#zinha

Artur Nunes - Zinha (197?)

In Portugal new fresh music it's open minds

DIY soon-to-be pop icon zinha (aka Luisa Chumbinho) released her debut EP ’sad/happy' via B3SCI / IDOL on 20th September 2024, alongside focus single ’so blue'

In the cold, long wintery months of 2021, the Portuguese-hailing, UK based alt pop singer-songwriter and at that time, part-time waitress Luisa Chumbinho was ready to hand in her notice and take to the bright lights of the UK music scene, but only one question went unanswered; how would she find the path to her dreams without a job, post-pandemic? 

After a long conversation about her upbringing and life experiences with her friend songwriter/producer Josh Christopher, Luisa came up with the idea to name her solo project ’zinha’, in which she was nicknamed as a child by her family. 

They spent a year in his small town DIY recording studio, and in result, the pair created a 8 track EP titled ’sad/happy'.

Now splitting her time between the UK and Portugal again, zinha has made a name for herself becoming Lisbon’s most prolific busker, earning a full-time wage from her stunning vocal renditions, and crowd-pleasing covers, at various hotspots around the city.

Her debut EP consists of 8 songs, such as the lovely ‘why do you make me wait?’, with its heart-wrenching lyrics and timeless ballad-esque arrangement, to the 70s lava-lamp thought inducing bop of ‘so blue’, to stunning love song ‘walls’ and into seamlessly good "fly-on-the-wall” recordings that work as interludes between each track.

As zinha explains about focus single 'so blue’: “’so blue’ is an ode to the end of something, the empowerment stage of accepting and moving forward, no matter how colourful the ending looks. It was born from the core idea behind the song: the funky bass-line. We jammed it out one afternoon and realised it had a Stevie Nicks / Kate Bush element to it, especially with the vintage conga drum loop we found on an old cassette Josh had. The rest was history - it came together over two days and we knew this was the key single for the EP - a really fun jam!"

Full EP here:

my 3 loves 🥹🥹🥹

lilith: i came after her. i came after my past, my life. i want to know more. she is not here but i still feel it. i feel like the memories of Dona Jacutinga (her mom) are everywhere in this place

zinha: so that's why you came? for the memories

lilith: yes. but i ended up finding out something even better

zinha: what?

Taking giant strides with her first single, London-based, Portuguese national Luisa Chumbinho, aka Zinha, erupts with earth-shattering track "Why Do You Make Me Wait?". Subtle yet ripe with gushing emotion, the piano-backed track is a demonstration of Luisa's vocal prowess. Slick with the honeyed vox of her full-bodied timbre, her introductory single is a slow burner, kindling over its gradual crescendos and muted percussion which climax to the lonely howl of her haunting beckon. A song, moreover musical journey that almost never came to be, Luisa's artistic endeavors were encouraged by producer Josh Christopher of former IYES fame, who gave her the motivation nudge from her part-time job waitressing and who also features on the track.

You can check out her latest track and video which plays in the format of a video diary.

"Why Do You Make Me Wait?"