In this episode, artist Zach Paradis discusses his rise from Cleveland to Los Angeles, blending pop, hip hop, and R&B in his music. Zach recounts live music experience including his first concert at a music festival called Alive and his best concert experience seeing Allen Stone at the Grog Shop in Cleveland. Zach also discusses his time at Reach Records in Atlanta where he worked as a recording engineer, and his collaboration with artists like 1K Phew and Tadashi. He shares insights into his songwriting process, notable performances, and viral moments, including a video with Crash Adams that amassed millions of views. Zach also talks about his new single 'Hurricane' and upcoming plans for his debut album and tour.
In this episode of 'Seeing Them Live,' Charles interviews Zach Paradis, a Cleveland-born artist now based in Los Angeles, known for blending pop, hip hop, and R&B influences. Zach discusses the overwhelming success of a viral video he did with Crash Adams, which garnered millions of views across various platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. He delves into his early music experiences, including his first concert at a music festival called Alive and his best concert experience seeing Allen Stone at the Grog Shop in Cleveland.
Zach also recounts his career beginnings at Reach Records in Atlanta, working as a recording engineer, and how that shaped his musical journey. He reveals that he transitioned from attempting to rap to finding his true voice in singing, which he has been developing since. Zach mentions various collaborations with other artists and highlights how these partnerships have significantly influenced his career.
He discusses his recent release 'Hurricane,' a song that explores the idea of finding calm amidst life's chaos. Zach reflects on the different interpretations of the song by listeners, highlighting the subjective nature of music. Finally, Zach talks about his current tour, his upcoming debut album, and his plans to continue producing and releasing new music.
BANDS: Alive, Allen Stone, Benny, Chris Jameson, Crash Adams, Drake, Future, Jalen Sean, Kevin Chung, Migos, Roy Woods, Tadashi, WHATUPRG.
VENUES: Clay's Park, Grog Shop, Hotel Cafe, Phillips Arena, Shuba's Tavern, Subterranean.
[00:00:24] Zach: It was crazy 'cause it, they posted it on the different platforms they posted on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. And like Instagram, I think it got like something like 56 million. I think it did it even a little bit more on TikTok. YouTube did a couple. Yeah, like maybe around the 30, 40 million. Like it was wild.
[00:00:42] Charles: Today's guest is Zach Paradis. Zach is a Cleveland born artist now based in Los Angeles, known for blending pop, hip hop, and R&B influences. His music emphasizes honest storytelling and dynamic production, promising listeners and engaging [00:01:00] experience. His new track Hurricane showcases Zach's signature emotive vocals and thought-provoking lyrics, drawing listeners into a whirlwind of raw emotion and personal reflection. Zach made the leap to Los Angeles not just to make music, but to become the artist he was meant to be. Zach, welcome to Seeing Them Live.
[00:01:20] Zach: Hey, thank you so much. It's so great to be here.
[00:01:22] Charles: Yeah. And I'd also like to give a shout out to Mike at Earshot Media for setting up this interview between us. So, Thanks Mike. Appreciate it.
[00:01:28] Zach: Definitely. Thanks Mike.
[00:01:30] Charles: So Zach, I thought we would go kind of in order here, so to speak. Touching on your concert experiences and then move to your music.
[00:01:37] Zach: Sure. Yeah. Let's do it. Sounds great.
[00:01:39] Charles: So yeah, you were like eight or nine years old, I guess. and your, your sister, or you hopped a ride with your, sister to go to this, music festival called Alive.
[00:01:50] Zach: Mm-hmm.
[00:01:51] Charles: A three-day music festival in Mural City, Ohio. At least that's where the most current one is. I didn't know if it was still taking place there or not.
[00:01:59] Zach: Yeah, I, [00:02:00] I think, I think that's the actual town that it's in. It's, there's a, like a water park there called Clay's Park, and they kind of take over the water parks area, or at least back when I went, that's what they were doing. I'm not sure if they're still doing that, but, yeah, it's kind of just like a little bit southern Ohio, I believe.
[00:02:17] because I was born and raised in Cleveland as we were talking about. But yeah, my sisters were going. They had it all, you know, planned out. And then I think two of their friends, at least one of their friends backed out. And so they had this extra ticket and no one to bring except for me, who was like eight or nine or something like that and had nothing to do during the summer.
[00:02:36] And yeah, so that, that became my first like real experience. Saw a bunch of different bands. And it was fun. It like a festival experience, small bands. That had like thousands of people waiting on the lawn for them and everything like that. So, it was just a very cool, diverse kind of like experience. And it was, like I said, think that was my first concert. I don't know, it was a cool way to get your, get your feet wet.
[00:02:58] Charles: Yeah. So, you guys just went like for [00:03:00] one day of the three days then?
