Laura is one of those people that I am not exactly sure how I came across. But when I first heard this young Canarian woman sing her own songs, I was haunted, not only by her voice but her style & her lyrics too. It’s hard to explain, so here is a sample so you understand what I mean:
Laura took part on the Songs For SARA music online fundraiser earlier this year, despite of the event taking place on her actual birthday. The time has come to find out more about this really fascinating, not to mention, multi-faceted artist.
Hello Laura, what is your name and what do you go by artistically?
My real name is Laura Fernández Domínguez and my original artist name was Laura Cox (Cox is my grandmother’s surname). However, there is a guitarist on YouTube that already had that name and every time somebody tried to find me on the platform this other artist would show up, so I decided to change it to Zero, coming from the Spanish expression of “empezar de cero” (literally, to start from zero, meaning to start from scratch) as I rebranded myself and started to explore what would eventually become my music style.
Where are you from originally, Laura?
I was born in Gran Canaria, but I was raised in Lanzarote.
What do you like about the island?
I like how nature is very present but in a very different way that people might be used to. There is no green, it is a land of earth and fire, surrounded by the beautiful Atlantic ocean and all of the magnificent creatures that dwell within it. We have mountains and volcanoes, we have lunar landscapes and blue skies, golden sunsets that melt into the clouds and little lizards that thrive in what seems to be an inhospitable environment. I also love the architecture, César Manrique’s legacy, the uniformly white walls of the little houses sprinkled throughout the island, and of course, I love the coastline and the waves.
Beautifully put. Is there a particular place that might be your favourite?
I’d have to say Famara with its magnificent “Risco” (note: that is what the locals call the cliffs).
Many people would agree with you. Let’s go back to the music. What do you play and sing?
I play acoustic guitar most of the time but also sing jazz.
Who is your idol and inspiration, musically speaking?
Aurora Aknes, a.k.a. AURORA, and Freddie Mercury.
Interesting picks! How would you describe your music for someone who’s never heard you before?
My own songs are a mixture of folkloric music, ballads, indie, fantasy music and pop, I’d say. I like my music to have a nostalgic atmosphere and appeal to a specific part of ourselves that is normally buried deep within us.
I have to admit that when I first saw your videos I was haunted by your melodies and the lyrics… Are you doing gigs at the moment?
I did after I came back from Japan in 2017/2018. I went to Japan in 2014 to study Japanese at Kansai College of Business and languages as I have always loved languages and was unsure about what I wanted to do in the future. I ended up working on the weekends as part of a girl music band, and we sung at bars and hotels.
This eventually led to me become more interested in music and thinking of the possibility of maybe making something more than a hobby out of it. I ended up applying and being accepted at Tokyo school of Music Shibuya, where I would later on be scouted by a company called Cybpress with whom I signed a contract to record a jazz cover CD. Currently I am not gigging anywhere. After the pandemic I have stopped playing gigs altogether, although I have kept uploading music covers and my own originals to YouTube and Instagram.
Do you have any special projects coming up?
Maybe…
Always keeping it mysterious, right ? Are you sure you can’t tell us a bit more what’s up your sleeve?
I am currently working on opening my own tattoo studio in Famara, but I am still at the starting line. Ideally, I would like to have it completed by the end of October, but bureaucracy is quite slow in Lanzarote so you never quite know with these things… Still, I am incredibly excited to become my own boss and start this project, which I hope will not only be about tattoos, but also about promoting local artists of all kinds, my own music and books and some small businesses of the island with whom I’d like to collaborate.
Sounds exciting! Best of luck with this exciting project. Now, tell us something your fans and followers might not know about you (yet!)
Well, other than being a singer / songwriter, a tattoo artist and the random fact that I can speak Japanese, I am vegan and a passionate animal rights activist too. I have also written two books which are part of a fantasy and adventure saga called “La Novena Raza” (The Ninth Race. Note: race as in breed, not competing!). I still have to write the third and last book of the saga. They are currently only available in Spanish in Amazon, but I have translated the first book to English myself and it is currently being reviewed by a native English speaker. I want to eventually send it to English publishers and see what comes out of it.
If your music and your tattoos are anything to go by, I’m sure your novels will be amazing too. How can our readers follow your music and your other adventures?
I have an Instagram account and a YouTube account, my username for both is “zerofdcox”
Finally, anything else you’d like to tell our readers?
Don’t be afraid to follow the path that you know is right for you. Most certainly it won’t be easy and you will feel like giving up many times. But I believe the only way to happiness and fulfillment is to push through it all, avoid the easy comfort and the superficial happiness of security and put your all into the things you are passionate about.
Very wise words indeed. Thank you Zero for your time and wisdom.
