ZZ Ward

ZZ Ward
Ward live at Shakey Knees Festival 2015 in Atlanta, GA
Background information
Birth name	Zsuzsanna Eva Ward
Born	(1986-06-02) June 2, 1986 (age 30) Abington, Pennsylvania, USA
Origin	Roseburg, Oregon, USA
Genres	Blues rock R&B pop rock blue-eyed soul
Occupation(s)	Musician singer songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar piano harmonica
Years active	2007–present
Labels	Boardwalk (2009–present) Hollywood (2011–present)
Website	zzward.com

ZZ Ward (born Zsuzsanna Eva Ward, June 2, 1986) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. She is signed to Boardwalk Entertainment Group and Hollywood Records, and managed by E. Kidd Bogart's Boardwalk Music Group.

Ward released her debut EP, Criminal, on May 8, 2012. Her debut album, Til the Casket Drops, was released on October 16, 2012. "Put The Gun Down", her first single, broke into the top 10 on the AAA radio chart on February 3, 2013, staying there for 10 weeks, and also broke into the top 40 on the Billboard Alternative chart. On March 2, 2017, Ward released the single "The Deep" (featuring Joey Purp).

Ward was born in Abington, Pennsylvania, before moving to Roseburg, Oregon, at the age of 6. In Roseburg, she joined her first band, with her father, at the age of 12. Ward recalled the first song she sang was "an Albert King track called 'As the Years Go Passing By'".

After moving to Los Angeles and signing to E. Kidd Bogart's Boardwalk Entertainment Group, Ward began recording the Criminal EP, as well as Eleven Roses, a free mixtape on which she offered her interpretations of tracks by Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino and Tyler, the Creator. For the recording of "Criminal", she sampled the beat from "Oil Money" by Freddie Gibbs, who was so impressed by Ward's remake that he asked to contribute a guest verse to the official version on the EP. The Criminal EP was released on May 8, 2012, and features the songs "Til the Casket Drops", "Put the Gun Down", "Move Like U Stole It", and "Criminal" (feat. Freddie Gibbs).