Growing up, Coral Z moved around quite a lot. Having lived in over ten cities, she is now based in Cambridge, UK, where she is pursuing her PhD at the University of Cambridge.
Her musical journey began at the age of five, when she started learning classical piano. She wrote her first song at 14 – a piece about her best friend at the time and how, though friendship is precious, people may still drift apart.
After learning guitar and drums in high school, she began writing songs more regularly and developed an interest in arrangement through collaborating with peers who played different instruments. During her freshman year of college, she started performing in bands and was introduced to rock and punk music, which later influenced her songwriting.
After moving to the UK, she continued performing in a new band with fellow Cambridge students, following a more structured routine and playing regular gigs. The band performed at multiple local venues, including university society events and other citywide occasions.
As a singer-songwriter, Coral Z’s music blends elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and other influences that may not fit neatly under a single label. She writes to express her thoughts and feelings – as a way to connect with herself and with the world.
Beyond music, she is also passionate about writing, painting, photography, driving, and cooking. And, she has a cat, named Kyuubi! 🖤
With “Sorry, Can’t” out now, we took some time to hear from Coral Z. Read below to learn more about Coral Z, the story behind “Sorry, Can’t,” and what’s to come.
Hi Coral Z! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?
It’s basically just my real name! But instead of “Coral Zheng,” we decided to mask my last name a bit, just to make it slightly more mysterious and interesting.
What city are you from, and where are you based now?
I was born and raised in Beijing, but my dad used to live in Guangzhou, then Hangzhou, then moved to Shenzhen and Hong Kong, so I also spent quite some time in all those southern cities as well. Then, I moved to the US for boarding school, lived in NH, CA, then upstate NY. Now, I’m based in Cambridge, UK, but also spend time in Dublin (Ireland) and Rio (Brazil) quite often to visit families!
At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?
I actually never thought of pursuing one thing, as opposed to all other things, as a career in my life – because I guess when you say “I’ll do this one thing for the rest of my life,” that’s pretty serious, and I’ll get stressed out.
I got introduced to music when I was five, starting out with classical piano training. I didn’t hate it, but I don’t think I was too passionate either. And, I stopped practicing piano as soon as I passed the highest-level exam, thinking I could finally get rid of it in my life. Nevertheless, I guess, it has built my fundamental interest in and understanding of music. I wrote my first song in 8th grade, then a first piano piece in 9th grade. I started to pick up guitar and later a little bit of drums in high school, where I became more capable of songwriting, song arrangements, and productions. And, the music journey expanded even more as I filmed a music video and formed bands, and so on.
I think music is my way to express my thoughts and emotions, and I’d love to keep doing it in my life. If there’s a chance, I think yeah, I’d probably like to live a more serious musician and have more time to produce and release my songs as well as playing gigs with a band, even doing tours! I don’t know about full time though, to be honest. Life is short, and there are many other things I enjoy and want to dedicate some time to, such as writing, photography, painting, party planning (haha, I love hosting house parties, so at some point, I thought I could be a professional event planner), driving (I kinda wanna try to be a truck driver), cooking (wanted to open a café somewhere), etc. And of course, need to save some time to spend with my family as well.
How has your upbringing played a role in shaping who you are and defining your sound?
I grew up with my grandparents, and my dad and mom each lived on their own, and they both have very strong characters. Then, I also moved around a lot. So I think in my music, there’s always a sense of being rebellious and independent, and seeking freedom but also full of sensitivity and emotional insecurity.
How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?
My quieter songs have an early Taylor Swift vibe, I guess? That’s what people say. But the louder, noisier, heavier band-vibe songs are like Avril Lavigne or Paramore.
Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?
Yea! I like creative writing, photography, painting, cooking, driving/taking road trips, camping, rock climbing, surfing, and so on. Oh, and spending time with my cat! X
Who are some of your main musical influences?
