Faith Zapata is a rising star in the indie music scene, known for her evocative lyrics and genre-blending sound that effortlessly fuses indie folk, pop, and rock. At just 23, she has already carved out a space for herself as a fiercely authentic storyteller, channelling raw emotion into every song she writes. Whether she’s exploring heartbreak, self-discovery, or the complexities of human connection, Faith’s music resonates with an intimacy that feels like a conversation with an old friend. In this interview, she opens up about her creative process, the inspiration behind her latest single Running in Circles, and the pivotal moments that shaped her journey as an artist.

Nicolle: Hi, Faith, first things first, could you introduce yourself and the music you make to the readers?

Faith: I’m Faith, I’m 23, and I write lyric-forward music that kind of falls under indie folk, pop, and rock! I try not to limit myself to just one set genre of music. My pride and joy in making music largely revolves around lyricism, which I feel is the common thread throughout all my songs, regardless of genre.

Nicolle: Your latest song Running in Circles came out this summer, can you tell us more about the story behind it and the process of writing and producing it?

Faith: I wrote RIC in February of this year in a fit of rage, within a span of like 30 minutes. For context, I had just gone through a pretty rough breakup a few months prior to writing it, so that should tell you everything. So, after writing RIC, it just felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I was so excited about how it sounded because it was legitimately one of my favourite songs I’d ever written melodically and lyrically — it’s so different than what I normally release, because I’m kind of known more for my ‘sad girl’ music, and RIC leans heavily toward ‘angry girl’. I shared it on social media like I normally do after writing a song I’m proud of, and the internet seemed to take a liking to it.

So, I immediately texted my best friend Ginny (Regina Pimentel) and was like, Hey, can we make this song a thing??? and she was like Hell yeah!!! I also recruited so many friends for additional engineering, instrumentation, and backing vocals which is so awesome — including each of my siblings, which was so sweet. It just felt like a musical representation of all these people who had my back during this tough time in my life.

Nicolle: Your music has such an authentic and intimate feel. What typically inspires your songwriting, and how do you go about capturing those personal experiences in your lyrics?

Faith: Writing is a method of release for me. I feel a little freer from a situation with every song or piece I write about it. The way my songwriting process normally goes — and how it also goes for essays, or any prose work that I do — is everything coming out at once in a stream of consciousness directly after experiencing whatever it is that I’m writing about. I think that’s why my lyrics and writing, in general, have such an emotionally-led quality to them, because they are normally written in the heat of the moment, while I still have a handle on how I’m feeling exactly in the moment. It’s easy to forget how I felt in a past moment when trying to write about it much later after it happened — so I try to capture the authentic feeling as soon as I can while it’s happening. It’s worked out pretty well for me, I think.

Nicolle: If you could pick someone to write a song with, who would it be?

Faith: I love writing and making songs with my friends who are also musicians, but in terms of artists I don’t know personally, I think I’d have to say any member of boygenius — so Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker — I would love to experience their processes first-hand. They’re all literal wizards to me. I look up to each of their lyricisms so much.

Nicolle: Is there a particular song in your discography that holds a special meaning for you? Could you share the story behind it and why it resonates so deeply?

Faith: This is like picking a favourite child… but I think I’m gonna have to go with Company. Like I’ve said before, my songs are normally written in a diary entry fashion, in a whirl of emotion, so after time has passed, I often look back at the lyrics and accuse myself of being very dramatic at the time, because I don’t relate to who I was when I wrote it anymore.

But with Company, I feel like the state of mind I was in when I wrote that song is one I find myself returning to periodically; in intervals, one might say. Company is about feeling so lonely that you’d accept anyone who’ll have you around, even if they don’t care about you to the same extent you do for them. And even if I don’t particularly feel depressed over the same exact situation I wrote the song about — a similar feeling returns every now and then, even as I grow up, because it can apply to so many different ones.

Nicolle: What are your biggest influences? Do you listen to old stuff from, let’s say, the 80s, or do you prefer contemporary music?

