Zella Day is an indie pop singer /songwriter with a retro-chic California Boho style often compared to other celebrated artists such as and . Although she does not mind the comparison, she has repeatedly shared that the inspiration for all her compositions originates from personal and authentic theme of desert mystique and folklore of her small town in Arizona where she grew up.
Born Name
Zella Day Kerr
Nick Name
Zella
Sun Sign
Pisces
Born Place
Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona, U.S.
Residence
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Nationality
Education
She studied in Blue Ridge High School in Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona.
While Zella was in her sophomore year, her parents got divorced and her mother moved to Long Beach, California where her sister enrolled in a public school. Zella chose to finish her high school education by enrolling online to gain more time for her musical endeavors.
Occupation
Singer, Songwriter
Family
- Father – Robert Kerr a.k.a. Bob Kerr (Contractor /Developer in Arizona)
- Mother – Ana Cristina Macfarland (‘Ana Mullen’ after remarrying in 2016) (Former Jazz Singer, Former Café Co-Owner, Pottery Artist, Painter)
- Siblings – Mia Rae Kerr (3 years Younger Sister) (Model, Horse Trainer)
- Others – William M. MacFarland (Maternal Grandfather), Suzanne S. del’Giudice (Maternal Grandmother), Sarah Houghtelin Koerner (Maternal Aunt) (Director of Theatre Program in a Public High school)
Manager
- JP Williams, Parallel Entertainment
- Jessi Tichenor, Red Light Management
- Ben Totis, Agent, William Morris Endeavor
- Mark Simek, Publicist, Drill Down Media
Genre
Indie Pop, Alternative, Folk Pop
Instruments
Vocals, Guitar, Piano
Labels
Hollywood Records, Pinetop Records, B3SCI
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 7 in or 170 cm
Weight
52 kg or 114.5 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
She has dated –
- Day’s single, High, was inspired by her former real-life relationship with a famous substance abusing rock musician whom she dated around the year 2014. She has mentioned in her interviews that she was 18 years old, in awe of her then boyfriend who was 11 years older than her.
- Saamuel Richard (2016) – Tabloids reported that Zella was dating fashion photographer Saamuel Richard in 2016.
- Korey Dane (2017) – Zella was reportedly in a relationship with singer Korey Dane in 2017. She was also featured in one of Korey’s rock songs called Blood on the Mattress, released in November 2017. Both the singers indicated the end of their relationship by unfollowing each other on Instagram.
Race / Ethnicity
White
She has Scottish, English, Italian, and Swedish ancestry.
Hair Color
Light Brown
Eye Color
Blue
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Broad, convex forehead
- Wavy hair
- Prefers Bohemian style and vintage clothing
- A resemblance to model turned actress,
Brand Endorsements
She has been a part of various endorsement projects which include –
- Style partnership with Gap and Aritizia in 2014
- Modeling for Free People in December 2014
- Being a part of ‘Do Plants’ campaign in 2016 organized by daily alternative brand, Silk
- Getting cast in a print shoot for Coach featured in W magazine in 2016
- Modeling for H&M Loves Coachella collection (2016)
- Promoting bohemian collections of brands such as Cleobella and Maje
Religion
She has revealed in an interview that is not very religious. However, she is spiritual.
Best Known For
- Her major label debut album, Kicker (2015), which peaked at #7 on the U.S. Top Alternative countdown
- Her debut stage performance in Coachella in 2016 which won her major critical acclaim as a vocalist
First Album
She self-released her debut studio album, Powered by Love, in 2009.
First TV Show
Zella made her television show debut as a musical guest in the comedy talk-show, , in June 2015 to promote her album, Kicker. She performed the song, High, in that episode.
Personal Trainer
- Zella does not eat fast food and would discourage her bandmates from eating the same when she first started touring as a musical artist.
- Particularly while traveling or during a tour, she only drinks water and eliminates processed and bread to avoid getting bloated before the performance.
- She drinks a gallon of water every day.
- To ensure greater physical energy on the stage, the singer maintains her stamina by running every day and also meditates a lot to keep her head clear.
- While back home in Los Angeles, Zella stocks her refrigerator every weekend with and vegetables purchased at the Farmer’s market.
