The New York City-based indie-pop musician, Nisa, recently released the single “Zuma,” featuring producer/songwriter Torna. The artists have previously worked together on Nisa’s solo material, though this is their first collaborative release. “Zuma” quickly follows the Exaggerate EP, released September 30th, which features the singles “Exaggerate,” “Affection,” and “Sever.” This is Torna’s first time releasing music under his own name.
The pair wrote “Zuma” last year during a stint in Los Angeles. After returning from a picturesque day trip to Malibu, standing in the kitchen of their AirBnB, they sketched out a “gnarly 8-bit acoustic guitar” and started writing lyrics, inspired by “the moment when you realize your expectations, current realities, and fond memories aren’t lining up.” This was quite early in the writing process for Nisa’s next album; Torna adds, “I’m not sure we realized what we were actually writing about…”
They returned to Malibu in July to work with visual artist Angela Ricciardi, who thoroughly captured the track’s essence of nostalgia while filming the music video below.