Montréal artist and songwriter Zach Zoya never ceases to impress.
Having spent the year steadily releasing earworm singles, custom freestyle shorts, and exceptional videos, the “Who Dat” rapper caps off 2020 with the release of his highly anticipated debut EP, Spectrum. A collection of energetic hip-hop, intricate rap, and emotive R&B songs, Spectrum showcases the versatility of Zach Zoya’s artistry as a songwriter, singer and rapper.
“It’s important for me to keep my music diverse through different energies and emotions,” says Zoya.
“The whole point of ‘Spectrum’ is to fuck up the idea of the EP having an overall mood, my point was to represent multiple emotions. Each song has its own emotional depth and impact, its own experience, but together, they represent the full concept of the EP – the spectrum of human emotions.”
Zach Zoya (Photo: Instagram)
Zoya’s melodic approach to songwriting, evident throughout the EP in both his intricately woven percussive rap bars and smooth, expressive vocals, was born out of his experience of being a French-speaking teen who fell in love with American hip-hop. While he couldn’t understand the English lyrics, Zoya understood the emotion of the song through the universal language of melody. When he began writing his own music, he began shaping lyrics into their own melodic or percussive instrument.
“I’m very focused on phonetics and how interesting a phrase is sonically. That’s always been part of my process,” Zoya explains.
In addition to the previously released singles “Slurpee”, “Le Cap” and “In Da Way” (which have racked up almost 1.5 million streams), Spectrum contains three new tracks including the EP’s fourth single “Patience” which features UK artist, songwriter and producer Angel (Frank Ocean, Moneybagg Yo, Stefflon Don). Co-produced by a trio of heavy hitting Toronto producers – JUNO Award-winner Matthew Burnett, Grammy Award-winner Boi-1da and Multi-Platinum selling producer Don Mills – “Patience” is a mid-tempo R&B reflection on the struggle between chasing success and being present enough to enjoy the process.
“‘Patience’ is a precious song, it’s the highlight of the EP for me,” says Zoya.
“It’s about the long and tough road to happiness and the paradox that comes during that chase. I talk about that in the song when I say, ‘Every time I think of joy, I lose a little’ and ‘If I keep chasing happiness I’ll never find it, I think it’s just a matter of where your head is at.’ This song is me trying to remind myself that I’m in happiness right now, living this journey.”
Zach Zoya (Photo: Instagram)
The official video, filmed in Montréal and directed by Zoya’s close collaborator Le GED (the creative visionary also behind the “Slurpee” and “In Da Way” music videos), was released on the same day as the EP.
Along with the Toronto trio, the EP also features production by DRTWRK, Alex Lustig, Neo Maestro, Ruffsound, Realmind and Yami Bougo.
In the months leading up to the release of Spectrum, Zach Zoya’s momentum has not only been building among fans, but also within the music and sports industries. This Fall, Zoya’s singles were prominently featured within the national broadcasts of Games 3 and 5 of the NBA Playoff Series between the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics and this Summer, Zoya was the first artist to be featured in the e-sports team Toronto Ultra’s Artist Spotlight series and to perform virtually for their Call of Duty League Home Series Weekend.
Spectrum is available for streaming on various digital streaming platforms including Apple Music and Spotify via 7ième Ciel/Universal Music Canada.
You can check it out below along with the new “Patience” video.
You can follow @ZachZoya on Instagram.
5 Ways to Support HipHopCanada:
- Submit Your Music
- Follow Canadian Fresh (HipHopCanada’s Spotify Playlist)
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on X (Twitter)
- Like us on Facebook
