out Eternal Blue, I was mesmerized for a good while—it’s just incredible.

And obviously, as a woman in heavier music, do you find bands like Spiritbox, Jinjer, and other heavy bands with really strong, talented women inspiring? Or is it more like, Yeah, it’s cool that this is becoming more normalized—because let’s be honest, heavy music hasn’t always been the most welcoming space for people who aren’t men. I don’t know if you have any thoughts on that.
Yeah, yeah. With Spiritbox, I study their phrasing a lot and how open it is. With “Pile of Pills,” my only challenge is that there’s a lot of vocal overlap, so it’s going to be tricky to pull off live. There are just so many words packed in, and you need incredible diction to make that work. I’m excited to showcase that.

With Spiritbox, I love the fusion they have. It’s not just about hitting super high notes—sometimes I want to shoot up there, but other times, less is more. They have such interesting riffs, and they absolutely rip. And of course, the mix plays a huge role in that sound.

My goal is agility, and to be able to do the rock element, so studying craft is really important to me.

When it comes to other female artists, I really like Maria Brink from In This Moment. Her scream is absolutely wicked, and the way she embodies different characters is so interesting. I mostly listen for the vocal choices these women make. It’s not about right or wrong, just different approaches.

But if we’re talking about my personal vocal goals—this is totally out of left field—but honestly, a lot of my vocal inspiration comes from Celine Dion. I know people expect me to name a female rock artist, but for me, it’s about agility, flexibility, and power, and Celine’s technique is unbeatable. You can phrase things differently, but at the core, her control and technique are just on another level.

I love it.
That’s what’s gonna make you a legacy act forever, you know? Being that good. So mostly, when I think of coaching and becoming a better singer, I look to the legends in the legacy world. I’m not talking about people who are just successful. I’m talking about whose craft is unbeatable. My goal is agility, and to be able to do the rock element, so studying craft is really important to me.

I think there’s a lot of value in that. A lot of creatives might not realize this at the beginning of their career, but there’s a lot of value in finding inspiration and ‘lessons’ from influences that are outside of your genre or even outside your creative field.

I’m a musician as well, but I find a lot of inspiration in art—like paintings, books, movies, whatever—and I can take a lot of that creative inspiration from those things and apply it to what I’m working on creatively. I love to hear you say that you find a lot of inspiration from Celine Dion, who is not at all a heavy music artist.
Yeah, man. She’s got these soaring notes that are so unhindered, you know? And coming from my background, with my own vocal issues, I mean, just being a teacher, everybody starts in a different place and has different vocal issues that just need to be more balanced in all aspects of singing. My specific problems were really in the throat—it was over-engaged, so I’ve had role models that are the opposite, who don’t over-engage but still sing with ease and power. So she’s always at the forefront of my mind. I think, “If she was my coach, what would she be telling me?”

It’s really cool to hear that, especially with your album coming up. I’m really excited to hear how you’ve been improving because, as any creative knows, you’re constantly evolving. If you’re not improving, you’re moving backward. So it’s great to hear about that growth and to see what you’re doing with this upcoming album.

That brings me to my next question—what’s next for Zahna? Obviously, the album is coming out, but what are your plans for touring, if any? What’s the marketing push going to look like? Just in general, what’s next for you in this new chapter?

Well, the short answer is always “world domination”—we always have to dominate. You look at legacy acts like Korn and Metallica, and if you don’t have that kind of vision for yourself, you’re not going to take the right steps to get there. Now, will I personally reach that level? Who knows. But I think people want to see ambition, and for me, the reason I want to aim that high is simply to start making changes.

For me, it’s all about growth—keep growing, use the platform for the right things, and help others along the way.

I want to be in a position where I can help other artists, just like Brian had the power to help me. And I’ve always been passionate about elevating Christian voices, raising the quality of Christian music, and using that to influence culture—because ultimately, that is world domination. It’s about influencing the world with the principles God is showing me—what’s true and righteous. Not forcing it on anyone, but inspiring people. If someone respects you, they’ll be willing to listen to what you have to say, and that makes it a powerful evangelical tool.

As for next steps, my short-term goal is just to grow. From my first album to my second, we doubled in reach, and I’m hoping for the same thing this time. If this album doubles the impact of the last one, that’s all I can really ask for. Growth is everything. And honestly, what does it even mean to make it? To me, it’s about getting your footing, being sustainable, and continuing to evolve. If you have all those things, you’re doing fine.

And you just never know what can happen. A year ago, my husband and I were at Cynthia Woods Pavilion—the big arena here in Houston where all the huge bands play—watching Papa Roach, Shinedown, and Spiritbox from way back on the lawn, the farthest spot on the grass. And we were just enjoying it, thinking, “How do we get there? How do we do what they’re doing?”

Fast-forward a year, and we’re backstage at that same venue, witnessing it all firsthand. That’s a gap only God can bridge. Only He can take you from where you are to where He wants you to be. But what you do with that opportunity, how you steward it—that’s still up to you. And it’s never too late to realign yourself with the purpose He’s giving you.

So for me, it’s all about growth—keep growing, use the platform for the right things, and help others along the way.

I love it. love it. I love it. We’re going to wrap it up here, and I want to throw it to you one last time to plug whatever it is you’d like to plug. whatever is most important to you right now. Three, two, one, go!
You can go check out the music video for “Pile of Pills,” if you want. For that one, I co-directed and wrote the script for, so it really is just a huge vision of mine coming to life. You can also go to zahnofficial.com and check out some merch.

I also just released a collaboration song with my husband who goes by the artist named Nesdam. The song is called “Joyride.” His album also came out this month. He has a new album called Find the Truth that’s also partnered with XOVR Records. You guys are going to love it. Your girl’s a co-writer on it too, so you get some Zahna there in the writing.

Good deal. Well, thank you so much. Super excited for the new album and what’s next for the Zahna camp.
Thank you guys, appreciate it.