ZOLA Poignantly Illustrates Falling (in Love) with ‘Too Fast Too Soon’ [Stream]

Singer-songwriter ZOLA (Zola Johnson) is only a teenager, but her full-bodied voice and emotionally poignant songs are an unexpected surprise. With her latest release, “Too Fast Too Soon”, she shows that she’s not only wise beyond her years vocally, but lyrically as well. The song begins with jazzy piano undertones, as she ruminates on falling in love. Her lyrics aren’t cliché, though, they’re playfully inquisitive, showing her awareness that things may be moving too quickly: “I think I may be holding onto you a little too tight/ You turn your back when we shut off the light.” It’s a ballad about grappling with the conversations we compose in our heads (that we may never have), illustrating the constant, contradictory sensations at war between our minds and our hearts — what we should do versus what feels right. As the melody sets in, we’re swept into the rolling tide, discovering new love and allowing our bodies and hearts to instinctively free fall.