By: Staff
Faith Zapata releases "Running in Circles," a musical diary that shares her emotional journey. We were captivated by the indie singer-songwriter's sound. This rising star has been making waves in the industry, and their latest release is a must-listen!
With over 100k devoted followers across social media and streaming platforms, Faith Zapata has quickly become beloved in the pop-rock genre. Her honest, diaristic writing style resonates deeply with listeners, drawing them into a world of raw emotion and personal experiences.
We're already obsessed with Faith Zapata and "Running in Circles." This artist is honest, bare, and willing to express emotions that most of us hide behind social media smiles. The song hits hard musically, lyrically, and emotionally! Faith brings an element that makes us feel less guilty about our post-breakup behaviors.
The song introduces Faith Zapata with an incredible vocal delivery. "I'm firing back, each time I hope you stay down" - we love this! The sweet, whispery, yet powerful voice is sure to make waves and gain fans. "I'm crossing some lines, I'm hitting you where it hurts, but after everything, I've earned it" - these lyrical bombs make us question if we have had to be the bigger person.
The musical arrangement kills it with awesome guitar licks and nonstop explosive choruses! Faith Zapata is a true artist to watch, and this release is just the beginning. With undeniable talent, she is poised to take the music scene by storm. Don't miss your chance to discover this rising star – stream, playlist, and share "Running in Circles" by Faith Zapata today!
Wait, there's more! We caught up with this exciting and emerging artist in “The Cage” to discuss music and much more.
Here’s how it went:
Can you walk us through your songwriting process and tell us where the inspiration comes from for this latest project?
I wish I could come up with a more poetic or sophisticated story for how this song was birthed, but the plain and simple truth is that I wrote it all within an hour in a fit of rage. This was back in February of this year, and at that point, despite having been almost five months out of my first long-term relationship, it all felt somewhat fresh to me still. But I wasn’t really in the sad phase of it anymore; I was just upset and enraged at how much I let slide because I merely understood where he was coming from. It didn’t really help that I have a degree in psychology and that I have a habit of psychoanalyzing everyone I meet, and try my best to understand why they act the way they do, and how they got where they are now. Luckily, I know now that simply understanding why someone behaves a certain way doesn’t equal having to stick around and put up with it. I repeat that to myself like a mantra pretty much every day now. I think a lot of the anger and bitterness showcased within the lyrics in “running in circles” comes from my frustration in not realizing that sooner. I just wanted a place where I could speak my mind and say what I was really thinking for once, instead of sugar-coating it like I’d done in the past, and I think that’s what I wanted this song to be: a safe space. And that’s what I hope it can be for anyone who listens.
What was the most challenging part of bringing this project to life, from the initial idea to the final recording?
This song practically wrote itself with how quickly the words left my brain. That part of making the song was no biggie. The hardest part was definitely executing what I heard in my head into the studio recording. I knew from the second I finished writing this song that it was something special and that it had to be as awesome as I could possibly make it, and given my current resources, that was a lot of pressure. Especially when I sat down to track vocals and guitar for the demo. It took me like a million trillion vocal takes until I was happy with how I sounded in it. But I worked with pretty much all of my best friends and all three of my siblings on this song—they’re all somehow a part of it, whether that’s by means of engineering, background vocals, instrumentation, or artwork—which makes it all the more special to me, and immediately cancels out any frustration I might’ve felt during the recording process. I just love those guys.
What has been the most motivating force in creating your music?
Most definitely knowing that people resonate and connect with the songs I write. One of my biggest goals throughout this whole music thing is helping people feel seen and understood, so when people come to me saying that a certain song I’ve written connects with them, I feel so much more motivated to put it out into the world. I think it helps a lot that the way I normally introduce my songs to people is by posting snippets of myself on social media playing them right after I write them. That way, I can kind of feel things out, how people feel about it and if it’s worth doing something more with. In terms of the initial writing of the song, my biggest driving force there is the strength of my emotions. I feel things so incredibly strongly, and I think that when I write about something, it’s less of a nod to how much that experience or person impacted me and more of a testament to how much and how deeply I am capable of feeling. It definitely has its pros and cons.
Where do you see your sound and artistry heading in the future? Are there any exciting new directions you're exploring?
I think that this newest song, “running in circles”, marks the beginning of a new chapter for me musically. It has that full-band, pop-rock sound that I’ve loved my entire life and have been trying to bring out within my music for so long now. I still have plans to sort of linger within the sad indie folk girl circle though, because I have way too many songs that I love that I happened to write in that style, and I don’t want to put them in the vault or anything. So for any listeners who really resonate with that side of my music: don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere! I just have so many songs that also fall within the indie rock genre that I’ve written over the past couple years and recently that I want to do things with in the near future. Plus, no one ever said you had to stick to one genre and that’s it. Life would be so boring if we all did that. My music just feels like it’s in such a sweet spot right now, like I’m finally making music that feels like me, whether that’s in the form of a sad acoustic ballad or an angsty indie rock jam. I’m really, really excited about it. I think a huge part of that is attributed to making songs with my friends and people who just get my vision musically on a deeper level. Ahhh. I just love music and my friends and being alive to experience it all!
