Zoya Raza-Sheikh

London, Nottingham

Culture Journalist at Freelance

Music Columnist at Woo

freelance journo • prev @gaytimes, @KerrangMagazine, @tmrwmag • words: nme, rollingstone uk, vogue india etc • gmail: zoya.razasheikh • (they/them)

Articles

Nazanin Noori's new exhibition asks us to reflect on an alternative political reality

2 days ago | crackmagazine.net | Zoya Raza-Sheikh

In her first UK exhibition, THE ECHO OF PROTEST IS DISTANT TO THE PROTEST, multidisciplinary artist, DJ and ambient hardcore producer Nazanin Noori uses a cacophony of sound and visuals to shock us into imagining a vastly different alternative political present.
Raisa Abal on the Power of Skate Culture

1 month ago | notion.online | Zoya Raza-Sheikh

To celebrate Dickies SS25 campaign, starring and captured by Raisa Abal, we sit down with the multidisciplinary artist. Raisa Abal appears on-screen, in a dimly lit hotel room, wearing a baggy skate t-shirt. It’s 9pm in Bulgaria, yet the founder of Dolores Magazine has quickly found time to sneak in a call within her busy travel schedule.
Trans-ing ticket stubs, pebbles and tights with the Museum of Transology

1 month ago | gaytimes.com | Megan Wallace |Zoya Raza-Sheikh

Community The Museum of Transology is ringing in a decade with a new exhibition tracing trans, non-binary and intersex experiences through over 1000 objects and stories. Transcestry is no regular exhibition.
Ghost: How the phantom of rock conquered the charts

1 month ago | rollingstone.co.uk | Zoya Raza-Sheikh

On stage, Papa V Perpetua is a devilish maestro decked out in corpse paint — an enigmatic showman assembling a zany rock opera with his legion of incognito backing musicians known as the Nameless Ghouls. The frontman revels in grandeur: big theatrics and sprawling songs dealing with the occult, demons and devastation.
Ghost: How the phantom of rock conquered the charts

1 month ago | rollingstone.co.uk | Zoya Raza-Sheikh

On stage, Papa V Perpetua is a devilish maestro decked out in corpse paint — an enigmatic showman assembling a zany rock opera with his legion of incognito backing musicians known as the Nameless Ghouls. The frontman revels in grandeur: big theatrics and sprawling songs dealing with the occult, demons and devastation.
Nabeel (نبيل) is seeking harmony between Iraqi culture and Virginia’s indie music scene

1 month ago | crackmagazine.net | Zoya Raza-Sheikh

25.03.25 Words by: Zoya Raza-Sheikh Photography: Chez Goodspeed Merging college-rock influences with allusions to Iraqi heritage and musical traditions, Nabeel(نبيل)’s music is driven by both the preservation of culture and creating a new sound. “I’ve always been obsessed with pop music.” Yasir Razak, founder of Iraqi-American indie band Nabeel (نبيل) is recalling the antics of his younger self over Zoom.
A decade of club kid fashion and chaotic looks from INFERNO

2 months ago | gaytimes.com | Megan Wallace |Zoya Raza-Sheikh

Community Nightlife organiser Lewis Burton reflects on ten years of London’s iconic, trans-centred techno night, alongside bold club photos from the INFERNO archive by Roxy Lee.
Pitch side dates: Sapphic couples on why they love Arsenal

2 months ago | gaytimes.com | Zoya Raza-Sheikh |Megan Wallace

Community This LGBTQIA+ History Month, GAY TIMES speaks to die-hard fans about how they found their biggest loves in life: Arsenal Women and their partners.
How Alt Blk Era became the UK's hottest new alternative band

Feb 12, 2025 | msn.com | Zoya Raza-Sheikh

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"My disability restricted me so much." How Alt Blk Era beat the odds to become Britain's most exciting new alternative band

Feb 12, 2025 | loudersound.com | Zoya Raza-Sheikh

It’s 6pm on a Tuesday, and Alt Blk Era are snowed in. Yet the sisters – 20-year-old Nyrobi and 17-year-old Chaya Beckett-Messam – are unfazed by the inches stacking up outside their home in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire. “We don’t really have a typical life outside of music. We’re not at the clubs or hanging out,” Nyrobi explains via Zoom, of why they’re so at ease tonight.