Meet Zelda Fairfax | Singer, model and burlesque performer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zelda Fairfax and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zelda, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
This wasn’t something I had the courage to do until the pandemic gave me a golden opportunity to start over and take a chance! I was raised by a single, hardworking mom who always championed my creativity. But when I reached college age, she encouraged me to find a trade so that I’d always have something to cling to in times of uncertainty. I enrolled myself into an associates degree program for skincare and worked in the spa industry for the following 13 years or so. There’s a certain theatre and ritual to spa treatments; the music, the lotions and potions, the care that goes into making a person feel completely relaxed. But my heart wasn’t in it. I’d gotten on this train and couldn’t find a way off. I’d chosen the practical choice and I was in my early thirties, working in Las Vegas among incredible performance opportunities but had no idea how to suddenly pivot towards them! But when the world shut down and I’d lost my job, I knew it was my moment. I spent every day of the shut down singing, filming myself, posting, and then jumped at the first performing opportunity that popped up when the strip reopened. Four years later, that decision completely changed my life. I make my living now as a full-time performer.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I came to my craft late in life and with a ton of zeal and pent up energy from years of denying myself the opportunity to perform. This means that at 35, I attack my career the way most 18 year olds in this industry do! The first couple of years, I was so excited to perform for a living and make up for lost time that I lost balance and direction, and even myself. I sacrificed time with my husband, family, lost sleep from taking every single opportunity to grow my craft and visibility in the community, and sacrificed my own artistic vision in order to shape-shift into any type of performer needed. I got ‘lost in the sauce’, for sure. But when the adrenaline died down, I looked around and realized that I had neglected my support group and I felt creatively bankrupt. I also realized that I was a square peg trying to fit into a round hole in my performing community. I was spending too much time trying to be more commercial and tone down my dramatic style of singing and performance to obtain the same opportunities my colleagues had. Before I was a performer for a living, I used to make art. I had a very specific, dramatic, vaudevillian style to my art. Over the past year and a half, I’ve leaned into my dramatic, European-cabaret tendencies. My focus has shifted to creating wild costumes, burlesque acts, cultivating a new onstage persona that feels true to my spirit, and only pursuing opportunities that feel like a creative fit. This is far more fulfilling and leaves me time and energy for what matters most to me; my loved ones.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in downtown Las Vegas, which to me is the heart and soul of this city! It attracts the most remarkable artists and entrepreneurs who truly think outside the box! There are two theatres down here that boast some of the best talent and original works in the city- Majestic Repertory Theatre and Vegas Theatre Company. Both are respectively situated among amazing bars like Velveteen Rabbit and 18 Bin. We have the most amazing boutiques and antique stores down here, two of my faves are Red Kat for well-curated vintage clothing and The Good Wolf for completely unique home goods and clothes you don’t see anywhere else!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I owe everything I have accomplished to my husband, Paul. Our entire relationship was built upon unwavering support of one another’s goals and true desires. As newly-dating teens, we had a saying, “never settle.’ For nearly 18 years, we have continued to live by this mantra. He has made endless sacrifices to encourage my dream of performing. He constantly reminds me to push for the big opportunities and pushes me to reach for the stars! He makes me feel worthy of my dreams.

Instagram: @zeldafairfax

Image Credits
Holly Chris Photography Chu