Photo credit: Chando Held
Amsterdam based artist, rapper, producer Zanillya shares her contagious and vibrant new cut ‘Dushi Bida’. It’s her first track in Papiamento, the Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean, but that’s heavily influenced by Spanish. On the new track she pays homage to the Island Aruba. Co- produced with long time collaborator Humphrey Dennis, ‘Dushi Bida’ was born from a deep down desire to represent the island Aruba, her father’s birthplace.
The energetic track serves as a reminder that Zanillya isn’t to be labeled or put in a box. Speaking more on her release, Zanillya expresses:
“I like to explore and try out new rhythms. I was raised on a lot of different genres and never want my music to be just one thing, one sound or even in one language. It feels good to represent where I come from as I believe Aruba and especially our language is so special, being it’s a mix of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and English. I hope the world will fall in love with it and enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.”
Zanillya’s music touches on mental health, empowerment, self doubt and above all, self-acceptance. The ever evolving artist has crafted an uncompromising sound that sits across a number of genres, nodding to Dancehall, Afrobeats, Dembow, Hip-Hop and R&B. Brought up on an eclectic diet of creativity and influences by her father; 1970’s disco legend Bobby Farrell (Boney M) and her mother; a fashion designer from Macedonia, her universal message of hope and musical versatility looks set to catapult her into mainstream acclaim.
Striving to make a positive impact on the world with her heart on her sleeve, she’s already picked up support from the likes of Jamz Supernova and Sway Calloway, Wonderland, DUMMY and i-D magazine, CLASH, BBCR1Xtra and BBC 6. The potential feels limitless for Zanillya.
‘Dushi Bida’ is available now via all major platforms.
Connect with Zanillya
Leave a Reply