> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Scene from the Sofa – Five minutes with… Zora - URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/scene-from-the-sofa-five-minutes-with-zora/ - Published: 2020-05-21T15:04:43.000Z - Updated: 2020-05-21T15:11:44.000Z - Description: Scene from the Sofa – Five minutes with… Zora - Author: Graham Robson - Tags: Arts, Features & Longread, In The South, Interviews, Mental Health, Music, News, Poetry, Previews, Queer Corner, Reviews, Brighton, fundraiser, Galop, Lesbian, LGBT, LGBTQ [![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/zora600.png)](https://www.gscene.com/arts/music/scene-from-the-sofa-five-minutes-with-zora/attachment/zora600/?ref=scenemag.co.uk) Brighton-based performer **Zora** has a unique, captivating and soulful voice which compliments her spellbinding renditions of cherry-picked cover songs, including Tracy Chapman, Tori Amos, LP, Adele, Aretha Franklin, KT Tunstall, Alanis Morrisette and Queen, interspersed with charming and unforgettable originals. **Graham Robson** caught up with the prolific singer-songwriter who’s also one half of Brighton lesbian duo **Dryadic** to talk about new music, what she’s been up to during lockdown and where you can catch her online. **Hey Zora, how have you been spending your time during lockdown?** A mixture of intensely creative, active and productive periods followed by total exhaustion and lack of motivation when all I can muster is biscuits, duvet and online scrabble! I have tried very hard to embrace online shows and have taken part in a number of live streams, pre-recorded shows and put on some of my own shows. I arranged and hosted a live Facebook fundraiser for Lesbian Visibility Day with another six lesbian artists and we raised £220 for LGBTQ+ anti-violence charity **[Galop](http://www.galop.org.uk/?ref=scenemag.co.uk)**, which was fab! ( [you can see it again here if you missed it](https://www.facebook.com/126038144600321/videos/3034529709946104/)) I find the online shows particularly exhausting though and am taking a little break before another run of three or four starting on **Friday, May 22** with [The Brunswick’s Seclusion Showcase](https://www.facebook.com/events/274662223706417/). I spend a lot of time walking my gorgeous dog and obviously do that everyday. **Have you found it hard to adjust to working from home?** I can’t really express how much I’m missing playing out, and of course I lost all my bookings, including my tour that was booked in April, which is gutting and very worrying so in that respect, not adjusted at all really; so much of the other side of music – writing, marketing, practising etc is done from home so that hasn’t changed much for me, but instead I have no income now! I had just started teaching when lockdown arrived and I’m offering[ online lessons now instead](https://www.zorasings.com/coaching-workshops?ref=scenemag.co.uk). **What’s been the biggest impact to your creative output?** Not being able to meet and play with Joanna (the violin player from **Dryadic** – my folk-roots band) and other musicians that I play with. It can also be hard to get inspired under these circumstances. Inspiration often creeps up unnoticed or unexpectedly through human interactions, journeys and experiences and obviously there’s a lot less of these in my environment. Although, when inspiration does hit, it is possible to get in a bit of a creative vortex easily because there’s not as much to distract me. **Have you caught much online?** Lots of music streams yes and a few binge shows. I really enjoyed *Pose*, *Rocketman* and *Bohemian Rhapsody* and I just watched *Fleabag* for the first time but mostly I watch gigs. I must admit I watched *L Word Generation Q* the second time over in a few evenings but I was also re-stringing and cleaning up all my guitars at the same time! I don’t watch a huge amount of telly and I only have a laptop for online stuff. **Do you have any comments on how lockdown is affecting the LGBTQ+ community?** I worry about about the effect on people with mental health issues and at risk of domestic abuse. That’s why I chose Galop charity for my Lesbian Visibility Day fundraiser gig, because they host the LGBTQ+ Domestic Abuse helpline. Also, our community has a higher rate of mental health issues so I feel concerned about that too and mental health services are being pushed well past their limits right now. I hope that it has prompted people to pull together and support each other and I’ve seen lots of this myself however the LGBTQ+ community is disproportionately affected by social issues like abuse and homelessness and people might have less access to the online support because of this. **What are your plans for when this is all over?** Just to get back to gigging and teaching as much as possible. I’m hoping to start a Masters Degree in songwriting in September and I would be surprised if that doesn’t go ahead so I have that to look forward to. I still plan on finishing recording my album with Dryadic at the end of the year and I would like to re-arrange the tour we had to cancel as soon as I can. In the meantime we still have our recent studio recordings to release – look out for the first one of them on Friday, May 29 called *Pass It On* – it’s really exciting and we’re super proud of the work we’ve been doing in the studio just before lockdown. [![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/screenshot-20600.png)](https://www.gscene.com/arts/music/scene-from-the-sofa-five-minutes-with-zora/attachment/screenshot-20600-2/?ref=scenemag.co.uk) Any tips to keep busy? Ooo I’m not sure I can, I’m a bit crap at motivating myself! Audiobooks are lovely, and podcasts as they engage your brain without having to read or stare at a screen – and you can do the dishes at the same time if you need to! I find that making a plan last thing for next day with some exercise in it (for me that’s yoga, kickboxing, running or cycling with the dog) to start with is good because after that I feel energised, positive and clear headed. Im REALLY good at making coffee and toast and getting back under the duvet though! I don’t need more stuff to keep me busy as I’ve still got tonnes of work to do. **Do you have any work you’d like to share with us?** Yes! My new single with Dryadic is out on Friday, May 22! It will be released on Spotify, Youtube, Amazon, I-tunes and all the usual places and we will be streaming a release gig that night at 8pm on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube. We’ve also got a live version on video being cut to accompany it. It features **Paul Diello** from *El Geebee Tea Queue* and its a fantastic tune for lockdown as its all about spreading love and cheer between friends and family. If you’re interested in coaching get in touch [via my website](https://www.zorasings.com/?ref=scenemag.co.uk) – there’s loads of info on there about what I do and my various musical projects. Also, if you’d like to watch the Lesbian Visibility Gig it’s available here from the[ original event page on Facebook,](https://www.facebook.com/126038144600321/videos/3034529709946104/) or search for Lesbians Go Loud and Live for Galop. **Any words of wisdom to help us through?** Get yourself a stripy hammock and hang it at the end of your garden and lie in it and listen to music when you feel a bit low – works for me! **MORE INFO** **Web:** [https://www.zorasings.com](https://www.zorasings.com/?ref=scenemag.co.uk)Web: [www.dryadic.com](http://www.dryadic.com/?ref=scenemag.co.uk) **[Facebook:](https://facebook.com/Dryadic.Music)** **[Instagram:](https://www.instagram.com/dryadic%5Fmusic?ref=scenemag.co.uk)** **[Youtube:](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOF3uCBJkeNhjXL1IseA1Cw?ref=scenemag.co.uk)** [**Twitter:**](https://twitter.com/dryadic%5Fmusic?ref=scenemag.co.uk)