Chainsaws & Jelly | November Muse

Happy November folks! And you know what that means...MUSE OF THE MONTH!

For this month, we rocked out with Zeena Koda, vocalist of a New Jersey ambient rock band, Aphonia and mover & shaker over at Fader/Cornerstone. She also hosts a morning show on SiriusXM's Liquid Metal, writes, DJ's, this woman basically does it all!

Fellow ninja, mover & shaker, and photographer, Mister Lee did an amazing job and just nailed everything about Zeena. He's awesome by the way! Shouts to Mister Lee!!! Make sure to peep his work and what he loves to do over at http://www.misterleedigital.com/.

As for the make-up, I just took it to rockstar queen level.  Products used: SugarPill & Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics.  

Without further ado... enjoy, spread the word, like, and love!

Tell us about being the front woman of Aphonia.

Singing and making music is first nature for me, so fronting this band is not just something I love doing it's something I need to do. I have a great time making music with my boys and we all come from an eclectic mix of musical influence, which makes our music a true reflection of us as artists. Sometimes it's like a dysfunctional marriage with 4 guys but since I'm not your typical girly gal it works out pretty well. I'm proud of the songs we make and am grateful that we have made it through trying times unscathed, Aphonia is a family of emotional scumbags.

What kind of rush do you get from performing?

I was born to perform. I can get up in front of a 2 people or a crowd of hundreds and when you put that mic in my hand, it is on. There is no feeling like interpreting your thoughts, words and a feelings for an audience and there are plenty of times that I straight black out in my own zone when performing. I hate a lazy performer so I always try to give every show 110% to make sure it translates correctly. It is truly one of life's biggest highs.

What's it like working for Fader/Cornerstone?

Utter madness daily, we all work extremely hard and play hard. Being a woman from a diverse musical and ethnic background it is refreshing to work with a team of so many forward thinking, self-motivated and supportive people from all kinds of backgrounds. I wouldn't trade my team for anything, we conquer and get it done. It's also a huge dichotomy between my DJ gig at SiriusXM where I focus primarily on metal and rock, at Cornerstone I get to sink my teeth into my hip hop love and grow in an entirely different world. I have learned priceless lessons about being a go-getter, adult and savvy businesswoman from my work there and it stands as one of the best environments I have ever worked in.

Aside from the band and work, how does Zeena stay motivated and positive?

Lots of liquor and transcendent healing haha...and a need to succeed and defy expectations. Call it the Filipino in me but my family came from nothing literally and I am motivated daily to make them proud. At this point, failure is not an option and I will forsake anything to make sure I do it legit. I also am a hopeless romantic and the idea that one day love and my hard work will pay off is a constant goal to work for. One day I'll meet a dude who gets me, will want to play acoustic guitar and sing with me while I cook dinner and pop out a few bad ass musical brats. In the meantime, I'll work hard to make sure I'm ready for that moment and have no regrets, my biggest motivation is to be a positive voice for women, especially since so many people told me I could never do it on my terms.

What did you think about the Chainsaws and Jelly muse photoshoot?

I had an incredible time, the whole team was dynamite to work with. Since I don't use a lot of cool makeup daily it was a lot of fun to transform into a rock goddess and get to slink about in an awesome studio. Sheena rocks, mad love to my pinay sista for this opportunity!

Zeena Koda | twitter.com/zeenakoda
Aphonia | facebook.com/aphonia