Between mezzo-soprano songstress Roksana Zeinapur and guitarist/producer David Labovitch, the music industry has a duo best known for combining their strengths to create a unique style and edge.
Best categorized by Lana Del Rey meets Pink Floyd, music group Zeinapur consists of vocalist Roksana, who hails from Latvia via Tajikistan, and David from the United Kingdom. Together, they have been taking over LA’s music scene, having performed at signature places like The Viper Room, El Cid, and SoFar Sounds.
Roksana has also taken her talents to other entertainment landmarks, performing at locations like the esteemed Lincoln Center and being awarded as a finalist in Graz, Austria’s famed Meistersinger Competition. David has tapped into the film side of entertainment, composing music for the horror comedy film Dementia Part II and, as a guitarist, placed as a finalist in the Guitar Slinger Showdown competition.
We sat down with the group to hear about how they started working together, the inspiration behind their newest single, “Hold The Stars In Your Arms” and what they want fans to take away from listening to their music.
Check out the full Q&A below and let us know if you love Zeinapur’s music by leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
You can connect with Zeinapur by giving them a follow on Instagram at @zeinapur_official.
Celeb Secrets: How did you find each other and discover a partnership in music?
Zeinapur: “Roksana is an opera singer, and David is a rock guitarist, and we met through his sister Rachel who is a classical singer. Roksana approached David in the fall of 2019 to collaborate on an album of classical-crossover meditation music. Roksana was envisioning floaty ethereal singing and ambient guitar. As we worked together, it became obvious that we were writing something quite different from what we originally set out to do. Eventually, our musical collaboration blossomed into a romance, and in the spring of 2020, we found ourselves quarantining together and writing a ton of music. It all happened very organically, and by the summer of 2020, Zeinapur was a fully-fledged band. We released our debut EP in the fall of 2021 and haven’t looked back since!”
CS: They say your sound is a mix between Lana Del Rey and Pink Floyd- what are your thoughts on the comparison?
Z: “Lana Del Rey meets Pink Floyd is a perfect description of the meeting of Roksana and David’s musical backgrounds. Roksana’s singing brings a touch of old-world glamour, with a lean towards melancholy and nostalgia, and David brings a sense of 70s-era guitar heroism and progressive/classic rock.”
CS: Roksana, how was it performing at the prestigious Lincoln Center?
Roksana: “It was a wonderful experience. I was singing with Teatro Nuovo, an NYC-based company that specializes in Bel Canto Opera performed with period instruments. We performed an opera called La Straniera at The Rose Theater, which has a more intimate feel, and the acoustics were superb.”
CS: What has been a monumental moment for you and your career so far?
Z: “In the music video for ‘Everything Is Yours,’ we collaborated with a young dancer Iyana Monet, in an incredible video in which she perfectly physicalized the essence of the song. After the song was released, Iyana got a tattoo on her arm that read ‘Everything Is Yours.’ It was such an honor to have her immortalize our music in that way. ”
CS: Roksana, how was it being a finalist in Graz, Austria’s famed Meistersinger Competition?
R: “I was studying at AIMS in Graz and got to participate in the competition, which was challenging but also very rewarding. There were multiple rounds of auditions, and we got to sing in this beautiful Baroque church. It was like something out of a movie.”
CS: David, tell us about your experience as a finalist in the Guitar Slinger Showdown competition.
David: “It was a crazy first-time experience to be flown out to a different city to compete in a national guitar competition! I also got to perform at the iconic MoP (Museum of Pop Culture) in Seattle, which was definitely a memorable experience.”
CS: David, what was the experience behind creating music for the film Dementia Part II?
D: “It was an incredible experience. I got to write so many various styles of music for one film. From Hitchcock ‘Psycho’ style horror strings to 80s synth rock and even a folk song! The movie turned out to be a real gem and a cult classic.”
CS: Tell us more about your single “Hold The Stars In Your Arms” and why it focuses on those who feel ignored and want to find their voices.
Z: “The song is about David-he was going through a difficult time, and Roksana wanted to give him support and encouragement, so she wrote this song. David laid down the chord progression, and Roksana came up with the melody and the lyrics, so it was a collaborative process. Hold The Stars In Your Arms is about believing in your own power in spite of self-doubt and insecurity, and even though it’s written to a specific person, we wanted the message to resonate with anyone struggling with self-confidence. You can listen to the song on streaming platforms here.
CS: Other than wanting fans to believe in themselves, what else would you like your listeners to take in from your music?
Z: “As musicians from totally different backgrounds, we are taking a risk by combining our respective work in opera and rock to create something new. We hope that by allowing ourselves to go into uncharted territory, we invite the listener to believe in the power of their own uniqueness and take their own risks.”
CS: What overall message do you want listeners to receive when hearing your music?
Z: “For us, being musicians means learning how to connect to the deepest, most authentic parts of ourselves, and through that, we hope to connect to the deepest, most authentic parts of our listeners.
CS: Is your single “Hold The Stars In Your Arms” a taste of what’s to come from new music?
Z: “We feel our music is always moving in a direction that exemplifies and highlights our unique and distinct musical backgrounds – we are always looking for ways to explore those differences while also making the music work for ourselves as a band and for the listener. Hold the Stars in Your Arms is definitely indicative of our music to come.”
CS: Since we’re Celeb Secrets, can you share a secret about yourselves?
D: “I started fencing this year! It was something I picked up because I wanted a form of exercise that felt more like a game. I’ve already attended a few tournaments, and it has actually started to become quite a bit part of my life!”
R: “I was born in Riga, the capital of Latvia, a town not many people have heard of, and it’s the title of our upcoming single, which you can preserve here.”
