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

Raisa Abal on the Power of Skate Culture

4 weeks 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

4 weeks 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

1 month 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

1 month 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

2 months ago | msn.com | Zoya Raza-Sheikh

Microsoft Cares About Your PrivacyMicrosoft and our third-party vendors use cookies to store and access information such as unique IDs to deliver, maintain and improve our services and ads. If you agree, MSN and Microsoft Bing will personalise the content and ads that you see. You can select ‘I Accept’ to consent to these uses or click on ‘Manage preferences’ to review your options and exercise your right to object to Legitimate Interest where used.
"My disability restricted me so much." How Alt Blk Era beat the odds to become Britain's most exciting new alternative band

2 months ago | 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.
How Alt Blk Era became the UK's hottest new alternative band

2 months ago | yahoo.com | Zoya Raza-Sheikh

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. 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.