Faith: I like to listen to a good mix of things. I think the biggest influences on my music have been Taylor Swift (like everyone and their mother) and Phoebe Bridgers. Still, I also take a good amount of influence from 5 Seconds of Summer’s early pop-rock sound and Avril Lavigne’s album Let Go. Lorde is also a huge inspiration of mine, one of my top artists of all time, but I feel like she’s the least obvious of my influences, at least in an audible sense. I also love Elliott Smith, Radiohead, and Alanis Morrissette. Like I said, it's a good mix of things!

Nicolle:  You have a degree in literature, how does that reflect on your writing process?

Faith: I feel like it’s very evident in the way I take care to make lyricism the main event in each of my songs, no matter the genre I choose. My goal in writing a song is to accurately represent how I’m feeling, and the words I use are a crucial vessel in conveying a message. I love reading stories and I love telling them, whether that’s through song or prose. I want my songs to feel like a cohesive narrative — and I do have a tendency to talk too much and give too much background when telling a story, so maybe that’s why my songs are rarely under five minutes long. To quote my favorite character of all time, Jo March: I love good strong words that mean something.

Nicolle:  One of my favourite songs from you must be ‘Company’. Where did the inspiration to write it come from?

Faith: I wrote ‘Company’ about realising I had been placing more importance on a ‘friendship-that-wasn’t-exactly-just-a-friendship’ than the other person who was in it. It was a devastating realisation to find that I had made them a priority in my life, while I was only a second thought, or someone they came to during the lulls between. Like, yes, the feelings were there, and they cared about me, but not to the same extent that I did for them, and it eventually became such a wildly imbalanced dynamic that I had to remove myself from the equation. Very sad, but also very on-brand.

Nicolle: Many artists have pivotal moments that shape their path. Was there a specific event or experience that made you realize music was what you wanted to pursue?

Faith: I think it was fourth grade after coming home upset because these two girls kicked me out of our three-person friend group. I told my parents about it, and their way of consoling me

was telling me that this was probably just my humble beginning, because even super famous popstars were once lonely kids with little to no friends and got bullied. I vividly remember my mom pulling up a YouTube video of Taylor Swift (one of my favourite artists at the time, and still to this day) performing “Mean”, and it honestly changed my life. My parents told me I could take this bad experience and turn it into something else like Taylor had with her trials. The song was so incredibly inspirational to me that I finally picked up a guitar with real intentions of learning it, and later on started writing songs that weren’t just five-year-old girl ditties. And I just never stopped!

Nicolle: What’s next on the horizon for you? Can fans look forward to new releases or any upcoming projects that you’re excited to share?

Faith: I have a project I’ve been slowly but surely working on over the past year. I have no idea when it’ll be done, but trust that it’s being worked on. I couldn’t stop releasing music even if I tried! I’ve also been hard at work publishing essays on Substack, which folks can read if they want, too. I sometimes post unreleased voice memos on there paired with mini essays that apply to the lyrics, so if anyone’s interested in that…it’s there!

Faith Zapata’s passion for storytelling and her dedication to authentic, lyric-driven music shines through in every word she shares with us. From her genre-defying approach to her deeply personal songwriting process, it’s clear that Faith is an artist who pours her heart and soul into her craft. As she continues to create music and share pieces of herself through her essays and songs, fans have so much to look forward to. Thank you, Faith, for taking the time to chat with us and for giving us a glimpse into the artistry behind your music. We can’t wait to see what’s next for you!

Find Faith on social media via her Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Threads.

Listen to Running In Circles and subscribe to Faith´s Substack.

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Nicolle Knapova is a little bit of everything. She is a freelance translator, content creator and social media executive for The C Word Mag. She loves indie music and is always browsing through Spotify to find the next amazing artist to obsess over. Her love for storytelling means she’s always writing something and she’s not afraid of any genre. Her biggest dream is to be a published author. If she’s not writing her fan fiction, she’s writing her poetry and sharing it on her Instagram @elisecaverly.