Zoe Ko tells us about her single “lucky” and teases new music for 2025

As 2025 rolls around, Zoe Ko invites listeners deeper into her world with her latest single, “lucky,” an explosion of alt-pop, rock and emo. The Los Angeles-based artist delivers a nostalgic nod to the 2000s pop, drawing inspiration from icons like Britney Spears, Rihanna and No Doubt-era Gwen Stefani. Through harp lyrics and dynamic production, Ko explores themes of empowerment and the nuanced female experience.

Building on standout tracks like “Rib Cage,” “Pink Noise” and her debut EP, Baby Teeth, Ko continues to refine her unique sound. lucky captures the thrill of a carefree night out, blending infectious dance-pop beats with playful guitar riffs and cheeky innuendos. Her storytelling, equal parts bold and introspective, paints a vivid picture of joy, mischief and self-discovery.

I’m excited to talk about your latest single. But first, can you describe your music for new listeners?
My music is pop with a fresh voice, drawing from the female experience. It covers topics like finding yourself in a man’s world, growing up, and personal beliefs. My music reflects my journey of discovery and confidence. It’s fun, empowering, and makes people feel free.

You mix a bunch of genres like rock and early 2000s pop. You’ve mentioned being inspired by Britney Spears and No Doubt. Can you talk about how those influences shape your music?
Growing up with Spotify, it’s hard because I never really listened to albums too much. I also had just every genre of music at hand. My mom and I would always go to the library and just pick out whatever music, so I was very exposed to everything. The ones that resonated with me the most happened to have these more 2000s vibes, or kind of sexy, dark guitar and rock drum vibes, which I felt were very No Doubt. I never knew that that felt like myself as an artist until the last two and a half years of discovering that in studios and playing with different instrumentation.

What would you say are your current musical and songwriting influences recently?
I still think it’s very, very Gwen Stefani. I would say No Doubt, but specifically “Hella Good.” And then everything else is like, just Gwen’s solo project. I’m pulling references from [Azealia Banks]. She makes “212.”

With your new single “lucky,” it just came out last month. Can you talk about how that song came about? I know the fans are really loving that song.
I had just been writing a lot of experiences of going out clubbing and getting interactions from guys that I hate. I was like, “Alright, at this point, we should just make a song about it.” And I knew Britney [Spears] had a song called “Lucky,” too, and one of my other friends made a song called “lucky.” I was like, “Maybe we shouldn’t do it, but it’s fine. I’m just gonna make a song called ‘lucky’ because I like the line, ‘You think you’re getting lucky,’ and I think it’s hella funny.” And then you just laugh after because that’s kind of my exact thought process when some random dude is hitting on me at a bar, or grabbing me, and I’m like, “You can only laugh at these situations instead of getting really upset about it.” Every time we go out, we get a little bit of interaction that we don’t like. So, I just thought it was a more fun, empowering take on it. We wrote it over electric guitar first for two hours, and then we started building out a track. I knew I wanted the intro to be a little more flubby with a booming bass and kick, so you could feel like you’re in a club or something. And then, yeah, you just start spelling out the situation. It was a fun, more positive take on it.

It’s also been a year since you released Baby Teeth. You released a lot of songs this year, including “Kiss My (Ah)” in September. I’m curious, going from releasing your debut EP and then releasing some songs before, it seems like you’re building up for a new EP or another project. Can you talk about that song and the process between making that song and “lucky”?
We made them like two weeks apart. It was kind of a time when I was finally home for a second, so whenever I was home for like a month, I would just stack up my weeks with sessions. So, “lucky” and “Kiss My (Ah)” were made very close to each other. I wrote most of “Kiss My (Ah)” on my car ride to my studio session. I was listening to “Run Away,” “Gimme More” and “Hella Good” back to back I wanted to go into the session with the idea of something like, “kiss my ass” or “shove it up your ass” or something funny with “ass.” We wrote the whole song really quickly. It was a simple chorus, and we just wanted to spread the tea with it. It was so fun performing live, and I made a little underwear and shorts to go with it. That was pretty sick.

I saw a lot of positive comments on YouTube and everything. Can you talk about what that response has been like?
This year has been the biggest year for really creating a fan base. It’s been so exciting to see, and I do think it’s because of all the touring and the first single I released this year, “DIRT,” just really found my people. It’s been really cool to see a group of people that are excited about anything I release. Not every single song is the same, but people have been loving it and supporting it. They’re down for the ride with my music and my journey. It’s just been so special. Meeting them in person this year has been really cool.

Looking at all the music you’ve released this year and that EP, how do you feel moving into 2025 and with that growth? You mentioned exploring new sounds and vibes going into this string of songs. Can you talk about that?
I have so many big plans for next year. I’m excited. There’s a lot of things in the works, a lot of collaborations and different production that has been happening, too. I’m super excited to just see where it goes. But I’m just going to keep doing my thing and keep writing the stories that I know are real to me, and I hope they translate well for others.

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