Diandra Interviews Zach Zoya: Music On A Spectrum
With the release of “In Da Way,” Zach Zoya is introducing a new layer to his artistry. He can be as fun as “Slurpee,” as cocky as “Le Cap,” and as vulnerable as “In Da Way.” For him, life runs on a Spectrum, which is also the title of his upcoming EP. With so many personalities and histories, even within one person, he is using his music to capture everything about life: with the hopes of reaching Drake’s level of penmanship and even creating a Harry Potter mixtape. In our interview, we discuss his new single, the pride he has for being at his “best-case scenario,” and his love of space and ice hockey.
Diandra: If you were any flavor of Slurpee, which would you be and why?
Zach: That neon green lime flavour, for sure, because it’s just the best, let’s face it.
Diandra: With some of your inspirations being Kendrick Lamar and Drake, if you could have one thing from each of their talents and styles, what would it be?
Zach: Hmm, Kendrick’s vocabulary and Drake’s penmanship like, his affinity for punchlines
Diandra: What inspired “In Da Way”?
Zach: The feeling of being in a different and better place now than when I first started, and how that affected the way people treat and see me.
Diandra: How do you feel this track contrasts “Slurpee”, and introduces a new layer of your artistry to the world?
Zach: It showcases more of my melodic abilities and is definitely more grounded in reality. It’s really a story from start to finish as opposed to “Slurpee,” which was written for that mosh pit energy.
Diandra: Who or what are the biggest barriers that have been in your way that you have conquered?
Zach: Good question, a lot to do with restraint. I wasn’t really disciplined in my work flow before. I figured if it wasn’t always fun, I wasn’t on the right track. Now I understand that some things need to be treated like homework – it’s demanding, exhausting, but the pay-off is so much more gratifying.
Diandra: “Le Cap” is a “cocky song” as you have called it. What are you most confident about in terms of yourself and your music/career?
Zach: I’m proud of many things I do, and definitely feel like I have nothing to envy from most people or other artists. However, it’s when I sing or show a bit more of my R&B melodic side that I know I can’t go wrong. I’m also very confident that, career wise, I couldn’t have positioned myself better considering where I’m from. I feel like the life I’m living is one of the best if not THE best-case scenario. In other words, I’m seeing a level a success that makes me think “Aight, we’re handling this, we’re doing it the right way.”
Diandra: What are the themes people will find in your upcoming EP?
The goal was to portray different emotions through different songs. So it’s more states of mind than themes, but you can expect carelessness and overconfidence as well as vulnerability, displays of affection, and a lot of introspection.
Diandra: Why did you choose to call it Spectrum?
Zach: The idea is that everything in life is on a spectrum. It’s never really ONE thing. Colours, sounds, preference, skin colour, political affiliation, etc. We love to put ourselves in boxes and label things when in reality, most things are in-between. I see my music as basically me documenting the world around and within myself, and I think it would be a great disservice and insult to the richness and beauty of the work to only tap into one specific emotion or topic.
So I’m basically establishing that I want to address every facet of my identity and tap into everything. I’m saying “This is what I do, and I’m gonna try to cover it all.” Not just happy songs, not just lovey-dovey ones, not just rap ones but not just sung ones either, I want to showcase as many sides of the “spectrum” of life as possible. Like I said, I’ve yet to hear of one thing that’s not ultimately on some kind of spectrum. Personality types, colours, sound frequencies, political ideals, skin colour, nationality… I could go on.
Diandra: What is your favourite family memory with music?
Zach: When I was a kid, on the weekends or whenever someone was visiting, there would always be a moment where we would all gather in the living room, and dance and sing, just letting it all out, listening to the medleys with songs ranging from like Nelly Furtado to Fela Kuti with a little 50 Cent in there. Simpler times.
Diandra: What childhood video game, movie, book, or even toy did you most enjoy and how would you turn it into a love song? Can you provide one verse?
Zach: I read the whole Harry Potter series a good two if not three times and the sense of wonder and amazement I remember getting from that would definitely be love song material. Imma keep that verse in the bank for now though lol. Remember this moment when I drop my “magically in love” mixtape couple years from now.
Diandra: What is a story about your life that you will definitely put into music one day?
Zach: I would love to talk about my dad’s amazing come-up story one day. It’s not really MY story but it becomes it sooo…
Diandra: What are 4 random facts about you that if someone doesn’t know, then they don’t know you?
Zach:
- That I love Shepard’s pie
- That I love space and space stuff
- That I’m always late but just by a little
- That I played ice hockey for a good minute
