I can still remember the day that Zelma Stone, the project of California-based songwriter Chloe Zelma Studebaker, came crashing into my musical world. It was a track entitled Fly, and it was the spring of 2020, just before we realised it was becoming a Spring we’ll probably all never forget. The world was about to enter a period of collective grief, but listening back to Fly now, it’s clear Chloe was already well acquainted with that headspace as she sang a comforting lament for a relative facing up to an ending “you’re old and your body’s getting ready to die, I say just take it in, let us feed you some pumpkin pie”. That sense of loss, and crucially what comes after, has been an ongoing touchstone in the music of Zelma Stone, how grief is ever evolving, a non-linear path from the all-consuming cloud to the shaft of light forcing its way through with the promise of something less engulfing waiting around the bend. After two EPs that explored various aspects of the grieving process, Chloe returned to it once more earlier this year with the ambitious, multi-layered EP, A Dance.

While we often think of dancing as a joyous, almost celebratory act, with A Dance Chloe seems to take it a more guttural way, her music mirroring stages of grief, and the way they arrive in ebbs and flows, cascading into one another, spiralling together, tearing apart, drifting in and out of focus, like a pair of dancers jostling for room on a packed floor. The EP opens with the title track, a suitably kinetic number, the melodies duck and dive, skittishly moving in and out of view, the words looping back, repetition presented as part of a journey to understanding, “Are you okay? Are you alright? I thought you had it all worked out last time”. At times it’s unclear exactly who the questions are for, for someone living, dead, or for Chloe herself, the whole thing builds, spinning faster and faster into the centre of the flame, her voice losing its poise in favour of intensity and intention, before it breaks down to almost nothing, like a once potent wave lapping against the shore.

After the intense swirl of the opening track, Be The One is a much-needed moment of calm, country-licked acoustic guitars reminiscent of Howling Bells are adorned by the grittier tones of the rhythm section and the wavering atmospherics of pedal steel. Atop it all Chloe repeats a mantra-like line, “I am here and ready for love”, an affirmation to live in the moment. That moment of acceptance is short-lived as the EP slides into the electronic flourishes of Really There, it’s a remarkable piece, repetition once more to the fore as Chloe questions ideas of the afterlife with the repeated questions, “Are you really there?” With each repetition of the question, the meaning seems to shift slightly, what at one moment sounds a hopeless plea as if staring into the blackest night for signs of life, at others becomes almost comforting, a blanket of loved ones gone, yet never forgotten.

More so than ever on A Dance, Zelma Stone’s music seems to see a light at the end of the tunnel, a way not to forget the past but to move forward with it, this is never more obvious than on the closing track, Be Free. The track is both a celebration of absent friends and of keeping yourself open to the array of possibilities open to the living, as a complex, rhythmic vocal delivery notes, “I can see what I need to be, I can be free, want to be, I can see I need to be me to be free”. So yes, this is a record about grief, yet more so than at any point in the Zelma Stone back catalogue, it’s one that spills over with life, excitement and a belief that anything is possible if we’re open to letting it happen.

Following the release, Chloe answered some of my questions, discussing debut album plans, why this EP is “a bridge to a new chapter” and why making music feels like, “what I’m supposed to be doing here”. 

FTR: For those who don’t know, who is/are Zelma Stone?

I am a queer artist (they/she) that has turned to music and art to learn about myself and heal my soul! lol but yes seriously, I started writing songs when I was 14 after my brother died and it’s been the most important part of my grief journey. I am based out of LA now, previously SF.

FTR: You recently releasing your latest EP, A Dance, what can you tell me about the recording process?

It was a magical experience. My dear friend Carly Bond of Meernaa engineered it and her husband Rob Shelton mixed it at their brand new beautiful studio called Altimira in Alhambra CA. 

FTR: You’re becoming a bit of an EP expert, what appeals to you about the format? Should we ever expect a full-length Zelma Stone album?

😉 I have something really exciting coming as I have been collaborating with some incredible dancers making this a live visual ep! How special is it to tell a short story through a record! 

But yesss.. A full length is next.. just want to do it correctly and get the right funding for it. 😉 😉

FTR: How do you think A Dance fits into your back catalogue? It strikes me that it feels like a new chapter in the same story.

I love this question.. I feel very seen and I think you’re not wrong about this. As much as I wanted to stray away from the grief and death theme in my music, it’s become very clear that this project needed to happen and it definity feels like a bridge to a new chapter.  The last song, “Be Free” feels like nailing that final board on the bridge.

FTR: I was really struck by the closing track, Be Free, and in particular how open to possibility it feels. Were you conscious of finishing on a forward-glancing note?

Yes, it felt important to end the EP on a positive, lighter, even dancy-er vibration.. hinting at my next chapter. I can’t wait to release the visual live EP because we shot it towards the evening in reverse so the first song starts in the dark and the last song ends in the “daylight, daylight.”

FTR: The obvious question when you call a record, A Dance, but are you a dancer? And do you have any other artistic pursuits outside of music?

I am a dancer:) Dance also was an important part of my grief journey after my brother died. I danced all through high school and now I have been connecting again to it. I do all kinds of dance but recently, believe it or not, I’ve been taking pole dance classes which is so fun and empowering. 

The visual component to my music is extremely important. I would spend all my money on making visual art to my music and I have! haha

FTR: Why do you make music?

I make music because I don’t have a choice. It’s hard to explain but I feel it’s what I’m supposed to be doing here. 

FTR: What can people expect from the Zelma Stone live show? Will you be taking this record out on the road?

I had a A DANCE record release EXPERIENCE in August. My band and I played through the whole EP and my dear friends and incredible dancers, Hayden J Frederick and Jordan Saenz performed throughout it. My dream is to bring them on tour with me and do a whole A Dance experience tour. I just want to do it right so lmk if you know of any tour agents or artists that want to take this act around the world and that are as excited about this as me 😉 

FTR: Are you still based in San Francisco? What’s the music scene there like at the minute?

I actually moved to LA just over a year ago and it has been the best thing that’s happened to me and my career. I’ve met the most incredible people and have been collaborating with artists that I admire so deeply! 

FTR: What are your ambitions for this record? Do you see music as a viable career path?

All I know is that I genuinely feel like I’m exactly where I need to be and everything is happening at the most perfect timing. As big as a statement this is, I think this visual ep that is coming up will be career altering for me. It was my original vision for this project and I had second guessed it until I met dancer, Hayden J Frederick (They/them). What a gift to collaborate with such an incredible artist. 

FTR: What’s next for Zelma Stone?

BIG THINGS! Keep your eyes peeled for some “A Dance” visual magic!! I got the rough cut from the visual EP and I bursted into tears watching it. Truly my favorite and best art I’ve ever made and couldn’t have made it without Hayden J Frederick. I think we will be collaborating for the rest of our lives. ❤ 

A Dance is out now. For more information on Zelma Stone visit https://linktr.ee/zelmastone