Zonana mellows Metroplex

Zonana mellows Metroplex

CHARLIE VANN

Staff Writer

Staff photo Yolmar Gonzalez

Sammie Zonana woos the audience at Crooked Tree Coffeehouse.

One of the beauties of the Dallas-Fort Worth area is the music you can find in any city in the Metroplex. Up-and-coming artists can be found jumping at the chance for their music to be heard. These artists are filled with potential, waiting to be discovered.

One particular artist that didn’t even get involved with music until college, Austin native Sammie Zonana, is an artist to look out for. Zonana is currently a senior in college, studying film at the University of Texas at Arlington.

On Oct. 4 Zonana performed at the Crooked Tree Coffee Shop in Uptown. The performance was part of her coffee shop tour in the area.

“I started thinking about the stepping stones of your performance, growing as an artist. And I was like, ‘I ‘m not sure. I’m ready for bars yet.’  So I thought a coffee shop is a really warm, welcoming environment. Be a good place for me to grow as an artist,” Zonana said.

The coffee shop was actually a perfect spot for Zonana to showcase her music. Her soulful voice, along with her acoustic rhythm lit up the shop, as customers who were just coming   in for some good coffee, sat and watched an upcoming artist, perform with so much passion in her voice.  Zonana’s style really fit with the mellow atmosphere of the shop.

Zonana, who mostly performed her own songs, even mixed things up by performing her own version of Bill Withers golden hit “Lean on Me.”

“That was the first time I’ve actually ever, sort of meshed my lyrics with someone else’s, and sort of the same melody,” she said. “I think it’s always a challenge to make a song unique. I think it’s special to make a song your own.”

Zonana even gave the audience a taste of new material and a song “Get Out of My Dreams,” that she covered.

One thing that stood out about Zonana is her engaging personality, cracking jokes and just enjoying the moment. Though she will tell you she still gets nervous the day of a performance, you couldn’t tell it when she was performing.

“When I get up there and I start to sing my music, there’s something about the music that transforms me and loosens me up,” she said. “But I’m always myself, and that’s my main thing I want people to know. I want to be authentic; I want people to know me, and not some plastic version.”

So what’s next for Zonana? She will be competing on Nov. 1, in the Chevy Music Showcase, at Queens City Hall in Fort Worth. The grand finale is on Nov. 8, and the winner gets a cash prize of $1,000.

“I feel so excited for this opportunity,” Zonana said. She is excited for all the possibilities that could happen if she wins the competition.

The future looks bright and promising for Zonana. She is definitely an artist to keep an eye on.