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Growing up between Copperbelt and Lusaka<\/strong><\/p>\n Zian SZ was born in Zambia\u2019s Copperbelt region, widely regarded as the country\u2019s mineral centre and a historically important hub for musicians. She later moved to Lusaka with her father, where her early interest in songwriting began.<\/p>\n \u201cI started writing songs when I was about seven,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was just preschool music that I would write for my friends, for Sunday school or for fun. I didn\u2019t know it was a talent at the time because it just came naturally to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Living in Lusaka also shaped her linguistic and cultural identity. \u201cIt has really grown on me. It\u2019s kind of like having this dual citizenship,\u201d she says. \u201cEven in my raps, you hear some Nyanja, you hear some Bemba, because in the house that I\u2019m in the language we speak is Bemba. But the permanent language in Lusaka is Nyanja.\u201d<\/p>\n Her stage name also reflects a sense of personal symbolism. \u201cZian is a nickname even people at home call me,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt\u2019s taken from the female mountain of Zion, which is where I get the SZ from.\u201d<\/p>\n