Hikikomori

Album: Conatus (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Zola Jesus is the stage name of the Russian American singer/songwriter Nika Roza Danilova. She was raised in Merrill, Wisconsin on over 100 acres of forest and started singing early on, buying voice lesson tapes and opera sheet music at the age of 7. Danilova started performing opera when she was 10 years old, and in her teens she started to experiment in a more rock-orientated format. She said that by adopting a stage name after Jesus Christ and the French writer Émile Zola, she consciously wanted to alienate her peers. Danilova released her debut full-length album The Spoils in 2009, while studying at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
  • This track from her third album, Conatus, is named after the Japanese phenomenon of young people who can no longer cope with the demands of the outside world, and so go into self-imposed exile by shutting themselves in their apartments for years at a time. Danilova told NME: "It was about how, if I never left my house or my room, that'd be just fine by me."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Roger McGuinn of The Byrds

Roger McGuinn of The ByrdsSongwriter Interviews

Roger reveals the songwriting formula Clive Davis told him, and if "Eight Miles High" is really about drugs.

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.

Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger

Kelly Keagy of Night RangerSongwriter Interviews

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger tells the "Sister Christian" story and explains why he started sweating when he saw it in Boogie Nights.

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary MachineSong Writing

Fiona's highly-anticipated third album almost didn't make it. Here's how it finally came together after two years and a leak.

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.