María Zardoya

Zardoya was born in Puerto Rico and later moved to Snellville, Georgia, where she was raised. After her father taught her how to play the guitar, she gravitated towards learning more chords and started writing lyrics first in Spanish and then in English. Zardoya studied at a local high school where she took singing lessons and sang in the choir. To pursue music, she decided to move to Los Angeles and performed in small bars under the name of "Zara Sky". During a performance at the Kibitz Room, she met drummer Josh Conway and the two subsequently formed the band The Marías.^[3] Her work with the band is known for featuring bilingual lyrics in both English and Spanish.^[4]

In November 2022, Zardoya accused Brandon Fried, drummer of The Neighbourhood, of groping her under a table at a bar. The Neighbourhood responded by expelling Fried from the band and thanked Zardoya for coming forward. Fried later issued an apology and stated he would seek help for alcohol and substance abuse issues.^[5]

On August 20, 2025, Zardoya announced her debut solo project, under the name Not for Radio.^[6] On October 1, she announced her solo project's first album, titled Melt, which she promoted by releasing three messages detailing its inspiration and teasing its songs.^[7] The album was released on October 10, 2025.^[8][9] On April 17, 2026, she released a three-track EP under the same project, titled Bloom, with the vinyl version containing two additional live tracks: "Comet" and her version of her co-founding band's song "No One Noticed".^[10]

Zardoya has collaborated with several other artists. She appeared on the song "Otro Atardecer" with Bad Bunny, and worked with Cuco on the track "Si Me Voy". She also collaborated with Tainy and Young Miko on the song "Mañana". In 2024, she performed "Otro Atardecer" as part of Bad Bunny's stadium tour.^[11]