Born in Paris, Lolo Zouaï grew up in the Sunset District of San Francisco on a mix of musical genres that included rap and her Algerian father's Arabic music. As a child, she took piano lessons and sang at her French elementary school. After she graduated from high school, her family relocated to Nashville, and Zouaï spent a semester there studying songwriting at the college level. Dissatisfied with the curriculum, she dropped out and briefly moved back to San Francisco, then Paris -- where she made her first recordings -- and Nashville again before following her mother to New York City. After some false starts with collaborations and recordings, she had a viral hit with 2017's "High Highs to Low Lows." That same year, she co-wrote a song for H.E.R.'s eponymous debut, a record that went on to win the Grammy for Best R&B Album.
In 2018, Zouaï collaborated with producer Stelios on a series of singles, including "Blue," "Desert Rose," and "Brooklyn Love," each of which garnered over a million streams before the end of the year. That October, she toured in support of Alina Baraz before ending the year with a tour of Europe as headliner. In January 2019, she issued the double A-side single "Ocean Beach," containing the songs "Lose Myself" and "Jade," featuring Blood Orange. A subsequent headlining tour was followed by the release of the EP Beautiful Lies in 2020. Between singles "Galipette" and "Give Me a Kiss," Zouaï toured in support of Dua Lipa in early 2022. ~ Marcy Donelson, Rovi