Story & Lesson Highlights with Teona Zak of Los Angeles

Teona Zak shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Teona, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Traveling definitely makes me lose track of time and find myself again. There’s something about stepping into new places, meeting new people, and letting life surprise me that helps remember who I am underneath all the noise and experiencing life outside my routine that feels like a reset. I love people, and every trip gives me another community, another story, and sometimes even another place that feels like home. Every trip gives me a little piece of myself back.
It fuels my art too, because getting away helps me breathe, reflect, and write. I need that space, that breath of air to hear my own thoughts and write from a real place. Los Angeles is beautiful and I’m thankful for where I am in life but it can be a lot, and it’s easy to feel drained, so even a quick trip within the same state gives me that fresh air I need to reconnect with myself.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Teona Zak and I am a contemporary pop artist whose style incorporates soulful, bluesy, vulnerable, emotive and unique tones. I am a singer/songwriter who mixes pop music with dark, rich, emotional textures that express my storytelling. My music is heartfelt and unapologetically honest, demanding my audience to not just listen-but to feel. I have been a performer since the age of eight years old, and began song writing at the age fourteen when I wrote and released my first original “Monster.” Through my hardest times, that is when I found my musical passion. Music allowed me to express what words alone could not. My songwriting allows me to story tell my most vulnerable times, and truly show my audience who I am.. Through my music I demonstrate how when words fail, music speaks.
I graduated Berklee college of Music studying songwriting and performance, with a minor in Music Business. I hope my audience feels a sense of connection through me as an artist and through my music. I want to inspire people, allowing my audience to find their voice and be moved to be their truest- self. I recently just released an EP called “To Be Loved,” and also a new Christmas cover of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey. All my music can be found on all streaming platforms!!

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
The relationship that most shaped how I see myself is the one I have with Christopher Flynn. My father left when I was very young, and I carried so much anger because of it. Christopher was my youth pastor at the time, but he quickly became the father figure I never had. He stood by me through one of the hardest seasons of my life and never made me feel weak for struggling. He saw the potential and strength in me from the very beginning.

I was guarded, angry, and scared to be vulnerable, yet he met me with nothing but patience, wisdom, and unconditional love. He believed in me long before I believed in myself. He would always say things like, “You’re extraordinary,” or “You’re wise,” and never commented on my appearance. I once asked him why, and he told me, “ Anyone can talk about how you look, but you are far more than that. I never want you to think a man can win you over with shallow things, because your worth goes so much deeper.”

Those words shaped me. They made me resilient, grounded, and intentional about who I let into my life. Even now, I go to him for guidance, because he’s one of the few people I trust completely. He is someone who will always tell me the truth and push me to grow. He’s been there for so many stages of my life, and his influence is woven into the person I am today.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I stopped hiding my pain and started using it as power through my music. For so long, especially after my dad left, I was terrified of being vulnerable. I bottled everything up because I didn’t want anyone to think I was weak. Music was the first place I finally let it all out. It became my therapy. When words failed, music spoke for me, and a pen and paper did the work a therapist couldn’t.

My first song, “Monster,” that’s out on all platforms, was about my father, and writing it was the moment I realized how much strength there is in telling the truth. Sharing my story out loud, instead of carrying it alone, gave me back a part of myself I thought I’d lost. That was the moment I understood my passion for music on a deeper level.

I want my music to heal and inspire people, because we live in a world that’s so afraid to be real. Vulnerability is powerful and it connects us. Every song I write is a piece of my life, a chapter of my story, and I want my art to make people feel. I want them to know they’re not alone in their pain, their healing, or their growth. That’s why I’m an artist. My music is my truth, and I hope it gives others permission to embrace theirs.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
HAHAHA yes !!!! The public version of me is absolutely the real me. My brand is called “wild elegance” because that’s exactly who I am. My music is vulnerable and unapologetically honest, but my personality on and off the stage is the same. I’m wild, funny, loud, and I genuinely love people. I’m a social butterfly, I’m silly, I love making people laugh, and I always try to be a light. I am talkative Teona and will always be yapping.

I’m learning to show more of that side of myself on social media, because in person it’s impossible to miss. It’s funny because people who know me personally and come to my shows for the first time always wonder how I’ll be on stage, and they end up saying, “You’re exactly the same person up there.” And it’s true. I’m the girl who will eat In-N-Out in a ball gown. I’m always down for an adventure, always myself, and never afraid to be bold. I’m the friend who will hype you up, and then drag you to go get food 5 minutes later.

What you see is what you get. I don’t put on a persona. I am unapologetically me, everywhere.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
Something I understand deeply that most people don’t is the importance of listening to the right voice. For a long time, I was a people pleaser. I tried to make everyone happy, and in that process I lost myself. Eventually I realized the only voice that truly mattered was God’s. His voice had to be the loudest in the room, because I knew my calling and my passion wasn’t going to make sense to everyone.

When I moved to Los Angeles, so many people tried talking me out of it. A lot of it came from love, but so much of it came from their own fears. I had to learn that obedience to God’s plan sometimes means stepping into things that look impossible, risky, or confusing to everyone else. You have to feel the fear and take action anyway. Bold people do what they know they should do, not what they feel like doing. And I learned to stop taking constructive criticism from people who have never built anything, or been through what I’ve been through.

I’ve learned that hardship is not a sign you’re on the wrong path. Sometimes it’s exactly what shapes you. You discover who you really are when everything feels heavy and that’s when your character is built, your purpose gets clearer, and you become the version of yourself you were always meant to grow into.

Most people think success is linear, but I’ve learned it’s the opposite. It’s messy, it’s painful, it’s a thousand risks that don’t make sense to anyone but you. But without the risk, there’s no story. Without the struggle, there’s no strength. And without trusting the voice that guides you above the noise, opinions, and fear you never truly find yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.teonazak.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teonazak?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teona.zakariashvili/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@teonazak5981

Image Credits
Kezya Riley