She was London's most talked-about jazz vocalist for three years without releasing a single. When her debut album finally dropped, nobody was prepared for what it actually was. London's contemporary jazz and neo-soul scene is the world of After Midnight — the specific universe of late-night venues, recording studios in Peckham, and the specific British cultural moment where jazz, grime, and electronic music are in extraordinary conversation. Zara Osei, 29, has been performing in London's jazz clubs since she was nineteen and has refused every record deal offered to her for a decade because none of them understood what she was making. When she finally signs with an independent label run by someone who does understand — producer and label founder Leo Park — the creative partnership that produces the album also produces something more personal. Two seasons track the album's creation, its release and reception, and the specific complexity of a creative and romantic partnership between two people who are simultaneously each other's best work.
S1E1 — The Session
Zara and Leo's first recording session. The first track. The moment they both understand what this album is going to be.
S1E8 — The Release
The album released at midnight. Zara in the black velvet mini listening to the first reviews come in.
S2E10 — The After
Series finale: The second album beginning. Zara and Leo's relationship finding its form. The black velvet mini, hung on a door in a new recording studio.
