Zion Flex

Zion Flex

Zion Flex is a vocalist, lyricist and artist whose work combines singing and rapping. Her music draws on jazz, hip-hop and old Black spiritual songs, and she works across a wide range of styles rather than fitting into one genre. Her influences also include roots music, trip-hop, folk, classical music and pop.

Career and collaborations

She starts out performing freestyle vocals over ambient, jump-up and breakbeat music, then moves into writing and performing rhyme over rock and drum and bass. At 16, she records a track with Roots Manuva as part of the cr8 project; the song is called “Change the Way”. She also begins collaborating with hip-hop crews in the south west of England, including Dutty Girl, Project 13 and Kutlective.

Releases and performances

In 2009, she releases her debut album with Tom McAllister, An Exercise in Scales and Balances. She performs at events and venues locally, nationally and internationally, including Shambala, Bloom, Bristol Vegan Fayre and Marsatac in Marseille.

Style

Her vocals are described as soulful, poetic, smooth and sultry, with a focus on creating a hypnotic effect through the interplay of voice, rhyme and instrumentation. She continues to experiment with vocal styles and genre combinations in her work.