Former Those Darlins Frontwoman Jessi Zazu Dies At 28

Jessi Zazu. Photo: Daniel Meigs

Jessi “Zazu” Wariner, former frontwoman for Nashville rock band Those Darlins, has lost her battle with cancer. She was 28.

Those Darlins, which formed in 2006 out of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, also included Nikki Kvarnes and Linwood Regensburg and rotating players after Kelley Anderson left the band in 2012. The band would release three albums, including a self-titled project in 2009, followed by Screws Get Loose in 2011 and Blur The Line in 2013. The band broke up in early 2016 shortly before Wariner announced that she had been diagnosed with cervical cancer.

A talented guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Wariner was also a gifted visual artist and graphic designer, who designed the book jacket and illustrations for the recent book Good Booty, from music critic and NPR correspondent Ann Powers. Her recent art exhibition, Undefeated, ran at Nashville’s Julia Martin Gallery from June 17 – 28. As a philanthropist, Wariner was heavily involved in volunteering and raising funds for Middle Tennessee’s rock camps for youth, which she attended in her own youth.

Wariner’s uncle is country artist and musician Steve Wariner. Jessi Wariner is survived by her mother Kathy, father David, and brothers Emmett and Oakley.