Australian artist Zheani Sparkes has released her latest project, ‘The Spiritual Meat Grinder’, to the delight of her cult following. On this EP, the Wallaville native embarks on a hero’s journey, a path that wasn’t always promised to her as an outsider artist.
Since her debut EP ‘Eight’ in 2018, Zheani has been courageously recounting stories of growing up in poverty and foster care, and revisiting her formative experiences in Hollywood. Her music is dark and desolate, featuring her signature fairy-trap-rap screaming vocals and “post-human” aesthetic.
In 2021, she released the EP ‘I Hate People on the Internet’, which document her struggles with the limelight and the hate directed towards her from behind computer screens. This earned her Emerging Artist of the Year at the Queensland Music Awards in 2022, plus a career-defining show at Dark Mofo in Tasmania this year.
‘The Spiritual Meat Grinder’ is Zheani’s first project after being diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) which she says was ’empowering’. The EP is her most intentional, featuring lighter and more fun sonics. It is a reprieve from the years of adversity she has faced, and a moment of calm on her hero’s journey.
In a recent interview with NME, Zheani revealed that the EP was a side quest between albums, made to be a distraction from the tribulations she was experiencing. She described the project as an attempt to ‘block out all the bullshit’ in her life. She also spoke of relating to the Odysseus, and how it has been her goal to make her body of work about ‘the female hero’s journey’.
The artist has embraced her ADHD diagnosis, and finds it liberating. With the knowledge she has collected, she is more empowered and sovereign, and is now able to work with her brain rather than against it.
‘Growing Pains’, one of the tracks on the EP, is about accepting that it is time to embrace the next feminine archetype. Zheani is now taking a break from the ‘image obsessed machine’ that is draining her creatively and spiritually.
Zheani’s ‘The Spiritual Meat Grinder’ is now available to the public. Fans of the artist can expect a journey of self-discovery and liberation, as she continues to exhibit her creative power.
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