ABOUT ZAYA NORA

Zaya Nora James was born and raised in Los Angeles, with roots that run deep through the neighborhoods of Compton. Her earliest memories of music come from Sunday mornings at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, where the choir’s voices filled the sanctuary and the organ shook the wooden pews. As a child, she found herself drawn to the harmonies, slipping into the choir whenever she could. Church became her first stage, and gospel her first teacher.

But outside the church walls, life was harder. Growing up in Long Beach and Compton meant witnessing both resilience and struggle: neighbors hustling to make rent, families sharing what little they had, the constant pulse of a city that could be both unforgiving and full of possibility. These experiences shaped the voice she carries today — warm, raw, and unafraid of telling the truth.Music became her way of making sense of it all. She describes it not as a career but as a lifeline, a place where sorrow, hope, and pride coexist. Her songs often carry fragments of her story:Music Runs Through Me Now
A soulful declaration of identity, music as lifeblood, carrying her through struggle and joy.The Best Go First
A tender ballad about loss and memory, reflecting on how the brightest souls often leave too soon.City of Sun
Inspired by Los Angeles, it blends warmth and grit — a love song to the city’s light and its shadows together with friend rapper Tre310.When Lightning Strikes (cover of country singer Mac Steele)
Zaya reimagines Mac Steele’s raw anthem, turning it into a soulful storm of gospel power and vulnerability.Cornered (cover of nu metal/rapcore band Bloodsyde Machine)
Originally a heavy metal track, her version strips it down to piano and voice, exposing the ache beneath the anger.Always on Your Side
A hymn-like song of loyalty and faith. Written as a reminder that even in the darkest nights, love stays close.Zaya Nora writes songs to carry it forward. For her, music is testimony, memory, and prayer all at once.