Ones To Watch: Z3LLA started as songwriters - the real story behind Juj + Kiana

Z3LLA didn’t start as a DJ project and it didn’t even start as a project at all. It started as a friendship. Juj and Kiana met when they were 18 through mutual friends in Los Angeles and for a long time that’s all it was. They were close living together building their lives in the same space but still following separate paths in music. Both of them were already involved in music in different ways just not together yet and there was no intention at that point to turn it into anything more.

That shift really took shape during quarantine. With everything slowing down around them they finally had the space to breathe and spend more time creating side by side. Without the usual pace around them they were able to focus on what was happening when they worked together and that’s when it became clear. It wasn’t something they planned but something they realized. They were stronger as a duo.

That’s when Z3LLA actually started to take shape but not as an artist project. It started as a songwriting and co-production duo. They’ve said this directly the name Z3LLA originally existed for their songwriting sessions. They were working across multiple genres not limiting themselves to one sound, writing for other artists and sometimes doing multiple sessions in a single day and building an impressive catalog as songwriters but with the Z3LLA name mostly behind the scenes

Over time that dynamic also evolved. Early on they each came in with their own way of working but that started to blend. Instead of staying in separate lanes they began pulling from each other more and the process became shared rather than divided.

That songwriting phase still defines how they approach music now. Even after transitioning into an artist project their process didn’t shift away from songwriting and co-production. They don’t begin with production or performance ideas they begin with the core of the track an idea a lyric or a melody and build both the writing and production from there.

Once they committed to doing it together things began to move differently. They’ve said that nothing in their careers felt as organic as it did after becoming a duo and that the project started to align in a way it hadn’t before.

One of the first records that reflected that shift was “Why Should I?” They wrote it during a songwriting session in the UK while they were still figuring things out. It wasn’t treated as a defining moment back then but it stood out to them. They held onto it for almost two years before releasing it. When it finally came out it reached number one on US Dance Radio and charted on Billboard but what mattered to them was that it still felt like them when it was released.

At the same time their sound was still evolving. There was a period where they leaned into UK house especially around “Why Should I?” and it helped build momentum. But as they kept developing as a duo they started to feel creatively limited by what they were putting out. The energy between them didn’t fully match the direction they were in and they hadn’t explored their own sound deeply enough yet to even realize that something like HyperBass could exist for them. That moment became less about rejecting a sound and more about evolving their identity into something that actually reflected who they were.

That led them to step back and reassess their direction. Instead of following what was already working they focused on what actually felt right. That period included releases like “Supernova” where they were still refining their sound and figuring out what fully represented them.

The shift into something new became clearer at the end of 2025. Their collaboration with Avello “HEY BABY” released through Ophelia Records was the first moment where that direction was defined publicly with the post itself framing it as the beginning of a new Z3 hyperbass era.

From that point forward the releases started to align more clearly with that identity. In early 2026 they began releasing more consistently. “Not That Innocent” was positioned as an introduction to a new sound and that run continued with “Table” “Genie” and “Manhattan” while more unreleased ideas and collaborations started surfacing alongside those releases.

They’ve also framed this period as a transition closing one chapter and stepping into what they call their hyperbass era. Not as a sudden switch but as something that had been building and is now becoming clearer through their releases.

At the core of all of this one thing hasn’t changed. They are still songwriters first, but now deeply involved in both the writing and production of their records. Their process continues to start from the idea, the lyric or the melody, and everything else builds from there. Even in a more club-driven context, that foundation remains the same.

The way they work together reflects that as well. They don’t divide roles in a rigid way. Writing, vocals and production are all part of a shared process. That comes from the fact that their relationship started as a friendship not as a professional setup.

Even the name reflects how they see the project. The 3 in Z3LLA represents them and the audience the person experiencing the moment with them. It’s not just about what happens on stage but about the connection that happens in real time.

And through everything they’ve been consistent about one thing. The music comes first. They’ve said directly that they never wanted to build something around social media and then attach music to it. For them the music had to come first and everything else follows from that.

And now that that direction is finally taking shape, the next chapter isn’t something they’re talking about anymore. It’s already happening.

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