Jessi Zazu, Nikki Kvarnes, and Kelley Anderson formed Those Darlins after meeting at the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp in Murfreesboro, TN. They began by covering Carter Family songs and released their first single, “Wild One” in 2008. Since then the group has released three albums: self-titled debut Those Darlins in 2009, garage rock influenced Screws Get Loose in 2011, and a more classic rock and roll inspired Blur The Line in 2013. On December 9, 2015, it was announced This Darlins were on permanent hiatus in order to focus on other projects. Two weeks later, singer, co-frontwoman Jessi Zazu was sadly diagnosed with cervical cancer which was recently discovered to have spread to her lymphatic system.
Quoting a line from Blur The Line’s final track “Ain’t Afraid” in a recent statement Zazu said “This is typically what they would call a ‘no cure scenario,’ but I refuse to believe that to be the case. I feel healthy, happy, hopeful, determined, positive, and full of sparks and nails. In a sense: there’s a tumor growing on my body, I don’t know what lays in store, but I ain’t afraid anymore. Yes, I guess I am a mystic mind after all.”
One thing that we do know is in store for Zazu is a huge battle that includes very extensive treatments. In spite of it all Zazu plans to continue to work using music and art to spread the new embodiment of “Ain’t Afraid,” as her cancer-fighting slogan. Zazu has created shirts with the message which you can purchase here with profits supporting her treatment. There is You Caring campaign in Zazu’s name that has nearly raised $40,380 of an original $30,000 goal by 529 donors. The fund was created in Zazu’s name in order to enable the singer to able to focus on her recovery without financial stress.
“I don’t feel very much fear at all, honestly,” she says in a video statement. “I feel very good and feel like I am going to live. And even if I don’t live, then I wasn’t supposed to live. And I just want everyone to know that I am a fighter and I never will give up.”
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