- She also makes time for full body strength training through or at the gym in LA. Zella does not appear to hire one trainer for long and nutritionist Adena Neglia Zella and coach Wendy Wilson-Iglesias are only some of the people who have possibly supervised her in the past.
- The singer is very vocal about her conscious efforts to largely depend on a plant-based diet for her everyday meals.
- She starts her day with a cup of coffee.
- Zella occasionally smokes marijuana but avoids alcohol.
Zella Day Favorite Things
- Musical Influences – , The Beatles, Edie Brickell, l, Fleetwood Mac
- Style Icons – Jane Birkin, Bianca Jagger, Anita Pallenberg, , Joni Mitchell, ,
- Fashion-Era – 1960s, 1970s
- Travel Essentials – Coconut oil, a neck pillow, sage, polaroid camera, Journal
- City – Los Angeles
- Halloween Costume – Queen Elizabeth costume put together by Zella’s maternal grandmother
- Jeans Brand – American Rag
- Guilty Pleasure – Salted caramel ice cream with hot fudge syrup
- Make-Up Essential – OLO roll-on perfume and cardamom lip balm
- Vintage Store – La Brea, Squaresville, Rose Bowl in Pasadena
- Skincare Brand – Aesop Fabulous Face Cleanser and Moisturizer
- Fashion Designer – Saint Laurent, Hedi Slimane
Source – , Simon Said, Cleobella.com, , , ,
Zella Day Facts
- Her mornings start with a foot rub followed by taking her dog out for a walk.
- Her father used to run a guest ranch when Zella was 6-15 years old which made her comfortable enough around horses to participate in rodeos during her childhood.
- Zella’s parents got married in the coal-mining town of Jerome in Arizona. She was named after the wife of one of the town’s founders. Her mother was a huge fan of actor , which inspired her middle name.
- She started snowboarding at the age of 4 and claims to be very good at it.
- Her mother, Ana, insisted that learning the guitar would make Zella a self-sustaining musical artist. She would make an 8 hours round trip from Pinetop to Phoenix to take Zella for her music theory lessons. The singer composes all her songs on the guitar and has stated in an interview that parting with her guitar feels like a removal of a limb.
- The singer started performing at the age of 9 at her grandmother’s coffee shop called Mormor café. ‘Mormor’ means ‘grandmother’ in Swedish.
- Zella was a skilled soccer player in high school. She was on the roster of the Arizona Olympic Development Program and was hoping to get an athletic scholarship at Northern Arizona University. However, that dream ended when she broke her ankle during an indoor game.
- Neil DuCharme, who was Day’s neighbor and a friend of her parents, saw her love for music and provided her with 20,000 dollars so she could self-release her first album at the age of 13. The designers who handled her CD artwork also did it for free.
- Powered by Love (2009) helped Zella get J.P. Williams as a manager who set her up for a meeting with Nickelodeon and Disney. However, the young singer refused to work in TV shows because she did not want to have an image like Hannah Montana as a musical artist.
- Williams then sent Zella to country music producer Dann Huff in Nashville who organized co-writing sessions for Zella with other renowned artists such as John Paul White and for nearly a year. By the time Zella turned 15, Huff wanted to produce a record for Zella. This time, as well, the headstrong singer refused to sign up because she did not want to be a country music artist.
- Day finally signed up with Hollywood Records because they gave her complete creative control of her musical creations.
- Her album, Kicker, is named after an Apache Cowboy who used to work on her father’s ranch when she was a kid.
- She is a close friend of singer /musician and the two were roommates in 2015.
- Zella dabs her favorite floral essential oils on her wrist and burns incense onstage before every performance. The scent is important to her because it makes her feel at home even at faraway strange places.
- Day is a feminist and has initiated a movement called ‘Headstrong Mama’ on social media to bring positive attention to strong female role models.
- She has a pet dog, a miniature golden doodle named Mitzy.
- To find out more about the singer, visit her official website @ zelladay.com.
- Follow Zella Day on , , , , and .
Featured Image by Zella Day / Instagram
Facts of Zella Day
- full nameZella Day
- Date of Birth March 13, 1995
- Age 29 years 5 months
- Horoscope Pisces
- Lucky Number 4
- Lucky Stone Aquamarine
- Lucky Color Sea Green
- Best Match for Marriage Cancer, Scorpio
- weight52 kg
- height5 ft 7 in