An artist I’ve been stoked on lately is Zaia. The newcomer really impressed us with recent singles “BLUE” and “WASTE MY TIME,” that latter of which we had the pleasure of premiering. Now the Atlanta-based artist has shared his full RESET EP, that has a full visual component to go along with the music. Each song has it’s own video that all combine to tell the overarching story of the EP, bringing the music to life. We were able to catch up with Zaia about the project, in which he revealed what the concept means to him. Be sure to check out the interview below while you’re here.
Zaia has a genre-blending sound that reminds me a bit of Cautious Clay, but with more of a hip-hop edge. He takes influences from hip-hop, R&B, funk, rock, soul as he tosses it all in a blender to create distinct sound that’s immediately recognizable. The EP as a whole takes listeners through the process of grief with each song representing a different stage. He takes a unique approach to music, with the full EP showing off various styles and remains impressive throughout. Don’t sleep on Zaia as he’s an artist that’s poised to make some serious waves in the near future. Enjoy!
Zaia – RESET EP
Congrats on getting the EP out there! How does it feel to get this out there?
Hey, thank you for listening to it. It always feels good to release new music, especially when you feel like the music is progressing. It’s hard to sit on it. I want everyone to bump it as much as I do.
What is the story and meaning behind the project?The concept I was thinking of when I created the project was basically the reset of your mind state after losing someone close to you. In this case, I wasn’t speaking on death but relationship wise and how similar the feelings and emotions could be.
You blend a number of different sounds in your music. What is your musical background?
I started doing music about 3 years ago when I was in high school. When I started making music was when I started going back and listening to people like Kid Cudi, Tame Impala, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, really anybody who my friends would play or I’d hear and go look up. I just soaked in it all. Before that I didn’t really have a musical background. I would just either listen to the oldies my mom played in the car, or songs that played on the radio.
Any specific influences affecting you on this release?
I don’t really even know. I don’t really think about it in that way when I’m creating. I watched a few documentaries on older rock bands and leading up to recording the project I was listening to a lot of Curtis Mayfield. Other than that I was listening to the music that was releasing or old albums saved on my phone, not trying to gain influences just listening.
What can fans look forward to next?
Better music!!!! Better quality and more intimate music, meaning me being more open with thoughts and how I feel so people could feel closer and hopefully relate more to the music. I Want people to really understand me and I want people to know that somebody understands them too.