I write both in English and Mandarin, so there are two sets of influences. For the English world, I think Avril Lavigne and Taylor Swift were my early-stage influences – some soft and girly themes. Then, I met more musician friends and started to play in bands from high school onwards, so the rock influence kicked in, such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cage the Elephant, Green Day, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Weezer, etc. For my Mandarin influences, I think probably XU Wei, WANG Feng, SONG Dongye, and ZHAO Lei, somewhere between of rock and country.
What’s one of the proudest moments of your music career so far?
Haha, I haven’t had any huge achievements, so there isn’t really a “proudest moment,” but I mean, there were lots of moments that I felt proud of myself and my band. For example, when I finished writing each song, when I released my first song, “Americano,” and when I successfully finished a gig with my band, Keep Off The Grass, at St Johns Mayball or with my later band, Coral Z, at the band competition.
What would you say are the greatest lessons that you’ve learned so far?
Setting lower expectations for others, so I won’t get disappointed as much…because my dream isn’t necessarily their dream after all, so if others aren’t as dedicated or committed as I am, I have to understand that.
Now onto your release, “Sorry, Can’t”. What inspired this song? What is “Sorry, Can’t” about?
Frankly, it’s about my dad. It sounds harsh, but I think it’s not uncommon that in many East Asian families, especially Chinese families, parents like to criticize their children, rarely praise, even physical punishments can happen quite often. It’s a love-hate relationship.
What was the creative process like when making “Sorry, Can’t?”
Oh, I was in a research seminar, listening to the speaker present on something that’s completely irrelevant to me, so I got bored. And, I just happened to have quite a lot of different emotions going on during that period of time, so I opened Notes in my laptop, started to sketch out some lyrics for one song, then another…and guess what I got? After the one and half hour seminar, I finished drafting four songs! Both lyrics and melody, although they were only rough drafts.
How long did it take to complete “Sorry, Can’t?”
Drafting the basic structure, including both lyrics and melody (maybe just for the chorus part) only took maybe twenty minutes – it’s always like this. When I have strong inspirations to express something, it’s normally no longer than twenty or thirty minutes, very fluent; but when I don’t have thoughts and burning emotions, I can’t write a single line in two years.
Then, I got home and played it on my guitar to fill in the space and make revisions here and there, that probably took an hour-ish? Then, a few months later, the song was officially in the making in studio with my producer. The production period probably took a couple of months, given that we only meet once a week and with pauses in between.
What is your favorite lyric in “Sorry, Can’t” and why?
My favorite line is “whatever took you a second to say, it takes me my whole life to pay, I tried to let go, but it stayed.” It’s very emotional, very strong, like hitting the deepest part of my heart, and very poetic. Perhaps this is also the line that resonates the most with others? Hope so!
What was the inspiration behind the cover artwork for “Sorry, Can’t?”
When we were shooting the cover photo for my other song, “The End Is Another Begin,” we tried a variety of scenes and props and outfits, with multiple themes – it was a hard one to find that “aha” moment until we finally did. Then there were just lots of unused artworks, which were good but just didn’t have a specific song for, so I kind of just selected one from my “database,” haha. But I do think it fits, turned out pretty nicely.
What message or messages do you hope fans take away from “Sorry, Can’t” and your music in general?
I think every song has a soul and a personality, so does every artist. I want to convey strong personalities and deep emotions that really get people to think about their feelings and experiences in their lives as well. I also hope my listeners feel resonant, connected, heard, and understood, when they listen to my songs.
What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects, or do you have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?
Yeah! My next single is on the way!! It’s called “Autumn Sky & Nicotine High,” to be released on Nov.18th! So, in just a couple of days! Then, the next one will be “Turning Off the Lights,” aiming for late December, but before the New Year’s Day.
Where can we follow you on social media?
Here’s my Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/coralhyzheng.
Thank you so much everyone!
Before you go, let’s ask you something off topic. What is your favorite food?
Hmm, favorite food – I like poke bowls and Japanese food, Mexican food too! I like pasta, but I hate pizza – that’s probably my least favorite food! Unpopular opinion right? Haha.
Thank you for the great interview; wish you much continued success!
