ZACHARY
ZACHARY makes top tier indie pop. The Brisbane, Australia native has been creating music for nearly a decade, finally making his debut with 2018’s “Moments”. The hit was a feature on Spotify’s Viral Charts and currently has over 500k streams on the platform. While his music is a dynamic mix of sounds and beats, it still remains true to the modern indie pop sound. “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” is the perfect example of this; an incredibly catchy hook paired with the vintage 80’s influence of Madonna. Earlier this year, the artist gave us The Zachary Collection, which features some of his most popular music to date. This includes songs like “Wreckage” and “Tongue Tied”, which both showcase his distinct production style. ZACHARY says that he is always “trying to find new ways to tell (his) story in new songs”. With millions of streams and over 35k monthly listens, it is clear that his efforts have been well received. We recently spoke to the up and comer about this start in the music industry, overcoming writer's block, and more!
How did you start making music?
I started playing guitar and keyboard in church bands when I was thirteen and I quickly fell in love with songwriting as a powerful way to connect with people universally. During my teens, I was in bands and side projects but the idea of a self-produced solo project was always appealing. I grew up learning and listening to songs from Adam Young (Owl City) and Matt Thiessen (Relient K). These songs greatly inspired me to learn the song writing process and without anyone to sing on these songs for me, I decided to give it a go myself!
When you're not making music, what's something you love to do in your spare time?
Great question! I’m usually watching Parks & Rec or Community but recently I’ve been really getting into Virtual Reality! Random I know haha but there’s something about escaping into new worlds that I really like. Similar to music I guess!
You recently released your album The Zachary Collection. What was your favorite song to write off the new album?
Yeah, I did! My favourite song to write off The Zachary Collection was “New York”. I wrote “New York” with a group of friends before my trip to, you guessed it, New York. The song is about proposing to my girlfriend, Chelsea. Every time I listen to New York it reminds of the optimism and ambition of the city. I miss it a bunch!
How do you overcome writer's block?
I spend a lot of time writing for myself and other artists and producers so I stumble through writer's block frequently! The worst thing you can do is get upset/angry with yourself for having writer's block. When I’m stuck or don’t know where to take a track, I will typically go for a walk, put on Parks & Rec or listen to other music to get excited about writing again. It’s okay to walk away from something if you intend to come back!
From where do you draw inspiration for your songs?
I get really excited about other people's work/art. Sometimes that can be music and other times that can be a new video game. Everyone is trying to tell new versions of the human story, so consuming other media inspires the heck out of me! It’s even more special when I’m inspired by events in my life, like getting married or travelling.
Who's someone that you'd love to collaborate with?
I would love to collaborate with Quinn XCII or MAX. It would be amazing to be in the room with Jon Bellion but I’m also okay with just being a fan!
Any future projects that fans can get excited about?
I treat my first two bodies of work The Moments Collection and The Zachary Collection as my ‘mixtapes’. I’m currently working on my debut album project coming out in 2021… but that’s as much as I can say! Haha!
