I have been chronicling Zoee’s varied and fresh singles as she has released them throughout 2026. Below you can read some of her own thoughts on her recent music as she graciously agreed to a Q&A. Enjoy!
Do you consider the new album to be generally darker than your debut, The Butterfly Effect? Is this a new Zoee or just another side? I think we’re always becoming ourselves. I’m still peeling back the layers and revealing new parts of me, all in the attempt to become the best version of myself, so the Zoee from The Butterfly Effect is just as real as the one sharing music now. I’ve lived and learned a little more, but my values and purpose are still the same.
The Butterfly Effect had vulnerable songs like Little Voice and Red Flags, where I let my doubts, secrets and flaws show. The new songs are uplifting, especially Time Of Our Lives. It’s about remembering that life happens here, in this moment. Tomorrow is something we imagine, and yesterday is something we remember. We can’t rewrite it, but we can choose how we meet today.
Are there any tracks on the new album that you’d say are more like The Butterfly Effect, or were perhaps written back then? In terms of feel, I think Time Of Our Lives has the closest connection to The Butterfly Effect. It has that same optimistic heart, but it comes from the person I am now. I’ve grown, but I’m still the same optimistic Zoee. I believe every day is a chance to grow, learn and become a better version of yourself, so I hope I’m never exactly the person I was a year ago, or yesterday. I always want to keep evolving.
I still listen regularly to The Butterfly Effect. I don’t think I ever asked you... did you have a favourite song? I thank you for listening! It’s hard to choose a song, I hate picking favourites. However, I think when I listen to that record now, Little Voice still holds a place in my heart, and it still gets me. (Although, I have a much better relationship with that little voice these days. She’s learning how to be a little less vocal! Haha.)
What can you tell us about Time Of Our Lives that you haven’t told anyone else? I read a lot about Stoicism, and philosophy and I find real comfort in the idea that people have faced many of the same struggles we’re living through now. On a personal level, it reminds me that we’re not alone. On a wider level, it reminds me that none of this is entirely new. People have been searching for answers, for hope and trying to make sense of it all, especially the hard times, for centuries.
I found myself thinking about how we keep celebrating and enjoying life when hope feels far away, or when we aren’t where we want to be yet. That’s why I wanted Time Of Our Lives to have a sense of light and joy, as a reminder that even though we aren’t there yet, and even in dark times, we still have to find a way to smile and make the most of being here. Life is so short and fleeting, and the older I get, the more precious all of it feels, even the parts that are difficult to understand while we’re going through them.
Sometimes things don’t go the way we hoped, or we can’t understand why something bad happens. But we have today. We have this moment. And I wanted the song to remind us that, instead of that pulling us away from being able to enjoy the life, it should make us want to celebrate the little moments even more, because we know how fleeting it all is. We can still celebrate the life we have right now, while we are still figuring it all out. Stop waiting to start living.
Habit touches on nostalgia, and it’s there in other new songs too. Do you worry about the future? I think about the past and worry about the future. I think most of us do. It’s quite a human flaw. And it’s easy to get caught replaying what’s already happened or imagining everything that could go wrong tomorrow. But yesterday is gone, and tomorrow isn’t promised. The only thing we can really hold is this moment.
Time Of Our Lives is about making space for joy even when life isn’t going to plan. Things might be hard, and they might not be where we hoped they’d be, but we’re still here. We’re alive! We still get to laugh, raise a glass, and make a memory. I wanted the song to remind me, and hopefully anyone who hears it, that we’re allowed to celebrate the in-between moments on the journey too.
I really enjoyed Don’t Let Me Go because it is not just sad but angry as well. Was that a difficult one to write? I think sometimes anger is grief discovering it has a voice. That song came pretty easily actually and it was very cathartic. I think people can relate to the sense of wanting so badly to be loved, then feeling unloved, and after some time realising that the love they were looking for from someone else was perhaps the love they really needed to be giving to themselves. And that’s the superpower, or hidden message, in this song.
The video for Secret Garden is majestic - it feels cinematic. Is that your favourite video now? I loved making the Secret Garden music video! It was the middle of Summer in Nashville when we shot that at the Belmont Mansion (an incredible historic site!) and I just remember the heat being endless. Of course I was dancing and moving a lot which didn’t help so my hair was wet from sweat and humidity by the time we finished, and the Tennessee bugs (they’re huge!) were coming at the whole crew. Haha! It was a really fun shoot though and we managed to get that Wuthering Heights vibe I was envisioning as I wrote the song. I am very proud of that video and especially grateful to everyone who helped bring it to life. Shoutout to Anna, Sarah, Alex and Jaymes!
What have been your favourite performances in Nashville this year? So many good ones. But getting to perform at Sundance with the Bluebird Cafe was a pretty big highlight for me. I am such a Robert Redford fan, and being able to experience the world he created was unforgettable. And everyone there is so nice too. It was so calm and peaceful! There’s a river that LITERALLY runs through it (the resort). I mean, it’s just magical there. I hope they will want me back soon.
Of course, playing the ACTUAL Bluebird Cafe in Nashville is always the most incredible experience. I’m so grateful they keep having me back. As a songwriter, it doesn’t get any better than that room. Everyone listens so intently to your lyrics and really cares about the songs. I have so much respect for that little room, and its keepers.
How much fun did you have with the glitter for the Time Of Our Lives video?! Well I will say, I’ve officially become the glitter girl haha! Everyone wants to know if I really got covered in glitter or was it a filter, and I have to say, yes, yes I did get covered head to toe in glitter. I have glitter in my car, on my phone, on my clothes, in the floorboards of my room, in my suitcase, it’s insane how far that stuff can travel. I am still washing it out of my hair! But I had SO much fun getting all shimmery for the shoot! I felt like a Disney princess, so it may or may not make a comeback for my next tour. <3
Sorry for asking this but when the hell are you coming back to the UK?
I love this question! I am working on coming back to tour in 2027! I miss it SO much but I haven’t played there in quite a few years now so I am working on hopefully setting up a string of shows and make a mini tour. Even if it’s just me and an acoustic guitar, (even if I have to leave the glitter behind!), I have to get back there soon. I hope everyone will have me!
You can find all of Zoee’s music here and follow the rest of her journey. See below for all her 2026 singles. She is playing the Bluebird Cafe again on November 19th. The show is sold-out but you can grab tickets at the door if you’re early.
Thankyou so much for having me Paul!!! You are the best 🤍✨