Zoe Ko is a self-proclaimed contrarian. She writes punchy pop-rock anthems about the trials of girlhood. She dons early 2000s fashion and the grainy, collage aesthetic of her album covers will be familiar to fans of Y2K punk. And yet they become something new with Zoe’s sound.
Zoe says she was always surrounded by young artists. Her public school in NYC had no dress code, and she expressed herself then, too, through fashion. Her mother encouraged musical interests, giving her instruments as a girl. New York as a place and as her home influenced not only her passion for music, but the DIY approach to her craft.
Listening to any of her singles, or even Baby Teeth, her latest EP, one wouldn’t expect that the pop flair and punk bravura were not always there. She was recording one demo after another in the pandemic still refining her voice. “In the beginning, it was more sad, indie girl pop stuff,” says Zoe. “So much has changed. Now it’s going more edgy and on the alternative rock space. I feel like my biggest influences are Gwen Stefani, Hailey Williams of Paramore, marina and the diamonds, Avril Lavigne.”
Her influences are clear, but her own contemporary sound is present. Take “Pink Noise,” for
instance, from her latest EP. The rock anthem vocals and guitar tone evoke No Doubt with extra grit. In the music video, blood pours on Zoe wearing full prom queen décor, crown and all. Her voice pays homage to Gwen Stefani, and the lyrics sound like something screamed by Courtney Love. “But it’s a pretty little prison, to be a girl and have opinions,” goes the first verse.
“Everything is really based on my life and own experiences or what I feel I need to get off my
chest,” she says. Her writing process during this last EP mainly consisted of collaborations with producer Jonny Shorr. “I come in with the concept of the song and lyrics. We write acoustically to begin with and then we put down a track and figure out what world that song lives in.”
And the world of “Baby Teeth” is bold, telling a candid coming of age story. “For this project, I
feel like people can walk away with their own interpretation,” she says. “So much of it is very
self-reflective and talking about how I grew up and my female experience. Girls especially will
be able to relate to that.”
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