Bonzie (musician)

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BONZIE
BONZIE at Wicker Park Fest in Chicago
BONZIE at Wicker Park Fest in Chicago
Background information
Birth nameNina Ferraro
Born (1995-04-03) April 3, 1995 (age 29)
Racine, Wisconsin
GenresAlternative
Indie rock
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboard, bass, accordion
Years active2009–present
LabelsBeevine Records, Independent
Websitewww.bonzie.net

BONZIE (born Nina Ferraro) is an American singer-songwriter and musician based in Chicago, Illinois.[1] She has been compared to a "young Chan Marshall,"[2] and described as a "wunderkind" by Spin magazine.[3] BONZIE has performed nationwide, including a show at SXSW described by The New York Times as "riveting".[4]

History[edit]

In the year 2010 at age 15, BONZIE released her debut EP, The Promise, as Nina Ferraro, and began using the stage name[5] BONZIE shortly thereafter. In a 2013 interview with the Chicago Tribune, she explained her decision. "There was something about it that felt egotistical to me, and music was never that sort of pursuit. BONZIE feels a lot better to go under, not only because it's a pseudonym, but also because it doesn't subscribe to a language. There isn't a conventional definition of BONZIE, and it's more something where I can become its meaning."[6]

BONZIE wrote and co-produced her first full-length album, Rift into The Secret Of Things, which was released in August 2013 at age 17.[7][8] It was preceded by the single "Data Blockers," which premiered on Spin.com,[9] It was followed by a second single "Felix," which features The Milk Carton Kids' Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale.[10] The album's title was inspired by a passage from Henry David Thoreau's Walden.[11]

In 2016, BONZIE released a double single, "As The Surface Rose" via Under The Radar, who said it "conjures an emotive vacuum where BONZIE's voice and piano keys hover and haunt."[12]

The New York Times featured the music video for "As The Surface Rose" shortly after its release, where chief music critic Jon Pareles writes, "This song is an ambitious interlude, a statement of commitment... A guy in a skinny tie pursues her, rowing into a storm. He has a film camera, she wears a glittery dress. There are no bubbles as she breathes underwater, but she tells her story. "You won't let go," she sings."[13]

This was soon followed by another double single, entitled "How Do You Find Yourself, Love?," a 7" vinyl that premiered on BrooklynVegan.[14] It is described as a companion piece to "As The Surface Rose."[citation needed]

The live-to-track, "How Do You Find Yourself, Love?," was recorded by Steve Albini, and includes instrumental B-side "Back to an Insurmountable wall", which was produced and performed by BONZIE, and recorded by Tortoise member John McEntire. "As The Surface Rose" was backed by a lyric-free B-side,"Half Full."[15]

She has opened for Iron & Wine[6] and toured with Cayucas.[1][2][16]

BONZIE released the second full-length album called Zone on Nine in May 2017. The album was fully written and produced by Ferraro herself, and co-produced with Jonathan Wilson (Father John Misty, Conor Oberst) and Ali Chant (Perfume Genius, Youth Lagoon).[12]

The album was released to critical acclaim, namely two front-page articles in the Chicago Tribune[17] by the top music critic Greg Kot who called Zone on Nine "Stunning". Kot also wrote "BONZIE has shown a consistent refusal to be pinned down to a genre or simplified descriptions of the kind of music she makes."

Other reviews for Zone on Nine included VICE[18] who wrote "Her intricately layered music taps into personal connections — the relationship you have with yourself, the connection between the body and the mind... [it has a] gorgeous sonic palette that's hard to pinpoint but instantly alluring".

Paste Magazine[19] wrote about the album ""The way certain notes bend on the Chicago songwriter's latest tune only draw you in closer as you wonder 'What's that sound?'".

A music video for the song "Crescent" shortly followed, featuring BONZIE nude in bodypaint depicting an AI investigating the mind.[20]

In September 2020, BONZIE released a single and animated music video for a song entitled "alone". It was written by BONZIE and co-produced with DJ Camper. NPR[21]'s All Songs Considered premiered the track, writing "brilliantly talented. The atmospherics in this song are stunning." In the All Songs Considered podcast, NPR's Bob Boilen also announced a forthcoming full length album. The music video for "alone" was animated by Japanese hand-paint artist Miyo Sato and won a number of international film festival awards.[22] The New York Times also wrote about the song remarking that "the isolation is palpable,"[23] and named it one of the Best Songs of 2020.[24]

