Zhavia Ward, more commonly known as “Zhavia”, has taken the music industry by surprise. The California raised singer rose to fame last year, at the young age of 17, after competing in the singing reality television show, “The Four”. Her audition video has over 53 million views on YouTube, making it the most watched audition for the reality show’s channel. Although she didn’t win first place, that has shown to have not deterred her career. In May 2018, Zhavia signed a deal with Columbia Records and has been featured on songs with Lil Pump and Diplo. Most recognizably, she performed a cover of “A Whole New World” with Zayn Malik for the “Aladdin” soundtrack.
Zhavia’s EP debut, “17”, released in June 2019. Since its release, the EP has gained over 60 million streams across its 6 songs. She began her “17” tour on October 30th and had 10 shows across the US, finally ending it in Los Angeles on December 10th.
In Houston for the first time, Zhavia performed at House of Blues on November 22nd. Throughout the show, the crowd sang, jumped and danced along to songs from “17”. At one point, an employee of the venue asked me if I could feel the ground shaking, and I in fact could.
In the middle of her show, Zhavia brought up two audience members from the crowd in order to have a dance competition. It ended in a draw because the audience cheered just as loud for both competitors. Her show ended with her whipping her dreads and splashing the audience with water, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed.
Usually, we don’t see contestants see much fame after their stints on singing reality television shows. But there are some instances that do exist, a few examples being Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, and One Direction. Now Zhavia has had plenty of accomplishments in the past 2 years, but at only 18 years old, we will just have to wait and see what a promising career the future holds for her.
All photos by Yashar Sanaei. Check out his portrait and concert work on his website and Instagram.
Recent Comments