Zara Smile: PPL Momentum Accelerator Liverpool
Short Project Title: Listen!
Biog: Zara Smile is a Liverpool-based alternative folk-rock artist whose music blends intimate storytelling with expansive, emotionally driven arrangements. Drawing on influences ranging from Laura Marling and Lizzy McAlpine to The Cranberries and Black Country, New Road, Zara’s sound is rooted in folk tradition while pushing toward something bolder and more experimental. Zara has been writing songs since childhood, using music as a way to process identity, belonging, and lived experience.
This funding supports Zara Smile in the creation, recording, and release of their second EP. Building on the foundations of their debut EP Rewind, the project explores themes of growing up queer, mixed race, and non-binary, navigating early adulthood, and coming into identity within a complex and challenging world. The new EP expands Zara’s sonic palette, incorporating richer arrangements and collaborative elements while maintaining a deeply personal core.
The award enables Zara to further develop their craft, deepen their storytelling, and realise the project to a higher creative standard. It also provides opportunities to collaborate with new musicians, producers, and institutions that were previously inaccessible, supporting both artistic growth and professional development. Through this project, Zara Smile aims to create work that resonates with listeners who feel underrepresented, fostering connection, visibility, and community through music.