ZZ Ward

ZZ Ward, a vocalist, composer, and player of multiple instruments, merges blues and hip-hop into an unfiltered, forceful sound that refreshes classic roots conventions through a sharp, present-day sensibility. Her voice carries grit alongside pliability and projects bold confidence, steering her work toward rock-inflected contemporary blues while drawing on hip-hop and current R&B for production and arrangement decisions, resulting in a distinctive approach that distinguishes her among similar artists. This hybrid style attracted considerable listeners via her debut full-length release, 2012’s Til the Casket Drops, whereas 2017’s The Storm reduced the hip-hop emphasis in favor of greater R&B focus.

Born Zsuzsanna Eva Ward on June 2, 1986, in Abington, Pennsylvania, Ward grew up in Roseburg, Oregon, dividing her attention between her father’s blues holdings and her brother’s hip-hop collection, a combination that later shaped her own aesthetic. By age 12 she was performing in her father’s blues group, and at 16 she began appearing with R&B and hip-hop acts around Eugene. After relocating to Los Angeles in pursuit of opportunities in the West Coast industry, her singular fusion of blues, rock, hip-hop, R&B, and neo-soul, combined with her command of guitar, piano, and harmonica, secured a contract with Boardwalk Entertainment Group and Hollywood Records, prompting work on a first album. The free mixtape Eleven Roses, featuring her takes on recent songs by other performers, surfaced in February 2012, followed by the EP Criminal in May. The finished album Til the Casket Drops appeared that October. One cut, “Put the Gun Down,” reached number 39 on the Alternative Rock charts, while “Last Love Song” and “365 Days” both entered the Top 30 on the Adult Alternative charts.

Ward issued the four-track EP Love and War in 2015 as a preview for a planned 2016 album titled This Means War, yet that project remained unrealized. She instead spent 2016 shaping the record that emerged as 2017’s The Storm. Ahead of its June arrival came the singles “The Deep,” which featured Joey Purp, and “Help Me, Mama.” In 2019 she launched a sequence of fresh songs with “Sex & Stardust,” then continued in 2020 with the reflective “The Dark” and the parting declaration “Break Her Heart.”