Name: ZENA
Members: Yohan Kebede (synths), Menelik (bass, production)
Interviewee: Yohan Kebede
Current release: ZENA's new TEMESGEN EP is out March 20th 2026 via Brownswood.
Recommendations for London, UK: One thing to check out in London is a cafe on Dalston Lane called Hash E8 which I’ve been going to for years, it’s the kind of place where the staff really remember and talk to you, check in, remember your order, re fill your coffee without you having to ask. It’s got that old school vibe which is kind of rare in London these days.
Things I am passionate about but rarely get to talk about: Both myself and Menelik are obsessed with coffee, most likely a side effect of our Ethiopian blood. It’s not unusual for one or both of us to finish dinner at around 8pm and have an espresso or two. Who knows, one day ZENA might branch to the coffee industry!

If you enjoyed this ZENA interview and would like to stay up to date with the band, their music and upcoming live dates, visit them on Instagram, tiktok, and bandcamp.



When it comes to experiencing the sensation of “energy” as a listener, which albums, performances, and artists come to mind?

Definitely a few! I have always enjoyed records that build a world around the music, rather than just offering up the songs themselves.

I Want You by Marvin Gaye is an album which really executes sensual energy in a wonderful way.



Each song has a shared sonic sensibility that really that ties everything together, while talking through different aspects of sensuality. All without being vulgar at any point, which in my opinion is such a hard balance to strike.

There can be many different kinds of energy in art – soft, harsh, healing, aggressive, uplifting and many more. Which do you tend to feel drawn to most?

I think as a duo we tend to lean towards playful energy. We have quite a playful relationship as friends, so it makes perfect sense to transfer this over into the music and hopefully to our listeners too.

We often listen to records, watch performances on YouTube and laugh. Not in a derogatory way but usually at the personality with which someone is playing their instrument or telling a story.

For example, Marvin Gaye’s rendition of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ is hilarious, because it’s so unapologetically him.



Another example is watching Lonnie Smith demo the Moog Sub Phatty when it was new. We want people to feel a bit like that when they listen to or watch us.

[Read our Lonnie Liston Smith interview]

I have had a hard time explaining that listening to death metal calms me down. When you listen to a song with a particular energy, does it tend to fill you with the same energy – or are there “paradoxical” effects?

Personally, I tend to take the shape of whatever I’m listening to, and I reckon Menelik would concur.

For example, I’m quite likely to get in my feelings after listening to some Maxwell, or sifting through family photo albums after listening to some Ethiopian music.

I think this elasticity is what allows us as writers to walk into any room with other artists and kind of slip into the vibe pretty seamlessly, while maintaining our own personalities.

In as far as it plays a role for the music you like listening to or making, what role do words and the voice of a vocalist play for the transmission of energy?

The difference in energy between instrumental music and the presence of a vocalist can be as stark as the difference between analysing someone off body language alone and after they’ve spoken. Lyrics with melody can often put beyond doubt whatever energy the listener is getting from the instrumental.

In a way, instrumentals leave things to the imagination a little more. Whereas voice and lyrics can easily get across what you’re trying to say as a writer, which isn’t necessarily a better approach, just different.

When it comes to experiencing the sensation of “energy” as a creator, how would you describe the physical sensation of experiencing this energy? [Where do you feel it, do you have a visual sensation/representation, is there a sense of release or a build-up of tension etc …]

When you’re creating, whether it’s in the studio or on stage, the physical sensations are just as apparent as the spiritual ones. I think for both of us this often manifests itself in how animated we are when we play our instruments.

For example, I tend to move my hips as I get more in the zone while playing, whereas Menelik tends to lean further and further back while the energy gets good to him.

When it comes to composing / songwriting, are you finding that spontaneity and just a few takes tend to capture energy best? Or does honing a piece bring you closer to that goal?

Both us have a shared philosophy to (within reason) find the good in whatever comes out on any given take.

