Introducing Black Zola: “Voyage 13”

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Introducing Black Zola: “Voyage 13”
Published: August 26, 2024

Photo by @joel8x.

Black Zola, the Charleston-based songwriting duo consisting of longtime friends Amita Fukui and Josh Gecowets, have just released their first-ever single, “Voyage 13.” The raw, dissociative track is the result of years of collaboration between the two artists, who first met while living in Nashville but truly began exploring music together during the pandemic.

The six-minute track is an exploratory introduction to the music of Black Zola. It was self-recorded and produced by Amita and Josh at their home studio, and is the first of three upcoming single releases for the duo, who are also members of the soulful rock & hip-hop fusion that is Rhodium.

Stream “Voyage 13” below and read on to learn more about the collaboration.

Black Zola – “Voyage 13” (2024)

Black Zola as a Songwriting Duo

Amita and Josh cite Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters and David Gilmour as one of their biggest influences for Black Zola, particularly in how they collaborate to complete a song. Amita writes the lyrics and gets ideas flowing, while Josh helps flesh out the final structure.

“We’re usually moving in an advanced state of communication when it comes to writing, because we’ve been doing it together,” Amita says. “We’re just co-writers, man. It’s like, I need him to make this music just like he needs me to do it, you know?”

They meet every Monday and Wednesday like clockwork at Amita’s house in West Ashley to practice and write music. They’ve written a number of songs this way, but “Voyage 13,” a track written this past summer, felt like the perfect representation of their songwriting and is making its debut as the first Black Zola song.

Photo by @joel8x

On “Voyage 13”

Lyrically, “Voyage 13” is about being stuck in a situation that you don’t want to be in, while your lover is at home upset that you aren’t going to make it. On the surface, it sounds like the narrator is out partying and dealing with demons, but according to Amita, the story behind the track is more cosmic. As it turns out, their non-return is out of their control.

“I got addicted to watching a bunch of space movies,” Amita says. He recalls watching the movie Gravity with George Clooney, where the characters must resign themselves to dying in space. “I pulled away from using too much space terminology because I just wanted it to be about somebody who’s disconnected.”

The strength of “Voyage 13” lies in Amita’s ability to tell a relatable story that feels like one thing on the surface—a song about substance abuse and dissociation—but carries a deeper, sci-fi layer. Our narrator has accepted his fate. He will likely die, and his lover will never see him again.

Closing Thoughts

Black Zola’s debut has been a long time coming. The duo has been performing around town since live music returned in 2020, and “Voyage 13” marks their official introduction to the world. There is a lot of passion behind this music, and I look forward to hearing what they come up with next.

Stay tuned for more from Black Zola, including two more singles in the pipeline, which were created with Cody Dixon a.k.a. Slim SOUL. Catch them tonight on the Charleston Pour House deck stage at 6pm—free show!