The third full-length album entitled Reincarnation was released in March 2021.[25] In a feature long-form article in The New York Times, Jon Pareles wrote "It would be the continuation of a fully independent career that has consistently yielded richly melodic and mysterious songs."[26] Pareles reviewed the album and included portions of an interview with BONZIE, as well as Steve Albini, who said "I was impressed by her drive and her seriousness at a very early age". The article appeared in print in the Arts section of The New York Times.[27]

Discography[edit]

  • Reincarnation, Album, 2021
  • "Lethal," single, 2020
  • "alone," single, 2020
  • Zone on Nine, Album, 2017
  • "Combback," single, 2017
  • "Fading Out," single, 2017
  • "How Do You Find Yourself, Love?," double single, 2016
  • "As The Surface Rose," double single, 2016
  • Rift into The Secret Of Things, Album, 2013
  • "Felix," single, 2013
  • "Data Blockers," single, 2013
  • The Promise, EP, 2010 (as Nina Ferraro)
  • "Let It Go," single, 2009 (as Nina Ferraro)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Taylor, John (July 1, 2013). "Discovery: Bonzie". Interview. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Fragassi, Selena (August 15, 2013). "Meet Bonzie, the 18-Year-Old Indie Songwriter Already Being Compared To Cat Power". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  3. ^ "Hear Bonzie's Furious Six-Minute Confessional 'Data Blockers'". Spin. February 28, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  4. ^ Pareles, Jon (March 14, 2014). "SXSW 2014: The Music Plays On After a Somber Scene". nytimes.com (blogs). The New York Times Company. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  5. ^ Garrison, Matt (July 24, 2013). "Bonzie Rift Into The Secret Of Things". The Aquarian. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Downing, Andy (July 13, 2013). "Local Q&A: Bonzie". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  7. ^ Brown, Jacob (August 16, 2013). "Praise for Singer Nina Ferraro's Debut Rift into the Secret of Things". Vogue. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  8. ^ "MPM at 3PM: Bonzie". Magnet. April 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  9. ^ Chattman, John (April 4, 2013). "A-Sides with Jon Chattman: Listen to Courtney Jaye and Bonzie Now; Thank Me Later". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  10. ^ Orr, Dacey (June 5, 2013). "Song Premiere: Bonzie feat. The Milk Carton Kids". Paste Magazine. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  11. ^ "New Release Tuesday 8/13/13". Jigsaw Magazine. August 13, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  12. ^ a b Steinberg, Charles (December 5, 2016). "Premiere: BONZIE: "As the Surface Rose" and "Half Full" Double Single Sophomore Album Zone on Nine Due Out in Early 2017". Under The Radar 2. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  13. ^ Pareles, Jon (February 10, 2017). "Katy Perry Dances Till the World Ends and M.I.A. Starts a New Wave". The New York Times. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  14. ^ Sacher, Andrew (December 13, 2016). "Stream BONZIE's Steve Albini-recorded single "How Do You Find Yourself, Love?"". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  15. ^ Tinkham, Chris (November 20, 2013). "Premiere: Bonzie — "How Do You Find Yourself, Love?" MP3 Stream Chicago's Nina Ferraro recorded new track with Steve Albini". Under the Radar. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  16. ^ Hopper, Jessica (September 19, 2013). "At age 18, Bonzie takes off the kid gloves". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  17. ^ Kot, Greg (May 19, 2017). "Bonzie's unbridled ambition works like a charm on 'Zone on Nine'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  18. ^ Kaplan, Ilana (April 4, 2017). "introducing the first single from bonzie's second album, an introspective dream track". VICE. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  19. ^ McNett, Jared (April 21, 2017). "Exclusive: Hear Bonzie's Alluring Folk Tune". Paste Magazine. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  20. ^ "BONZIE – "Crescent" (video) (premiere) 6/02/17". PopMatters. June 2, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  21. ^ Boilen, Bob (September 15, 2020). "New Mix: Kevin Morby, Adrianne Lenker, Jeff Tweedy, Cautious Clay, More". NPR. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  22. ^ "'alone' video film festival awards". April 6, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  23. ^ Pareles, Jon (October 16, 2020). "Stevie Wonder Demands Justice, and 12 More New Songs". The New York Times. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  24. ^ Pareles, Jon (December 7, 2020). "Best Songs of 2020". The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  25. ^ "Reincarnation - Album by BONZIE". March 16, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  26. ^ Pareles, Jon (March 25, 2021). "Bonzie Longs for a Post-Pandemic 'Reincarnation'". The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  27. ^ "The New York Times in-print". The New York Times. March 29, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.

External links[edit]

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