When we recorded ‘My Love Your Love’, we initially did 9 or 10 takes just trying to get it ‘right’ and make it feel like the demo. However, after a while we decided to accept the demo had its own energy for when it was recorded, and equally we needed to give this recording its own energy. So, we turned off the metronome and tried a more ‘free’ take. Instantly got what we were looking for.

I think when you go in the studio to work on production is when you can spend a bit more nitpicking and honing in on everything a little more without compromising the integrity of the live takes.

How much of the energy of your own music, would you say, is already part of the composition, how much of it is the result of the recording process?

I’d say it’s about 50/50. It’s super important to honour the energy with which the original idea for a song was created, but equally, we’re both big production heads, so we put a lot of thought into crafting and honing the original idea.

In that process, that original energy kind of acts as a guide to all the production choices, which help make sure you don’t do too much production for the sake of production. Choices like this are what determines whether listeners connect with the music or not.

For TEMESGEN, what kind of energy were you looking for?

For the release of ‘TEMESGEN’, we’ve aimed to balance nostalgic energy with fresh and exciting energy. Ethiopian music is in such an interesting place at the moment, especially with the rise of Ethio-Jazz.

It’s great that this music is getting so much attention currently, but we think there’s a lot more to it than the ‘jazz’ aspect of this music.

How do you capture the energy you want in the studio?

In the studio, energy is super important. Both Menelik and I have ways in which we curate the energy in the room. For example, I like to work in the dark, with very minimal lighting and a lot of incense. Menelik usually likes to smoke and drink coffee.

It’s great cause both of us align with the other’s ‘energy’ requirements in the studio.

What role do factors like volume, effects like distortion, amplification, and production in general for in terms of creating the energy you want?

Effects like distortion, energy and amplification affect the energy of a song in different ways.

If the song is super laid back and chill, distortion (or too much of it) might disturb the energy of that song. Whereas if it is a driving, psychedelic sort of song, it might help to increase the intensity, like with ‘My Love Your Love’.

In terms of energy, what changes when you're performing live on stage, with an audience present, compared to the recording stage?

When you’re in the studio, you only have your own energy and whoever is in there with you. If one of us has a bad day and isn’t really in the mood, that’s the only external energy for the other to bounce off of, which could hinder the creative process.

However, when playing live (especially to large crowds) you have the energy of 2000 + people to contend with, which can often cancel out and/or uplift the energy on stage, regardless of what’s happening with you.

I personally find the live stuff more fun.

What kind of feedback have you received from listeners or concert audiences in terms of the experience that your music and/or performances have had on them?

Most people who watch us live always say they catch on to the friendship between us based on how we interact, they also tell us how fun they feel the music is.

We both have a passion for playing dance music, and try to make every song we play groove quite a bit, so super glad that this comes through to listeners and audience members, even on the chilled-out songs

Would you say that you prefer to stay in control to be able to shape the energy or do you surrender to it and allow the music to take over? Who, ultimately has control during a live performance?

I think it depends on the situation. At times you need to walk on stage or into the studio with intent on the energy you want to create and impose it on the room.

Michael Jackson’s Motown 25 performance is such a sick example of this, he gives a little speech before he starts “Billie Jean”, and without knowing it, the whole audience shifted to his frequency, despite having had 30 or so people on stage before him.

At other times, like at a festival for example, it’s nice to go on stage and kind of let the audience fill you up and meet them where they are (given they’re giving you a lot of energy). You can’t approach every situation the same way in my opinion.

The energy that music is able to generate can be extremely powerful. How, do you think, can artists make use of this energy to bring about change in the world?

We’re living in crazy times at the moment, and it’s hard to feel like you can make a difference without being a billionaire or some sort of politician. But writing a song that everybody loves, regardless of colour or creed, is one of the most revolutionary things you can do.

In these times I think people being a little softer and kinder with each other goes a long way, so if, as an artist, you can bring this about by creating positive energy in people’s lives, then all the better.