On a brief break from touring on the international stage, recently acclaimed University of Wisconsin alumna Niki Danilova, popularly known as Zola Jesus, recently captivated audiences with her “second coming” in Madison.

Physically representing how dark the Memorial Union show was about to get, a witch-like Zola Jesus and her band walked out in all black outfits, ready to play off their new album, Taiga, on their new age instruments.

In typical indie fashion, her band never sat down — not even the drummer. Her multi-faceted MPC operator complimented his consternating loops with brooding trombone, hitting vital bass notes that instilled a sense of fright into the performance.

The internationally known artist approached the stage with a timid aura, yet hit the audience with a blast of sound as her vocals engulfed the room. Her opera-trained voice expanded through the space with careful prowess.

To someone unfamiliar with her music, Zola’s opening piece would have taken the listener by surprise. Her opening quiet melodies burst into a wave of sound that was surely startling to anyone unsuspecting.

But most bewitching were moments of heavy synths and hard drums nearly always accompanied by an uncontrolled flailing of her body that tended to end with Zola Jesus lying on the floor, surrounded by quiet.

The 30 seconds between each song lingered on in dead silence as Danilova took her sip of water and stared at the audience, never saying much. Taking advantage of the silent moment, Zola Jesus started her next song without the use of her mic, showcasing the the best nuances in her voice.

In this noiseless room, Zola Jesus’ vocals reverberated across the entire space. The experience of listening to a vocalist encapsulate an audience with just her pure voice is almost too eerie to describe.

While her eclectic stage persona sometimes alienated the audience, the hypnotic quality about her justified her lack of interaction.

Though she has departed her familiar Madison and continues on a world tour, Zola Jesus has proven she’s an artist worth chasing.