An exponential increase of women in trance music proofs that they have an incredible talent and sensibility to bring us energy and emotion. So many amazing productions have been released by them!
Zoya Zipova a.k.a. ZOYA is a great talented artist from Bulgaria. Her tracks are a mixture of impressive melodies, aggressive bass and beautiful harmonies!
We interviewed this great artist! Check it out!

Trance Mag//BR: Hello, ZOYA, it is a great pleasure to interview you!

Could you tell us about the beginning of your career? When and how did you discover trance?

ZOYA: “Hi, guys! Thanks for having me today. It is a real pleasure to be interviewed for Trance Magazine Brazil. I was involved with music since a very young age but I got into trance in 2013. That was my first ever ADE (Amsterdam dance event). As you know during that time there are so many parties. So me and my friend went to one of them and it turned out it was a trance event. I remember it was Solarstone and it was just amazing. The music, the energy everything was so good. Since that moment I knew that is my genre.

When did you start mixing? And producing?

“Mixing and producing came later on. I started as a singer-songwriter. My first ever track was a vocal progressive house track which I wrote and sang. It is called Walking Into Heaven and it was included in The best of Miami 2014 compilation. I always find it easy to write lyrics and make vocal melodies in my head but I didn’t know how to actually make them reality. I worked with many talented musicians and sound engineers but I always felt that something was missing. That’s why I went back to the music academy to study producing and sound design. I wanted to be able to express what I feel myself, to create my music alone. Together with that came the mixing. I also went to a private DJ lessons with one of the teachers in the music academy in Sofia. The DJ course was 2 months but I took it intense for 3 weeks. I am that kind of a person that can’t stop until I get it done perfectly. Therefore, there was a lot of practise. I remember a funny story: during the DJ training, before one of my sessions I haven’t slept for 36 hours! I practised so much! When I went to the lesson I was so tired that I kept stopping the deck that was playing. My teacher asked me how long did I sleep last night as he knew I was obsessed and I told him the truth. He threw me out of the lesson and sent me home to sleep. In the end it was all worthy tho :)”

You are from Plovdiv, Bulgaria, right? How is the trance scene in your hometown? How about public, clubs, festivals, etc?

“That’s correct. I was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, but now I live in Sofia. Unfortunately the trance scene in Bulgaria is not big. In the clubs in Bulgaria you can hear different music, more commercial. Techno is getting popular as everywhere now. There is a trance community and we are trying to keep the genre alive. I am one of the organisers of trance events in Bulgaria. Our goal is to invite foreign trance DJs and organise parties every 2-3 months. Last party was on March 9th and we got a good crowd, the atmosphere was amazing. The summer is always quiet as people go on holidays and don’t stay in the city so our next event will be on November 2nd. I partnered up with Symbols events Switzerland and I expect an amazing party.”

Where are you living nowadays? How about your experience with trance music in different places?

“I used to live in different countries. I spent a few years living in Miami, then Dublin-Ireland, Nice in France. Nowadays I am in Sofia, Bulgaria. Most of the events I went were in the Netherlands, always a great experience there. USA was also amazing. In general, the atmosphere you get in trance events is very positive, people are united, always good vibes.”

Your experience in Amsterdam Dance Event was an amazing part of your career. Could you tell us about that moment? What did you feel? Which importance it had in your artist life?

“It was really memorable. Last year I was introduced not only as a singer-songwriter but as a producer and DJ. During Quest4Trance, I premiered my latest at that time track Scars which it was a vocal track. Darren Porter played it in his set and I joined him on stage. I can’t even describe the feeling I get on stage. It is like a ray of positive energy, rush of adrenaline but in a good way. It is a pure pleasure. I will be always thankful for being able to share my music and experience these feelings. My track Scars was well accepted by the audience and when we released it, it was voted one of the best 25 tracks of 2018 in the category uplifting trance.”

You have a radio show called “Ultimate Energy” on Trance Energy Radio. We know that you probably receive so many releases from other artists and labels. What is important for you choosing the tracklist of each episode?

“I have my radio show “Ultimate Energy” twice a month. Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at 16h GMT. It is streamed on Trance-Energy Radio. I often upload the episodes on my soundcloud.
When it comes to track selection, I always follow what’s the newest music at the moment. My email get crazy with demos but sometimes I research and buy the music I want to play myself. I go with my feeling and my taste and I hope people will enjoy it too. So far I am getting great feedback.”

What was your first trance track? Could you tell us about the beginning of your productions?

“My first trance project was called One More Try. Afterwards Oceans Away is a song which I wrote and sang. The original version is only voice and acoustic guitar. DJ LTN from Indonesia heard my voice and asked me for a collaboration. He made the trance version of the song and I signed it on Armada. I still love this song very much.”

Talking about tracks, releases and collabs, what is the news? What are your projects for this year?

“I am trying to have a constant release schedule, releasing new music every 6-8 weeks. It doesn’t always happen the way I want, but I am trying hard. My sound changed a bit now ,I really enjoy tech trance at the moment and I am working mostly on this kind of production. My next release will be on ReDrive Records. So keep an eye :)”

Your track Acid Lullaby had so many reactions and engagements among fans and artists. It is amazing when we talk about tech, uplifting and psytrance together. Could you tell us about this idea you had? In addition, will you have future releases into Psytechlifting?

Acid Lullaby did great actually. It reached top 20 on beaport 1 day after the release. I like to experiment and make hybrids sounds. I made a psy-melbourne sound hybrid before that and it came out great. For the moment I am not working on PsyTechLifter track but maybe in the future.”

When you are out of the studio, what do you like to do?

“It doesn’t happen too often for me to have a spare time. I like to go to the gym and I am trying to keep it up with that. I love traveling! Playing music traveling is a dream come true for me. In general I just like discovering new things, new places, restaurants, experiences, people. That makes me happy and recharges me.”

Do you have artists that inspire you? Do you have a favorite trance track?

“There are people who inspire me and I am learning from them not only in the trance industry but in general. About my favourite track, I have so many. I can’t really name just one. Some tracks just give me goosebumps and I fell in love with them instantly.”

What are your next gigs? Is there any in South America?

“I have a few trips coming now. Some are just business trips and some I will be playing. In the next gig I will play in Halle, Germany. That’s on May 31st. To be honest, right now I have been to around 35 countries maybe but never to Sound America. I would love to come to Latin America so you are more than welcome to send the promoters my way and make it happen.”

We know that you play the piano! How important is this instrument for your life and also for your productions? Do you play another instrument?

“When I was younger, I played the piano more often. The piano and instruments in general help to develop your hearing, singing, open up your brain when it comes to creating melodies. Right now I am not really playing because I find it easier and faster to just write the chords on Ableton.”

Do you have any words for your Brazilian fans? They can’t wait to see you here!
Thank you so much for this opportunity! Trance Mag//BR crew wishes full of success!

“I would like to wish all the best to the Brazilian people. I often get messages on Instagram from Brazil,asking me when I will come. Again I would love to come and play there anytime, it all depends when the Brazilian promoters will invite me. Keep in eye on my Instagram for future bookings.
Thank you very much for having me today, I hope to meet you soon in person and party together.”

Follow ZOYA on social media: Beatport, Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Twitter, Youtube