“Unapologetically personal” perfectly encapsulates the Zolita experience. Her latest track blends candid self-reflection with the raw pain of a breakup, delivering a cathartic listening journey. Zolita’s secret to her power is sex, and she has one of the best ways to build your own confident sex playlist. Plus, she’s out on tour and is ready to heat up venues around the country.
Answers are edited for brevity and clarity.
Playboy: You’ve said that you are “getting under new girls to get over my ex.” Is this because it’s poetic, or is “under” the only option for you?
Zolita: I think under is the only option for me. When I get out of a long-term relationship, there’s so much pent up energy and I just need to expel it.
Playboy: Another quote from you is that you feel “most powerful when you’re having sex”. Obviously that’s not something you can do all the time, but do you have any tips for harnessing that power and bringing it with you into the other parts of your life?
Zolita: I like listening to my sexy playlist even when I’m not currently having sex. Listening to it while I’m getting ready, and honestly, dancing to sexy music in my room, is how I bring that energy into my life. Fantasizing and visualizing are just as powerful to me as actually having sex.
Playboy: What’s on the sexy playlist?
Zolita: I’m gonna pull it up right now. I did something recently that I think everyone should try: I passed my phone around the room to all my friends and had each of them add their sexiest song. Then I played it blind, not knowing what would be on it, and it was really cool—I was surprised by a lot of the choices.
My add was “Gibson Girl” by Ethel Cain, which I think is the sexiest song ever. There’s also Boy Harsher on here, Nirvana, Art School Girlfriend, Lykke Li, and Portishead. It’s a big, eclectic mix.
Playboy: Your latest tracks are very unapologetically honest. How do you decide what parts of your life become lyrics and which (if any) aren’t ready for the public yet?
Zolita: I think I’m a bit shameless in my lyrics. I know the songs that I love the most from other artists are the ones that are just so detailed, you know they couldn’t have made it up. That’s why I fully go there, without using people’s names, but I’m using a lot of details, so I think I’m not really holding back.
Playboy: Do you think the music industry affects artists’ personal lives?
Zolita: I don’t see a lot of artists in long-term relationships with the same person throughout their career. I feel like it’s really unusual, and it almost feels like I might have to choose sometimes between relationship stability and a career—especially in pop music. So much of pop music is selling your personal life, and the drama in your personal life, and social media. I’m sure that’s a big part of the up and down with relationships that comes with inviting the public into your life.
Playboy: “Hypocrite” has to be the most honest thing you could have created. Where did it come from?
Zolita: Okay, so I went through a breakup, and this was one of the first songs I wrote afterward. Right after the breakup, I was doing exactly what you said—getting under people to get over my ex. I have the ability to have casual sex in a really fun way, while my ex tends to have more emotions involved. We used to joke about who was scarier in a breakup: I might sleep with more people, but she would probably have more feelings, which always seemed scarier to me.
“Hypocrite” came from that place. My ex and I were in a phase where we were telling each other everything about who we were sleeping with. I remember when I found out she slept with someone for the first time—I went crazy. I kept visualizing them together and was kind of taking it out on her. I went into the studio and was telling my co-writer about it, and she said, ‘You’re being a little bit of a hypocrite.’ That’s where the song came from. I wanted to have my cake and eat it too; I wanted to do whatever I wanted, but I didn’t want her to do the same. It’s such a classic, relatable thing for people going through breakups—visualizing their ex doing the same thing is so brutal.
Playboy: How does the vulnerability in your music affect you while you’re on stage?
Zolita: When I’m on stage, one of the coolest things about performing these songs is that I find something different in them every time. Different parts of the songs hit me in new ways each time I perform them. Even when I’m rehearsing for this tour, some of the deeply personal songs—like “Grown Up” from my latest album or a love song about my past relationship—will make me well up at certain moments. Other times, they don’t hit me the same way.
I think performing allows me to tap into old feelings and process them in new ways, and experiencing that with an audience adds another layer. Seeing people relate to the lyrics unlocks something new inside of me for sure.
Playboy: Do you think that sharing this connection with the crowd will keep those songs fresh forever?
Zolita: I definitely think so. I think the energy from the crowd is always going to bring the song to its peak and you’re always receiving that when you’re doing it live.
How did you end up playing “Small Town Scandal” with your Dad?
Zolita: My dad plays banjo, and he’s the one who got me into bluegrass and guitar playing when I was growing up. He lives on a farm up north, and when I went to visit him last weekend, I asked if he could learn a little part of “Small Town Scandal” so we could record a clip of it. He picked it up so quickly.
I remember when I was in college, we did a country cover of a Snoop Dogg song, and he played banjo on it. He’s always been down to support and play with me on whatever I’m working on. I really want to bring him out to the LA show to play on “Small Town Scandal”—I think that would be really fun.
Playboy: What are you expecting fans to wear and bring to your shows while you’re on tour?
Zolita: The whole album is called Queen of Hearts, so there’s obviously a lot of visual inspiration just from that title alone. The theme of the album, and the main music video series I released with it, was based on a pageant—a gay pageant love story. And then, of course, with “Small Town Scandal,” there’s a lot of country inspiration throughout the album. I’m very much in a country era and a line dancing era in my life right now, so those were the three main influences.
I’m really excited to see what everyone does with them. I think people, especially queer people, love any chance to dress up—it’s why we love Halloween so much.
Playboy: Your music, between the love songs and now the killer breakup songs, could be the perfect soundtrack for a RomCom. Who would you cast for your two leading ladies?
Zolita: Who am I casting? Oh my God, it’s so hard! I always want Cate Blanchett in a movie—she’s a must. Who would Cate Blanchett be with? Maybe Kristen Stewart. We could put the two ultimate gay icons together! But actually, I’m turning my song ‘Somebody I F***ed Once’ into a feature film, and that’s the script I’m working on right now. When I was thinking about who I’d want to play those characters, I thought of Ariana Greenblatt—I think that’s her name, she was in Barbie. She’d be fantastic. And then Maisy Stella, who I just saw in a movie last night—they’d be my high school romance. Perfect, manifesting it!
Playboy: We will be manifesting that for you. To wrap things up, we have a few rapid fire questions for you!
Playboy: Name your must-have late night snack.
Zolita: Impossible chicken nuggets.
Playboy: What is your go to Flirty Emoji?
Zolita: The twinkle stars! (Lame, I know)
Playboy: Who is your biggest musical inspiration?
Zolita: Lady Gaga.
Playboy: What is your favorite fabric for lingerie?
Zolita: Leather.
Playboy: What is your biggest turn on?
Zolita: Humor, funny people every time.
Playboy: Describe your ideal first date location.
Zolita: A sexy bar where they’re dancing to something fun.
Playboy: Name your dream collab.
Zolita: Kacey Musgraves.
Playboy: Do you have a secret talent?
Zolita: Maybe cooking? It’s not a secret but I’m a really good cook. I pull out the homemade pizza if I want to be impressive.
Playboy: What is the first thing you pack for a tour?
Zolita: Everything sleep related. Silk sleep mask, melatonin, weed gummies. Everything to knock me out.
You can find Zolita’s full tour schedule here!
Want to read more interviews with hot musicians? Check out our chat with BYNX about his path to stardom and Tove Lo on her steamy new EP.