Biography
In 1998, while its eventual members were still teenagers in their early to mid-teens, the all-female gospel ensemble Zie'l assembled in Shreveport, Louisiana. Christina Bell, her sister Crystal Bell, Aphten Jones, Keyondra Lockett, and Undrea Northcutt, already recognized for their striking multi-part harmonies and impressive range, inked a deal with Light Records that yielded the 2006 debut album Genesis and its cover of the Clark Sisters' "Is My Living in Vain." Following an extended period of silence, the group resurfaced in mid-2013 as a trio minus Northcutt and Jones, issuing the funky stand-alone single "Redeemed." Written by Lockett and produced by Drathoven (Yolanda Adams, Tyrese), the track "State of Emergency" surfaced on Dream Records in spring 2014, with the album Zie'l (Pronounced Zy-El) following that autumn. Blending contemporary gospel with contemporary R&B, the project spotlighted Louisiana hip-hop artist A1 Bold on the highly processed electro-R&B cut "Determined." "State of Emergency" later reached the Top 20 of Billboard's Gospel Airplay chart in 2015.
Albums