Today we’d like to introduce you to Zoë Council.
Hi Zoë, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up on stage – theater, choir, dance competitions. I started writing songs in middle school (in hopes of becoming Beyoncé) and eventually studied at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. After a semester, I took a leave of absence to focus on performing and documenting my favorite people and places through writing, video and photography.
In 2018, I released my first single “July on Film” and signed to my first modeling agency in New York. Modeling happened accidentally. I cold-emailed photographers I admired, in hopes of assisting but instead landed campaigns. My first modeling job was a Forever 21 X Kodak collaboration shot by Jorden Keith that ended up in Times Square. Coincidentally, Jorden was shooting Shay Mitchell at the time and had played my song to her. She reposted it on her Instagram story, which helped the song gain traction.
By 2020, Grimes had featured me on her BBC Radio 1 set and I was modeling full-time in NY. A year later, I moved back to LA to sign with a sync licensing company and another modeling agency. In 2024, I landed a placement in “Meet Me Next Christmas” on Netflix, starring Christina Milian and released an EP with Galimatias called “The Island of Peach Bellini.”
In addition to modeling and music, I currently host a creative writing workshop called “Over A Glass” and produce short films to accompany my Substack posts.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
(TW: Domestic violence and substance abuse.)
Turbulent! No one took me seriously. It wasn’t until I met and collaborated with Galimatias in 2024 (8 years after I began pursuing music professionally) that I felt seen as an artist. Maneuvering a system, industry, society that is set up against you presents obstacles, naturally. Not sacrificing or compromising yourself while simultaneously holding out for success in whatever capacity and without surrendering to vices and distractions becomes exceptionally challenging.
I survived rape, domestic violence, divorce and substance abuse. The trauma ultimately caught up to my body and I ended up getting an endoscopy. I couldn’t eat or drink properly for over a year, let alone sing. Writing helped, but not immediately. It took awhile to confront and articulate what I’d gone through. “The best way out is always through.” Shoutout Robert Frost! I realized the necessity of my voice, my pen, my vulnerability. Writing was my way of processing, healing and demanding justice for what I had survived.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an interdisciplinary or multi-media artist, most known for singing and modeling. The throughline of my art is writing and art direction. I’m most proud of my sensitivity and malleability. I’m not a sellout.
Any big plans?
Buy a house! Buy my mom a house! Be healthy! Be happy! Make a lot of money! Write a book and get published! Headline the Hollywood Bowl! Collaborate with Disclosure! Collaborate with Pharrell! Collaborate with Grace Coddington! Star in an A24 indie! Record and release a jazz album with a live orchestra! Work with Disney!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://zeauxi.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/zeauxi
- Twitter: https://x.com/zeauxi
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@zeauxi
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/zeauxi
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2tGkqm7DdGhJgAeOU5tZOu?si=xvmHaMOkRMSX3MVSJHB6-w
Image Credits
Photography Zoë Council
Model Zoë Council
