The unmissable Slovenian duo known as ‘Zalagasper’ (za-la-gas-pah) are an ambient fueled daydream who weave electronic soundscapes with deadpan vocals to create their uniquely supernatural sound.
In a small city in northern Slovenia, a sudden unexpected partnership occurred after singer Zala Kralj met with songwriter and producer Gašper Šantl via Instagram. Teaming up allowed these two already talented songwriters to interpret each other’s work and craft a sound all of their own.
The two soon became musically inseparable and stood out amongst their local music scene with a sound they simply describe as ‘sensitive story-telling.’ Their explosive popularity led them to represent their country on the world stage at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2019.
The strong bond between the two is beautifully apparent and their enigmatic performance certainly secured a mass of new followers from around the globe who were similarly held captive by their mysterious yet enchanting nature.
Kralj’s soft, eerie singing style is arguably what first strikes you about this band. Since the memorable performance of their single ‘Sebi’, the band soon went on to release their debut album ‘4’ which received much praise from their growing following, especially across Germany, Poland and other regions across the world who were similarly taken in.
The album is built around much the same charming and detailed instrumentals, quickly becoming the bands signature theme. The album owes a great deal of it’s effect to Gašper Šantl’s own talents as a trained producer, who has certainly taken them from one level to the next.
Storytelling seems to be a popular theme throughout this duos work together. Through intrinsic melodies and soft-spoken lyrics, these two musicians fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. The picture they paint in their collaboration is one that needs to be seen (or felt) to be believed.
The bands most recent single, ‘sto idej’ suggests a promising follow up to their first album with a somewhat change in mood. With more experimentation, their sound is slowly beginning to evolve – I hope you’ll agree that a staple of any great band is to keep on surprising their listeners. With no sign of their success dwindling, these two performers from a small corner of Europe might just take over the world yet.
