one day i'll be stronger than my own doubt
full name zofia michelle allyne birthdate + age 9 november 1988 + 28 place of birth london, england, uk relationships status + sexuality i keep dancing on my own + kinsey 4 personality type estp-t, TYPE 7, slytherin / wampus
At twenty years old, Roberta Lamb had no designs on becoming a mother, and quite reasonably so. Four years earlier, she'd been scouted and was having something of a successful career as a model in her home city of London and across the pond in New York. When she started seeing Ethan Allyne, six years her senior, they were both just having fun -- Ethan found her exciting, Roberta appreciated that he was outside her industry and honestly cared little for it. But in March of 1988, just a few months after the two had starting dating each other, Roberta found herself in a doctor's office, confirming a pregnancy. Her agent, in no uncertain terms, urged her to quickly 'take care of it', since there was no guarantee that her career would recover even if her body did. Her family was, on the other hand, strict Catholics at the end of the day. Though she herself wasn't so firm in her convictions that she didn't at least consider listening to her agent, she couldn't bear the thought of a future of facing their disappointment and judgments. For his part, Ethan was a stand-up guy, willing to do what it took to care for his future child. Or, as it turned out, children, as Roberta eventually discovered that she was having twins.

Before she started showing too badly, Ethan and Roberta were married. Since she wanted to be close to her family, and because she came from greater means, they settled in London right away. The twins were born on the 9th of November, fifteen minutes apart, with Zofia as the "older" of the two. Though they had undoubtedly rushed quickly into the serious parts of a relationship, Ethan and Roberta both were determined to provide a good home for their kids; if they didn't love each other, then at least they were fond of each other. Given their attempts at stability, Zofia and Dominic did not have a particularly interesting or a unique childhood, and were all the better for it. Almost a full two years after they were born, a younger brother came along for them to gang up and torment, as older siblings are wont to do. From an early age, music was a part of the Allyne children's lives -- her father had brought with him an impressive record collection and taught Zo how to play the drums, and later on she learned piano and took dance lessons -- but the roots of what would become a lifelong passion had yet to take hold. As a child, she much preferred to run outside and play with her friends instead of sit through boring lessons.

Things changed in the Allyne household months before Zofia and Dominic turned nine. Although Ethan and Roberta had never lost their fondness for each other, both agreed that they weren't quite happy in their marriage. They tried and tried, but no matter what -- romantic love wasn't on the table, and had spent a decade giving it a real try. The divorce between her parents was swift and amicable but Zofia only saw her parents being split apart, her father moving an ocean away, back to New York. It was an uneven split in their custody arrangement, where Zo and Dominic and Ivan ended up spending most of the year with their mother in London and visiting their father during the summmer. Both Roberta and Ethan remarried fairly quickly, with a fourth and final child -- another daughter -- born to Roberta and her new husband, Matthew, in February of 1999. The birth of Juno Carter cemented for Zofia the realization that her mother and father had split in the way the actual divorce and the two subsequent weddings she had attended didn't. For the most part, Zofia became surly and socially isolated in what she now calls her 'angry phase' (otherwise known as simply being a teenager). a few years later when she discovered that punk wasn't dead if you knew where to look for it. Although Zofia started at punk shows, she had a growing appreciation for all music and expanded her horizons to all sort of live shows, parties, and raves. Eventually, she and her brother Dom both became well-known fixtures in the party scene, cultivating a bizarre almost-mythos to the ridiculous stories people could tell of them. Still, Zo was a dutiful student, applied herself to her studies and her A-Levels, and had plans for her future.

So when Zofia decided to go to school in America because NYU had a great recorded music program, no one was really surprised. At first, Zo only wanted to learn all she could about the business so that she could begin working for an already-established label, and maybe hope to rise within the ranks. In time, her ambition grew even beyond that, and she began to have designs on starting her own, based on the UK's more singles-based model that she was familiar with. Truth be told, her plans were mostly for a vague future somewhere down the line; in the moment she was content to focus on her schooling and friends and making connections and, as always, socializing. Toward the end of her first semester in New York, Zo fell into a volatile and emotionally abusive relationship that lasted over a year and a half. When things ended, Zofia decided to start her label right then, as a means of proving to herself how capable and strong she was. Both she and her brother pooled their resources, borrowed from their family, and established Neon Gold, a boutique label based in the city and their hometown of London, which would release limited vinyl-pressed singles for indie musicians looking for exposure. After two years, shortly after Zofia graduated college, Neon Gold would go on to sign a joint-venture with Columbia Records.

