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“"Her gentleness and humility in her songs quietens your spirit. When I heard her songs and voice it reminded me of a young Arethra Franklin." ”
— Shellie Morris, indigenous Australian singer/songwriter
Bio
Her Story
A soulful, genre-blending artist whose roots run deep in rhythm, community, and creative expression. Raised in a family steelpan band, Zaynab grew up immersed in the sounds of her Afro-Caribbean heritage, and it shows in every beat, strum, and note she shares.
A singer, drummer, strummer, and composer, Zaynab crafts a musical mosaic her live and improvised performances, pulling audiences into her world of wonder, reflection, and ancestral rhythm. Her latest EP, A Way Home, earned a 2025 MusicNL nomination and praise from Caribbean Beat magazine for its heartfelt take on diaspora, heritage, and home.
Press Photos
Photo by Suha E
Photo by David Eguiguren
Photo by Alick Tsui
Career highlights
- MusicNL 2025 R&B Artist of the Year award
- Self-represented international touring artist: Roots & Jazz Copenhagen 2026, Halifax Jazz Festival 2025, Folk Canada 2024, Global Toronto Spotlight Artist 2022, Australia 2021/2022, USA 2019 (US)
- Lawnya Vawnya AiR St. John's, NL 2026; Teaching Assistant @ Stratford Summer Music Jazz Academy (2025); RBC Launchpad Music Entrepreneurship Program participant (2023), Sowing Seeds Intl Artist Residency Udaipur, India (January 2020) - Recipient of Canada Council for the Arts Residency Grant
- Grant funded artist: SOCAN Professional Dev. 2026, MusicNL Artist Dev. 2026, Canada Council for the Arts: Concept to Realization -Album (2025), Conseils des Arts et des Lettres du Québec (2024/2025), Arts Across Canada grant (2022), FACTOR Artist Development grant (2018/2021)
- Session/touring drummer & vocalist: Woodford Folk Festival (Australia), Beaches International Jazz Festival (Canada), Hillside Festival (Canada), Celtic Connections (Scotland)
future plans
-Debut Full-length album -early 2027 along with release tour
-2026 dates: Support for Hawksley Workman (November), Mundial Montréal (November)
-Continue to develop as an artist-facilitator-educator through residencies, artistic collaborations, and Creative Arts Workshop