Hikikomori

Album: Conatus (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Zola Jesus is the stage name of the Russian American singer/songwriter Nika Roza Danilova. She was raised in Merrill, Wisconsin on over 100 acres of forest and started singing early on, buying voice lesson tapes and opera sheet music at the age of 7. Danilova started performing opera when she was 10 years old, and in her teens she started to experiment in a more rock-orientated format. She said that by adopting a stage name after Jesus Christ and the French writer Émile Zola, she consciously wanted to alienate her peers. Danilova released her debut full-length album The Spoils in 2009, while studying at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
  • This track from her third album, Conatus, is named after the Japanese phenomenon of young people who can no longer cope with the demands of the outside world, and so go into self-imposed exile by shutting themselves in their apartments for years at a time. Danilova told NME: "It was about how, if I never left my house or my room, that'd be just fine by me."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Jimmy Jam

Jimmy JamSongwriter Interviews

The powerhouse producer behind Janet Jackson's hits talks about his Boyz II Men ballads and regrouping The Time.

Song Cities

Song CitiesMusic Quiz

Nirvana, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen are among those who wrote songs with cities that show up in this quiz.

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the Song

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the SongSong Writing

How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.

Guy Clark

Guy ClarkSongwriter Interviews

Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris and Lyle Lovett are just a few of the artists who have looked to Clark for insightful, intelligent songs.

Steely Dan

Steely DanFact or Fiction

Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?