press
Uranium Waves on FAKING IT
EMBRACING AUTHENTICITY: VELVET ROUGE'S EMPOWERING ANTHEM “FAKING IT”
“… this vibrant track was unveiled as a tribute to Pride Month, demonstrating the band's unwavering support for embracing and celebrating diverse sexualities. At its core, "Faking It" unveils the struggle of embracing one's true self amidst the weight of societal expectations and stereotypes surrounding sexuality.”
PHILADELPHIA STYLE
“Our song doesn't sound anything like the original. The special thing about this song is that this song is so explorative, which allowed us to bring in different elements of our styles of performing and storytelling. The lyrics can be told in a wide variety of ways, which allowed us to craft our own messaging throughout it. . . When we finished the song, we all agreed we had just discovered our sound in a way we had never noticed before.”
MAIN LINE TONIGHT
“Several of Velvet Rouge’s songs carry messages of strength, power, rage, temptation, and many more emotions with the goal being to find even one person who feels heard or represented. The process of finding these lyrics and these sounds is truly a group effort for the band. Each song, or creative venture, is treated differently to try and discover a new sound or new feeling.”
VELVET ROUGE FINDS THEIR HEALTHY GLOW WITH GLAM ROCK AND EMPOWERED LYRICS
Rare is the musical solo act or full band who finds their fame, first, on a national, televised level.
WXPN’S JOHN VETTESE REVIEWS SAVE ME
In addition to Zo, the band is comprised of guitarist Joe McEnany, drummer Buddy Mazzenga, and bassist Andrew Amado; their debut single “Save Me” was produced by Brian McTear and Amy Morrissey at Miner Street Recordings, and focuses the band’s modern rock leanings into something equal parts brash and soulful, indebted to the smoky blues of Amy Winehouse and Elle King as much as the edgy rock of Arctic Monkeys and Santigold.
DOSAGE MAGAZINE
“While you can’t always judge a band by its name, I can categorically state that the Philadelphia area’s Velvet Rouge and the band’s self-described brand of “gypsy soul rock-n-roll” does indeed have glamor and glitter as part of its make up.” - A.D. Amorosi
MORE PRESS ABOUT SAVE ME…
“The Philadelphia-based band is making indie rock gems with powerful and rich vocals that will stuck in your head for days. With their latest, titled ‘Save Me’, we’re given a taste of what incredible songwriting abilities Velvet Rouge brings to the table, and we’re so excited to see what the band has been working on over these last few months.”
— LOST IN THE NORDICS
“To reinvent yourself, there has to be a clear and present need to be someone else. For the sake of artistry, it requires you to look at everything and decide who you want to be, not what others want from you. Heeding that call to become someone new as an artist-led Velvet Rouge singer Gina Zo to where she is now. After growing disillusioned with the music industry, the former The Voice contestant found her way back to performing with a renewed sense of self.”
— POP FAD BLOG
FIRE IN THE BUILDING PRESS
PHILLY STYLE INTERVIEWS GINA ZO.
WXPN: Part 1 is a ghostly…
music video for Zo’s single “Cry” shows the band’s four members performing in the abandoned building with misty sunlight from blown-out windows flooding the scene.
Read the whole review below.
LIVE ON SINSTERGIRLZ
Gina zo discusses the ep, getting back together, and being a woman in the industry.
MORE PRESS…
“Gina’s deep vocals on the chorus remind me of Miley Cyrus on Can’t Be Tamed, for there is the same wildness in her expression.”
— SINUSOIDAL MUSIC
“The soft and gently funky verses resemble the feeling of desire, or lying alone in your bed yearning for being with that special person you dream about.”
— MANGO RAVE
“This rock-fueled EP is stunning from start to finish. A galant compilation of hard-rock tunes with a heavy dose of sexy, with every instrument, flawlessly executed.”
— LESS THAN 1000 FOLLOWERS
LA ON LOCK
“Never Meant’ is the track Stevie Nicks and Florence and the Machine would team up to create and the emotion is tangible in every single line.
XPN
“Directed by Andrew Krysinski and Gina Zo, the video shows Zo’s transformation from clean-cut to completely unhinged. When the video starts, she’s seen clutching a book and wearing overalls; by the end, she’s running through the subway station sporting dark lipstick and a devil-may-care attitude.”
THE KEY: XPN
While the Ancient Greeks had six forms of love, Zo only has three “lustful, forbidden, and hopeless,”… READ THE WHOLE REVIEW BY SAMANTHA SULLIVAN BY CLICKING BELOW
wild is calling
Gina Zo might be familiar to most after a successful stint as a contestant from season 10 of the Voice. What you may not know is that she and her band “ZO” have some serious songwriting abilities, and after a two year hiatus have returned with their best song yet, “Never Meant.”
CRY
“Reminiscent of The Cranberries, sort of like a Carrie Underwood meets Greta Van Fleet sound, it is infused with solid rock belts and blues-y guitar riffs.”
— Find No Enemy
“The ability of the song to really slow down and let you explore the feelings its trying to express, is the best thing about Cry.”
— Sinusoidal Music
more about “cry”…
““As the follow-up single to the widely successful ‘Never Meant,’ ‘Cry’ shines a light on the double standards within the music industry, and what is and isn’t acceptable to sing about. Telling the story of a woman’s one-night-stand experience, Castanzo sends out a powerful message of pride as opposed to one of shame and indignity. “”
NEVER MEANT
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Indie Top 39
Love doesn’t always mean happy endings on Zo’s new anthem ‘Never Meant’
Philadelphia-based Zo has a huge presence on their new song ‘Never Meant’. Lead singer Gina Zo sounds phenomenal overtop the versatile instrumental. Cool, tasteful guitar licks dot the instrumental while drum grooves push and pull the energy. I loved the way the powerhouse vocals were mixed. The song had a very classic rock feel and sheen. It accented the emotion behind the lyrics as well as ensured every voice was heard clearly. One of my favorite parts was how intimate everything felt. I felt like I was listening to a close friend. Between the incredible vocals and adaptive rhythm section, this song rocks!
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Berlin on air.
When I hear the new single ‘Never Meant’ by the American band Zo from Philadelphia, I can literally feel the lead singer's unbelievable temperament. Honestly, I've rarely heard such a truly energetic track. In doing so, it dispenses with excessively heavy distortion and does not sound overwhelming. Above all, it is the voice that feels as if it reaches the highest heights and asserts itself with full force in the mix. In places, it even comes into its own with several voices, just great!
But also the musical arrangement has it all: powerful and above all fast drums play super dynamic rhythms and bring a lot of life to the track. Precise guitar licks ensure sophisticated harmonies, while a rich bass mixes up the lows. One thing is certain: These talented artists have absolutely perfect command of their instruments and the unbelievably distinctive voice in focus is definitely the figurehead of this brilliantly produced track. Check it out and stay up to date with Zo's other new releases.
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Find No Enemy
After a two-year hiatus, Zo is back with a powerful indie-rock tune. Backed with a heavy riff and vocals that are sung with immense fervor and controlled intonations, it's a display of former NBC's The Voice contestant Gina Zo's talent. The band behind her is no slouch either, crafting an incredibly energetic and emotive soundscape to set the stage for Gina to showcase her wide vocal range with a clear and soulful joy behind the performance.
Zo made their comeback to the stage just yesterday in Ardmore. With their latest addition 'Never Meant', it's abundantly clear that Zo is making a strong foothold in the indie rock space, with tracks that deliver on vocal excellence as much as they do in guitar-driven melodies.
