Zoya Zafar reveals her true self in her dream-pop track “Sweet Talk”

With a sweet lo-fi guitar, and vocals crackling with lively static, Zoya Zafar begs for something only a lover can do in her latest dream-pop project “Sweet Talk.” She sings throughout the intimate piece, “sweet talk to me / tell me what I haven’t heard / sweet talk to me / tell me what I want to hear.” Zafar continues to reveal her inner self honestly throughout “Sweet Talk”, and as a result, it’s a song that remains sweet, familiar, and slow all the way through. It’s quite simple: she just wants someone to sweet-talk her.

As the song progresses, Zafar’s vocal harmonies add an emotionally piercing element to the already personal sound. Synth is added alongside the simple guitar strum, and the layers of the minimal soundscape build slowly. At the end of the track, Zafar admits softly between the music, “I’m lonely.” It’s that revealing honesty that makes “Sweet Talk” feel so moving and safe. The nostalgia is crafted by the tape-recorded vocals, but modern and dreamlike elements alike appear in the simple synth bubbling along underneath the revealing lyrics.

Zafar, an Orlando, Florida-based artist, has been releasing songs to streaming platforms since 2015 with her debut EP Spaceless Craft. Her signature minimal style brings a special strength to her often vulnerable lyrical choices, the deep reflection shining front and center. The moody songs she produces are often dreamy and also usually influenced by jazz or western styles.

Follow Zafar for more on her Instagram and listen to “Sweet Talk” below!