TONI MARGOT

Toni Margot is a one-woman band and alter ego created by Lian Zac, a songwriter, producer, singer, and pianist. Known for blending Electronic Soul/Pop with elements of Modern Jazz, Zac manages every aspect of her music, from songwriting and performance to production and mixing. Her debut single, ‘ode to my zen tutor’, was released in late October 2024, marking the launch of a project she has worked on for five years. Her upcoming single, “SALTWATER”, is set for release on January 20th, 2025.

Early Life 

Lian was born on August 26, 1993, in North Miami Beach, Florida, to a pilot father and an interior designer mother. At age 3, the family moved to West Hartford, Connecticut, where Lian has discovered her love for the arts, taking ballet lessons and later joining her brother's piano lessons. When she was 6, her family relocated to Israel during the Second Intifada, starting in a small apartment in Kfar Saba. There, Lian continued her dance and piano lessons. By the time she was 10, they had moved to Kadima, where she formed her first band at 12, Kaktus. She later attended Thelma-Yellin High School of the Arts and graduated in 2011. 

Having lived in seven cities and moved between five different homes before finishing elementary school, Lian’s constant relocations, from Miami to West Hartford, and eventually to Tel Aviv, Berlin, and New York, played a significant role in shaping her adaptable nature. These varied experiences infused her music with an eclectic mix of influences, which would later define her distinctive style. 

Career Beginnings 

Lian’s first paid gig came at age 13, when she performed with her rock band at the Barbie Club in Kfar Saba. In 2006, she toured the US with a youth vocal group, and in 2009, she toured across Germany with an R&B band. She went on to join jazz ensembles and continued her musical development as a formal vocalist in the Air Force military band during her mandatory military service straight after graduating from high school. 

After 2 years of study at Rimon College of Music, Lian moved to New York, where she continued to teach and collaborated with various artists, including Nikos Chatsitzakos, Lenny Reece, Matan Egozi, Johnny & The Bugz, George Constantinou, Dana Kaplan, and Josh Smith. During this time, she worked on a modern jazz/R&B album that never saw the light of day, but this experience further shaped her artistic development. 

Lian’s long-awaited debut single, "ode to my zen tutor", is set for release in late October 2024. The song is the first from an album she has spent five years crafting, embodying her soulful, electronic grooves and her unique vision as an artist. 

Musical Style and Influences 

Lian’s influences are diverse, including artists like Elton John, Stevie Wonder, James Blake, Britney Spears, and Hiatus Kaiyote. Her music is also shaped by her childhood love for Disney films and romantic comedies from the '90s and early 2000s, as well as anime shows and films. This eclectic range speaks to her broad musical palette, reflecting an interesting, adaptive approach to her sound, which is rooted in Modern Jazz but leans toward Electronic Soul/Pop.