EPK: Zhaklina
Zhaklina, originally from New York and of Albanian, Irish and Greek descent, is an Alternative Rock/Pop Artist who advocates for Mental Health. Blending cinematic atmospheres and edgy soundscapes with raw, captivating vocals, Zhaklina’s sound is unmistakable and has drawn comparison to Amy Lee, Bishop Briggs, Florence and The Machine, & PVRIS. Her love of music started as a child and grew as she poured her heart into choirs, musical theatre, and competitive a cappella groups throughout her life. She found her passion for writing in middle school and was specifically influenced by dramatic literature, poetry, and story-telling. This led to her songwriting style as she began to express herself through music and writing in her teenage years. Zhaklina went on to pursue a professional Artist career after winning “The Audition” competition with KFEST Radio Station in NY in 2015. In 2019, Zhaklina began releasing a series of EP’s called “17 Reasons Why”, dedicated to mental health awareness. Her fourth and final EP of the series, “17 Reasons Why IV,” was released in 2024 with “Gossip Queen”, “Pretend,” and “Game Over” being her most popular songs yet. Published and interviewed, “Medium”, “BuzzMusic” Channel 5 News (Nashville), WNXP Radio, and K104.7 are just a few of the platforms she has had the honor of sharing her story and music. Blending soulful power with an unapologetic edge, Zhaklina creates art that calls listeners into real connection and depth. Her poetically charged lyricism is rooted in lived experience, exploring grief, mental health, faith, and resilience with a raw honesty that is at once intimate and expansive.
Beyond her releases, Zhaklina has built a reputation as an Artist Leader and Advocate within the Nashville music and mental health communities. In 2022 she founded “Mental Health Songwriter Nights”, a mental health centered event series that benefits mental health organizations, causes and local music artists. Recently she co-produced and performed at the first mental health festival in Nashville, TN, called “Stay;Fest.” Through portions of her royalties and mental health event fundraising, Zhaklina regularly contributes to various mental health organizations including “Mental Health America of the MidSouth”, “Refuge Center for Counseling”, “TN Voices”, “Mental Health Initiative,” and many more. Her conviction for suicide prevention and trauma work lead her to continued involvement in events and fundraising efforts after surviving a mall shooting in 2014, years of domestic violence growing up and doing her own ongoing work in therapy. Zhaklina stands out as an artist who is not only creating a compelling catalog but meaningfully influences culture through her music. As one collaborator put it, “Zhaklina doesn’t just write songs, she creates permission for people to feel,” and that truth sits at the heart of everything she does.
#LiveLoved
Click To Listen on Spotify [Albums Below]
Muse on Spotify
“Zhaklina is a creative artist and storyteller all in one adoring package. ”
“The resonant sound of her vocals graces the speakers as they give you goosebumps while we dive deeper into the manner she showcases her wide vocal range accompanied by heartfelt lyrics.”
CONTACT: Zhaklina.booking@gmail.com
“Zhaklina” Highlight Stay;Fest Performance Reel
“Using the Power of Music to Help Those Struggling.”
Awards, Achievements, and More
May 2015- Won KFEST, “The Audition” Singing Competition.
June 2015- Performed at KFEST at Dutchess Stadium in NY. Opened for Charli XCX, Walk The Moon, Katy Tiz, Andy Grammar, Robin Thicke, & more.
January 2019- Released first EP of “17 Reasons Why” series- dedicated to mental health advocacy and suicide prevention.
August 2019- Featured & co-wrote on a collaborative project for, “Pieces” by Whiteout with over 3k in views on YouTube.
April 2020- Released “Gossip Queen”, Zhaklina’s most popular track with almost 60,000 streams on Spotify alone. Her official “Gossip Queen” music video shortly followed with 7.2k+ streams on YouTube.
January 2022- With over 18,000 streams on Spotify alone, released collaborative project titled “Pluto” featuring and co-written with artist Meg Rilley.
March 2022- Launched Mental Health Songwriter Nights in Nashville, TN.
July 2022- Opened for Matt Warren (songwriter on “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain), Casey Beathard (songwriter on “There was Jesus” and “Don’t Blink”), and Mo Pitney for the “Jesus In A Bar” benefit show hosted at City Winery, Nashville.
February 2023- Released “Pretend,” on all music platforms with over 34,170 streams on Spotify alone. The “Pretend” official music video shortly followed with almost 3k views on YouTube.
May 2023- At over 49,000 streams on Spotify alone, Zhaklina released “Game Over” on all music platforms with the “Game Over” official music video shortly following (at 4.3k+ views on YouTube).
May 2023- Zhaklina appeared on her first Billboard Advertisement in the heart of Downtown Nashville for her song “Game Over” featuring Hollow Wake.
September 2023- Received first SYNC placement with Rook Games for Zhaklina’s song, “Pretend”.
November 2023- Sold out a show at the lounge in City Winery (Nashville, TN) through a ticketed Mental Health Songwriter’s Night (Zhaklina’s Artist-run event series).
February 2024- Featured on Channel 5 News for a Mental Health Songwriter’s Night Event.
April 2024- Released the fourth and final EP in the “17 Reasons Why” EP Series with the project gaining nearly 100,000 streams on Spotify alone.
July 2024- Launched her IFS (Internal Family System) Series with the release of “Age of Reason”.
February 2025- Released “Muse,” the second song in Zhaklina’s IFS series gaining popularity quickly through her “copy-cat” visualizer series for the song.
April 2025- Opened for Spoken in Columbia, TN.
April 2025- Debut Actress Role in American Idol Winner, Noah Thompson’s, Music Video for “American Dream”. Zhaklina played the emotional role of a struggling addict in a dysfunctional family, struggling to find work after college.
June 2025- Nominated for 3 Josie Music Awards (Artist of The Year (Rock/Alternative), Vocalist of the Year (Multi-Genre), and Rock EP of the Year for “17 Reasons Why IV”.
September 2025- Interviewed on WNXP Radio Station for Stay;Fest Event Involvement.
September 2025- Interviewed on Channel 5 Nashville News for co-producing Stay;Fest, the first Mental Health Festival in Nashville.
September 2025- Co-produced and performed at the first Mental Health Festival in Nashville, TN: “Stay;Fest”.
Additional Noteworthy Credit- Zhaklina self produces and directs/co-directs most of her music videos, visualizers and visual art. She is involved with every detail of both her music and visual art, down to sewing her own butterfly wings for the “Game Over” music video (a 15 hour project alone (out of 4 months of preparation, planning, shooting, and editing with her team)) and designing her own costumes for her roles in videos and performances. She has featured on countless podcasts, radio stations, magazines, articles and more. Fun Fact: Zhaklina makes all of her artist merchandise in-house, with her self tie dyed t-shirts and “Live Loved” holographic stickers being a hit!
“As an advocate of mental health awareness, her music offers a personal and inquisitive look at emotions, as well as the aspects of life that impact us negatively. Yet, her music is as empowering as it is vulnerable. This is illustrated wonderfully in her brand new single ‘Gossip Queen’, featuring and co-written by musician Bobby Spencer.
‘Gossip Queen’ is a heartfelt track about facing the inner demons that challenge our very identity. ”
PRESS
MEDIUM INTERVIEW
BUZZMUSIC INTERVIEW
MORE THAN A PRETTY FACE PODCAST INTERVIEW
Interview with The Youngblood Squared Podcast (Bringing Christianity into Mental Health)
LONEWOLF PODCAST INTERVIEW
FROM SOPHIA WITH LOVE INTERVIEW
LIVE LOVED