Off the Record! For Limerick rock singer, music is a family affair

TO raise awareness on mental health, Pallasgreen native, Joyce, performed her own songs for the first time in Dolan's.

Last Friday, as part of the Music for Mental Health initiative, singer-songwriter Joyce Zacks sang her new song, iPhone Tapes, which recently made it to the number one spot in the iTunes Alternative charts.

At first, the experience was “nerve-wrecking.” But as soon as she stepped on stage, all her worries faded away. As she “had nothing to wear,” she even found time to DIY an outfit just before her performance.

“The funny thing about the outfit was like that I hadn't picked an outfit until after my sound check, so I actually went home, and I was panicking. Then one of the girls told me to cut up my fishnet and wear them,” she recalls.

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Speaking of her new song, she commented: “It's about memories and how we capture everything on our phones now. It’s kind of a mix between nostalgia and the future,” she states. “In some of the lines, I refer to my own personal memories, which I can't actually say because my family would probably see this interview,” she laughs.

In this digital age, younger generations are often criticised because of their tendency to record everything. However, Joyce believes it’s a good thing.

“I find that our memory is so short term these days, it's nice to have memories on camera. My friends give out to me for always having my phone in my hand, and not enjoying the moment. But I want to enjoy the moment tomorrow when I rewatch it as well,” she notes.

As she points out, memories fade. “It’s scary. What actually gets me to record most of my stuff is I have a really bad memory. So, when I see them back, I almost get to relive them again.”

For Joyce Zacks, music is a family affair. “I had a grandmother who was a singer, and my granddad was in his own rock band in the seventies. My uncle is one of the most talented musicians I've ever met in my life and my sister is a phenomenal singer, so I kind of grew up around music,” she says.

Joyce used to pretend she was doing stadium tours while singing in front of her mirror. Things became serious when she picked up music in college. “Until I started college, I didn't really have plans to be a musician. I was going to do music therapy. But then as the years progressed, I really enjoyed the music making process and I enjoy performing”.

Growing up, the singer-songwriter was quite shy. But, her shyness disappeared whenever she performed.
“I was super quiet. But then whenever I performed, I got to be someone else. But then I realised I wasn't being someone else, I was actually being me.”

Joyce writes a lot about her own experiences. Even though she notes “it’s low-key cringe”, she finds the idea of life itself interesting.

“I find it ridiculously interesting and it really intrigues me. Any little thing that happens, the idea of like falling in love or the idea of us going to watch gigs, it's like, why do we find that entertaining? Why do we have this certain reaction?” she wonders.
The rock singer would describe herself as an observer. “I feel like that came from being so quiet growing up. I was never the speaker, but I was always the observer, and I feel like that bit stuck with me”, she notes.

If she had to describe her music in three words, she would say her sound is privately provocative, nostalgic and purple. “People say my music reminds them of the colour purple,” she points out.

When people relate to her music, she finds it comforting. “Sometimes you feel like you are the only person going through this, that nobody understands,” she says softly. “But then seeing people sing it back, it's awful that they are going, or they have gone through something like that, but it's like, okay, I'm not alone.”

Is there something she would never write about? “No, and my parents actually tell me that I probably should have limits on what I write about, but I literally write about anything. I actually have a lot of songs, and they're just on laptops and on a drive somewhere,” she says.

For 2023, Joyce Zacks has big plans. “I’m very ambitious here, but the plan is to have a few more singles and EP and talks of an album by the end of the year. And, hopefully, a few more gigs as well”, she confidently shares.

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Her next performance will take place at The Grand Social, in Dublin – and it will be her first time performing in the big smoke.

“It's going to be my first time performing in Dublin, which is super scary. When you perform in Limerick, and you're from Limerick, it's such a nice atmosphere. You're at home, everyone's like family to you,” she comments.

Although, she feels it’s different when you perform in another city. “When you're from another city performing in another city, people judge you a little bit more harshly. So I am a bit afraid of that, but we're so confident that we'll pull it off. We might even gain new support in Dublin.”

If there is one thing she’d like people to know, it's that she truly loves music. Quite the jack of all trades, Joyce also plays guitar, bass, drum, and she’s also a “decent piano player” – something she learned in college.

“It’s the reason I exist. I feel like sometimes that can get lost because I am quite a flashy person, or very social media orientated. But I genuinely live and breathe music. There’s a lot more going on behind the scenes, and I do help with the music process - I’m not just a singer,” she concludes.