Diva Zappa

Diva Zappa was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of Frank and Gail Zappa. She has three older siblings: Moon Unit, Dweezil, and Ahmet.

According to her father Frank, she was given the name Diva "because of the loud quality of her voice. She's audible at 300 yards."[1] Diva Zappa won an award at age 12 in a poster contest to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect.[2]

Following the death of Zappa's mother in October 2015, Diva and her brother Ahmet were awarded control of the Zappa Family Trust with shares of 30% each, while her siblings Moon and Dweezil were given smaller shares of 20% each.[3] As beneficiaries only, Moon and Dweezil will not receive distributions from the trust until it is profitable per the trust agreement; in 2016, it was still in debt and they must seek permission from Ahmet, the trustee, to earn money with their father's music or from merchandise bearing his name.[3] The uneven divide of the trust has resulted in several conflicts between Zappa's children, including a feud between Dweezil and Ahmet over Dweezil's use of his father's music in live performances.[4] In a 2016 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Diva Zappa said her primary role in the trust is to be present when her father's work is highlighted.[5]

Diva Zappa's first film appearance was in the 1998 film Anarchy TV, along with her older siblings. Since then, she has also appeared in Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998), National Lampoon's Pledge This! (2006), as well as various TV shows including Felicity, Brothers & Sisters, and The Mighty Boosh.

In 1999, Diva Zappa released a comedy single called "When the Ball Drops" about her "hunt for someone to make out with on the Millennium".[6] Tipper Gore played drums on the recording[6] and Kristin Gore sang backup vocals.[7]

Since 2002, Diva Zappa has run her own website/business called "Hand Made Beauty" where she sells her own self-designed and made clothing.[8] The clothing is primarily knitted or crocheted, and consists of hats, ponchos and skirts.[9] A percentage of all sales are donated to the Creative Visions Foundation.[8] She was initially taught how to knit by actress Laurie Metcalf.[10] She does not plan her work, preferring instead to work in a spontaneous manner.[10] In 2011, Zappa had her first UK show of "contemporary knitwear art and couture canvases" with an exhibition titled "Bruce" at the Maison Bertaux Gallery in Soho.[11] The exhibition featured an embroidered photograph of her brother Dweezil playing guitar.[11]

A full-length dress she knitted was worn to the 2009 Grammy Awards by Chloé Trujillo, the wife of Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo.[10] She also made a cape for Diablo Cody.[10]

On October 29, 2013, she appeared in the UK premiere of her late father's orchestral work 200 Motels at the Royal Festival Hall, London, playing the role of Groupie 2 (Lucy).[12]

She can be seen in season two of the Netflix show Good Girls as a midwife.

• Diva Zappa at IMDb
• Hand Made Beauty