Gina Zo’s new album, Burn Me Into Something Better, sparked something right away — the kind of energy that makes you want to dive into something layered, cozy, and a little dramatic. Eleven tracks of change and transformation, and the more I listened, the more I wanted to carry that feeling into the kitchen. So I made Walnut Baklava: crisp phyllo, toasted walnuts, butter, honey — all stacked into one sweet, sticky reminder that sometimes the burn is what makes you better. Check out the recipe below!
Gina’s been performing for as long as anyone can remember. Picture this: four years old, swimsuit on, dancing to Britney Spears in front of the TV, begging her dad to replay the home video so she could watch herself shine again. Nightgowns became costumes, toy microphones turned into headliners, and the living room was her first stage. Her family played along — her grandma even flashed a flashlight like a strobe light while Fleetwood Mac, Norah Jones, and Britney spun on the stereo. That mix of pop sparkle, soul, and dreamy mystique laid the foundation for her. The real shift came in middle school when her grandfather handed her a guitar. From then on, Gina was filling notebooks with lyrics in her mom’s West Chester townhouse, not even realizing she was already becoming a songwriter.
Her career hasn’t been a straight shot. At 18, she signed with an indie label in Philly, but quickly saw the darker side of the business and walked away. A breakup pulled her back to music, and she reunited with her band to form Velvet Rouge — a rock project fueled by defiance and freedom. Their debut EP in 2024, produced by Brian McTear and Amy Morrissey (The War on Drugs, Dr. Dog, Sharon Van Etten), carried that gritty early-2000s edge and landed them on festival stages like XPoNential Fest, MusikFest, and Beardfest, plus NPR features and a “Best Rock Band in Philly” nod.
Then came Gina’s solo era. Her 2025 single “Dirty Habits,” produced by Grammy winners Justin Miller and Tim Sonnefeld, pulled in 30,000 streams in its first week. LADYGUNN called it bold, messy, and deeply felt — basically Gina in a nutshell. She followed it with “Only Bad Men Make Me Feel This Way,” her Pride anthem “I Need to Cry,” and the fan-favorite “Fuck Me Then Leave Me,” which nails the temptation of going back to someone you know isn’t good for you… but still feels right.
Through it all, Gina’s been raw, real, and rebellious — especially since coming out as bisexual in 2023 with “Faking It.” She’s carved out space for her LGBTQIA+ community while carrying lessons from The Voice (Team Blake), where Gwen Stefani told her to be unapologetically authentic — advice that left her in tears, in the best way.
Her new album, released on September 26th of this year, is a reflection of everything that has shaped her: the breakups, the bad outfits, the band splits, and the cross-country moves. All of it burned, but all of it made her better.
Change has served me. In every way.
With a standout track, “I Like Men Who Like Men,” and praise already rolling in from LADYGUNN, Fault, Sweety High, The Luna Collective, and more, this chapter is only gaining momentum. And in five years? Gina sees herself selling out arenas, grabbing a Grammy nomination, and collaborating with icons like Stevie Nicks, Norah Jones, and Florence + The Machine. Honestly, the vibes are already lining up.
Tour dates, upcoming shows, and everything Gina is on her site:
🔗 https://www.ginazomusic.com/
IG: @ginazo
TikTok: @ginazo
Gina’s been a pescatarian for over a decade, and she’s all about veggies in every form. Fruits? Not so much — unless we’re talking apples or bananas. Smoothies only make the cut if they’re peanut-butter-chocolate-based. She grew up in a Polish-Italian family where food is tradition: Christmas meant pierogi from scratch and ricotta-spinach ravioli spread across folding tables, tossed in her mom’s marinara — pure comfort. And then there’s her dad, her baklava partner. Every year they make it together: flaky phyllo, walnut layers, melted butter, honey syrup poured until it shines.
The most endearing part? Gina’s a full-blown cheese lover. Bread-and-butter too. She’s never met a cheese she didn’t adore, and her idea of heaven is brie with honey and apple slices on crackers. Dessert-wise, crème brûlée is her number one, with bread pudding right behind it — especially the one from Bari in Silver Lake, warm and rich with a scoop of ice cream on top. She cooks almost everything from scratch: salmon bowls, tofu stir-fry (her cookbook page for that one is practically glued together), Brussels sprouts, rice bowls. Trader Joe’s is her weekly meal-prep spot, and she keeps a routine that balances it all.
And honestly, everything about Gina — her layers, her honesty, her heat, her sweetness, her chaos, her clarity — feels like baklava. It’s a transformation you can taste: toasty, sticky, crisp, buttery, patient, and worth every step. So for her feature, I made Walnut Baklava. Crispy phyllo, cinnamon-spiced walnuts, butter, honey — all the cozy, dramatic flavors that fit the Queen of Change herself. Check out the recipe below — and don’t forget to press play on Burn Me Into Something Better while you bake. It’s the perfect flavor-meets-sound pairing.
Walnut Baklava
Makes: 24 pieces
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Bake Time: 45–55 minutes
Cool Time: 3 hours
Ingredients:
- 1 package phyllo dough (16 oz), thawed
- 2 cups walnuts, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon butter to grease baking pan
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup pure cane sugar
- 3/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons rosewater
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 strip of lemon peel
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F and butter a 9×13” baking dish.
- Mix walnuts and cinnamon; set aside.
- Layer 8–10 phyllo sheets, brushing each layer with butter. Add the walnuts on top of the buttered layers. Repeat with 8–10 sheets for the top layers.
- Slice the unbaked baklava into long vertical strips, about 2 inches wide. Make diagonal cuts across these strips to form triangle shapes. For added creativity, make parallel diagonal cuts to create a pattern, or cut the baklava into diamond or square shapes if you prefer.
- Bake 45–55 minutes until golden.
- Simmer water, sugar, honey, lemon juice, and lemon peel for 10 minutes. Remove from
heat and stir in rosewater. - Pour warm syrup over hot baklava, let it cool for 3 hours. Serve and enjoy!
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