Zee Underscore

hip hop

Zee Underscore is the performing name of Zahra Karimah Briggs, a Kansas City, Missouri-based singer, songwriter and multidisciplinary artist originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. She trained from kindergarten onward at Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts, studying violin, choir and theatre, but on family advice about financial stability read electrical engineering at the University of Cincinnati rather than pursuing music as a degree. She moved to Kansas City in 2020 for an engineering job and came back to performing through the city's open-mic circuit, releasing her first single, Secretly, in August 2021. Her debut EP, The Zee Underscore Experience, arrived in June 2024; two of its tracks were cut with live instrumentation by her band The Clique, two with the group The Cinco, and she produced one, IDRK, herself. The music sits closer to pop and soul than to any single genre, built around self-discovery and a determinedly positive outlook. She played Boulevardia in 2024 with her sisters singing and dancing behind her, sings tenor with the Xion Soundwaves choir, and performs in the rock cover band Cease and Desist. Alongside performing she works as a host, brand personality, content creator and STEAM mentor, and has been developing an AI wellness companion modelled on her own voice. In 2021 she founded ZNTL Entertainment, which creates paid performance opportunities for Kansas City artists, including First Fridays mainstage slots; she also hosts the Liberated Grounds Mix and Mingle and Midtown Kava's Tiny Shell Concert Series, both built around giving early-career musicians a room to play. She has been profiled by The Pitch KC, Startland News and Canvas Rebel.

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