Things were going rather successfully in Zofia's life, on both a professional and personal scale. Neon Gold was thriving and Zofia was happily married to a recent, and kinder boyfriend. Admittedly, it was an impulsive decision but neither could see reason at the time. While one of those successful ventures held up in the long run, with the label starting to earn her and her brother some money, the marriage fell apart within two years. Zofia, mostly, was to blame for a number of factors: she was always busy, she tried to cite it as an open enough relationship where she still hooked up with women, and when things went to shit, she treated it liked a failed business venture and put her focus something new. This time, it was the formation of a band - Epicene - with a guy who was a friend of a friend. Zofia would take vocals, and he would play instruments and produce. Their first demo was recorded in 2011. Though Zofia could have easily put it out through Neon Gold, she wanted to see if they could sink or swim by their own merits. So, they anonymously released their first EP, Candy Bar Creep Show (so named after an episode of Rugrats) through tumblr and began touring with one of Neon Gold's own acts, leaving much of the business in her brother's hands. The end of 2012 saw Zofia embarking on a two-year long international tour to support Secondhand Rapture, Epicene's debut album that dropped in May 2013, while her label celebrated turning five years old.

The tour to support Secondhand Rapture (mostly) ended in 2014, giving Zo and the boys a chance to take some time off and work on a sophomore effort. It als gave her a chance to resume the day to day of running the label, which signed with Atlantic Records when their contract with Columbia expired. The fruits of those labors, recorded for the most part in a profoundly disgusting and ac-less Bushwick studio, culminated in a second album they called How Does It Feel, which was released in July of 2015 and promoted with another year long world tour. Although Epicene is taking some time between eras, as it were, Zofia spends all of her downtime working for the label, which as of 2016 signed partnerships with SONGS Publishing and Gold Atlas PR, expanding Neon Gold's purview even further. In her personal life, Zo might be an unstable mess that's more fond of cats than people, but she has a lot of business savvy and plans to take it far.

as zo (2017) tremble
(2017) tightrope as epicene (2015) criminals remix - ep
Criminals (Everything Everything Remix)
Criminals (Maize Remix)

(2015) HOW DOES IT FEEL - LP
Painted
Criminals
No Guilt In Pleasure
Wrong Victory
Tripolar
How Does It Feel
Tunnels
Leave Me Alone
Reckless
Cruel
Pieces
All The Things Lost

(2014) SECONDHAND ^2 - EP
Think Of You (WET Remix)
Think Of You (Haerts Remix)
Hurricane (Goldroom Remix)
Fantasy (NICITA Remix)
Fantasy (Xaphoon Jones Late Nite Remix)
Bones (Hot Sugar Remix)

(2014) fantasy remix - EP
Fantasy
Dance Yrself Clean (LCD Soundsystem Cover)
Fantasy (Xaphoon Remix)
Fantasy (NICITA Remix)
Fantasy (KELE Remix)

(2013) secondhand rapture - LP
Hurricane
Bones
Ash Tree Lane
Fantasy
Dark Doo Wop
Head Is Not My Home
Salty Sweet
Think Of You
Twenty Seven
BTSK
No Trace
This Isn't Control

(2012) CANDY BAR CREEP SHOW - EP
Bones
Hurricane
Dark Doo Wop
Ash Tree Lane

(2011) GHOST CITY USA - DEMO
Bones
Time Of My Life (Patrick Wolf cover)
Strings
Ash Tree Lane
various facts • Currently has 7 tattoos: the opening notes to 'Bones' on her left shoulder blade; I AM I AM I AM on her right ribcage under her breast; 'valar morghulis' on the inside of her left wrist; the lunar phases along the outside of her left thigh; a geometric diamond behind her ear with the initials NG underneath; a star and crescent moon on her right ring finger; and an Aladdin Sane lightning bolt on her right ankle. She used to have her husband's name on her hip but had it removed as of 12/13.

• Began seeing a therapist for the first time in 2014; diagnosed with cyclothymia, which she rarely talks about.

• Until 2012, Zofia used to be much more hands on with most of Neon Gold. That sort of work has taken a backseat now that she's chosen to focus on the band, but she still likes to oversee and have final say in many aspects.

• Considers herself pretty pop culturally savvy with a particular appreciation for science fiction, horror, and general low culture. Has slipped numerous references into her music.

• Fluent in Spanish and conversationally fluent in Russian.

• Social media handles: @allynez