What instruments do you play? Which is your favorite?
I play guitar, piano, bass, ukulele, and a little bit of clarinet. Don’t hold me to high standards on the clarinet though because it’s been a hot minute since I’ve taken that baby out of her box. Oh, and my favorite is guitar! Duh.
What advice would you give your younger self and why?
I would tell her that life is way too short to choose just one dream to follow, so do it all. She has all the time in the world, even if it doesn’t feel like it. And that she’s gotta make things happen for herself, as opposed to just waiting around for things to happen to her. If you want your life to be interesting, make it interesting. It’s actually wildly simple. I wouldn’t change a single thing about my journey so far though, except for maybe that I’d realized that sentiment earlier on.
What is your favorite song to cover?
I get asked to cover Waiting Room by Phoebe Bridgers a lot whenever I play live, and I’m glad that I do because I love that song so dearly. I always play the abridged version she performed on KEXP though, because the official track has a very beautiful but very long outro that’s heavily led by a band, and since I perform alone with just me and my guitar, if I were to sing the long version, it’d just be awkward for everyone. I think.
What is your favorite quote?
Anyone who knows me knows I love the book Pop Song by Larissa Pham. It’s a collection of essays and she just knows how to string words together in a way that is so specific to her own experience, but also universal enough that you feel like she’s inside of your head. At least, that’s how I feel about it. My favorite essay out of everything is the one entitled “Crush”, and my favorite quote from it is this: “But I don’t know what comes after, once I decide to let desire have its way with me. How to unmelt the melted? How to turn the ground powder back into a person? This idea points to a knowledge that I don’t have: how to love without losing the self.” I just feel like she is inside my brain with this line! And with so many others! But especially this one. I am just the kind of person who has never really been relaxed about anything and feels every emotion she’s ever felt to the extreme, so at that point in the book, it almost felt like I was the one being read, as opposed to me reading the book. It’s just so brilliant. I will never stop recommending it.
How do you feel about social media?
If you would have asked me this six months ago, or maybe even two weeks ago, I would have told you that I love it. And I honestly do, because a lot of great, wonderful things have happened to me as a result of having an online presence for my art. But as of recently, I think social media and I have developed more of a love-hate relationship. I love how easy it is to make new friends and reach a target audience for my music because of it, but I hate how easily trapped I can get into doomscrolling. I recently started taking advantage of the screen time limit feature, and it genuinely feels like a withdrawal of some sort. Probably because it literally is. Anyway, I think everything is great in moderation, and social media is no exception.
When you become famous, what underrated band or artist would you like to show the world they have been missing?
My beautiful, beautiful friends! I have way too many talented people in my life that I love so dearly, but to name a few: Regina Pimentel, Kevin Hackett, Wesley Preis, Tomás Paúl, Caroline Carter, Ducksmithson, Logan Freevol, Cammi McDermott, Hope DeLuca, Grace Gardner, Mitchy, and Simon Robert French, but guys. There are so, so many more folks I want to list. If it makes it easier… I have a Spotify playlist of all my lovely friends who I think need way more attention. I think each of these people’s art deserves to be heard at least once by everyone. Check it out if you want to find your new favorite artist maybe! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/566TocQ5zRqpq8G4DBdFvU?si=007e586bd9804e2b
What is the most motivating thing a fan or anyone has ever told you about your music?
I’ve gotten so many lovely messages over the years from listeners about my music and the effect it’s had on them and each one of them make me want to cry such happy tears, because it’s so easy to discourage yourself and feel like no one truly cares about your art. But every now and then, I’ll receive a DM from a fan saying how much a song of mine means to them and what it’s gotten them through, or a memory they have attached to it. It’s a surreal feeling every single time, knowing that my music is something so much more than just something I made in my bedroom after it’s been released, and realizing that my music is reaching people I’ve never even met. That they have feelings associated with my songs that extend beyond any realm of my own personal knowledge. If I had to note any specific message though, more recently, I received the sweetest email I’ve probably ever gotten. It was from a girl named Ruby who told me: “your music is growing friendships!” and I will never, ever forget it. If there’s one thing I want my music to do, it’s bring people together. I want to make the kind of music that my younger self would have needed and been obsessed with. The kind of music that people cry to or scream in the car to together—or both, simultaneously. I want my art to create and foster friendships, to help them understand each other and themselves a little better. So, to know that it’s already happening quite literally makes me the happiest girl in the world.
Check out her latest release and listen to more of FAITH ZAPATA on Spotify & YouTube.
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