Artist Insight is supper happy to reintroduce ZAY. Already featured on Project Unheard previously, ZAY has already released their next album 'Rare' which has already surpassed expectations, receiving nothing but positive feedback.
We were already excited for the future of ZAY and this is just what we needed to know this is an artist to be taken seriously. We really are happy to have a returning Artist on the page and we got a chance to ask ZAY questions about his work ethic and his newest Album 'Rare'.
“Another new album so quick, you must be so proud of your hardwork and dedication!”
Yes!! Every album normally starts with either one song or an album concept. This album started with “Abendrot Eyes” and I continued to write till I ended up with “The Looking Glass”, “Rare”, “March”, “Best Friend” & “Rainbow”. All those songs were written in January, the rest were written in 2020. After I finished recording “March” I then had the concept of a very colorful, fairy garden, rainbow, butterflies kind of aesthetic for the album cover and theme. This album was made very quickly but it's also how I make all my albums. It takes a long time for me to write, but I can record very quickly. I recorded “Waterfalls” in 2 months & I recorded “Rare” in under a month. As you can see, I work very hard on my art.
“What's the message behind this one?”
This album is about being real. About being your authentic self and being the version of you that makes you happy. After turning 17 and realizing that 18 is just around the corner, I knew I had to be real. I had to be rare. I hope after this album comes out and people continue to listen to my story, people will be inspired to be real and rare.
“ How hard is it to consistently to work on and release new music?"
Not hard at all. This is a wonderful example of how I create music. I started with one idea and within a month I have a full tracklist done and album art figured out and music video ideas figured out. I just have to plan when I start putting it out. All the music on waterfalls was written in September. It was all recorded in October and November and then I started releasing in December. Dreaming was written and recorded in 2 weeks. I work really really hard and Im always working on the next project, sometimes even before the current project releases. I'm already almost done on my next project and I'm really excited for it.
"Do you expect this album to have a bigger impact than the last? "
I hope that people love this music. Waterfalls was such a fun experience and it hit 1,000 streams on Spotify. I was so inspired to keep working and reinvent myself and my music. This album is an indie rock, pop-influenced album and it reminds me of dreaming 2.0. It's very catchy and all the songs are very personal. I think that people will really like this album and definitely keep it on repeat.
"Which track was the most fun to work on from this album?"
“The Light” was written in May 2020 and Golden was written in August 2020. These are some of the best songs I've ever written. My dad says that “Golden” is my best work. It was a song that took a long time to record. It's my favorite song on this album. I think that song will be the “Hit” of the album. There are two versions of “The Light” on the album. The album version and then the demo. The album version is more of an acoustic ballad and the demo version is more of a quick pop kind of version. I recorded the demo a couple days after I wrote the song. Those are my favorite songs on the record. Super excited for all my lovely sunflowers to hear it!! Its also coming out during April, which will be 2 years since the “Suicide EP”. Very excited for everyone to hear it.