[00:03:01] Zach: No, we went the whole time. 'cause I remember camping. Yeah, it was tent camping. Yeah. Because, it was, my sisters like traded off because I think one of them were, were free at the beginning of it. And then the like I think my sister Katie started and my sister Laura finished it out. But yeah, it was, it was the real deal. Yeah. Tent, camping, everything, you know. had to like, basically like, I don't know if we took showers, it was more like we just like went in the river, like kind of washed off. It was kind of grimy. Honestly, when I think about it now.
[00:03:27] Charles: Yeah, that's a, that's quite an adventure for an eight or 9-year-old that, that sounds like a real cool weekend or, or what have you.
[00:03:34] Zach: Oh yeah. I was very down for it.
[00:03:36] Charles: Yeah, I was interviewing this guy, Benny. And he said, almost as important when you're that young is not just the ticket, but the ride to get to the venue or how you're gonna get to the place. So, that's really cool story. Yeah, I looked up the current lineup, you know, over the three days, and, and we'll talk about this a little bit, Zach, when you, we go into your music, but you worked at this place, uh, in Atlanta called, a record labelcalled, Reach Records. And one of the, one of the recording artists I, I took a look at, you know, who they had on there and they were playing that Alive Festival.
[00:04:09] Zach: That's crazy. Yeah. Yeah. No. Yeah. Yeah, you said it is, uh, 1K Phew, right?
[00:04:13] Charles: Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
[00:04:15] Zach: Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I, I do know him. That's very cool actually. It's kind of a crazy full circle moment. And actually, even cooler full circle moment is, um, so I'm currently on tour with Abe Parker, a singer songwriter based in Atlanta, Georgia, but he's from Ohio as well.
[00:04:30] Grew up going to Alive as well, and maybe five years ago, something like that. I actually went and supported him 'cause he played a set at Alive. So that's a cool like little full circle moment for sure. Um, blazing hot Ohio summer, tons of humidity. We were in this tent that felt like it was trapping the heat even more. But yeah, it was a cool little like, uh, I don't know, like a little, end of the, not end of the chapter, but just a cool full circle moment, you know?
[00:05:00] Charles: Yeah, I mean, just imagine from. What a great story. You, as a little kid sitting in this tent, you know, camping out, seeing all these bands and stuff then. And, you to kind, interact with it again on a professional level. Kinda crazy.
[00:05:14] Zach: No, it's very cool. It would've been interesting to tell myself that when I went there as like an 8-year-old. Hey, you're actually gonna come back and play this one day. Like, oh. Because at that, point I didn't even really, like, I didn't even have an interest in doing music professionally at that point, you know? I was just trying to not be in school and just play outside.
[00:05:30] Charles: Yeah, then you hit, you put down for your best concert, Zach, this Allen Stone show.
[00:05:35] Zach: Mm-hmm. So good.
[00:05:37] Charles: Yeah. This place called Grog Shop in Cleveland. And it has a capacity of about 400 people, I guess. So small club. This was 2014.
[00:05:46] Zach: Yeah.
[00:05:46] Charles: At least according to my, uh, sources on the internet.
[00:05:49] Zach: No, that's when I remember going as well.
[00:05:51] Charles: Okay. So, I started reading up on it a little bit and this music publication, Kryptonite Music magazine. I forget who the journalist was, but, um, [00:06:00] said that that was the longest set that they had ever seen performed at the Grog Shop. So, I was like, Zach. was that a good one, I guess, huh?
[00:06:10] Zach: Yeah, I, I got to witness history, I guess.
[00:06:12] Charles: Yeah. So, there was, like, I, I read, there was this opening act, Chris Jameson, he, he, I guess he maybe was on the NBC, the voice.
[00:06:20] Zach: Oh, okay. I don't remember. So, I think we got there a little late. So I think we missed part of the opener step, unfortunately, because I'm sure he was great.
[00:06:30] Charles: Okay. Yeah. So, I was, um, you know, I was just reading about how he brought people from the crowd, I guess, uh, onto the stage during the encore and such.
[00:06:40] Zach: Mm-hmm.
[00:06:41] Charles: What was that like, what was your experience there, like in that crowd at that time?
[00:06:44] Zach: Oh gosh. I mean, it was just like. He is so good live. 'cause his talent just speaks volumes. Like he, he could get up there and sing the ABCs and it'd be great. But then his band was just like the tightest, like they were so locked in with each other and it felt like they were just genuinely having fun.
[00:07:04] And that kind of energy is just infectious. 'cause like the whole crowd started just loosening up. Everybody's like, oh, we're just here having a good time. It's almost like he was just like throwing a party and we were all invited rather than like, yeah, being on stage and there's distance and anything like that.
[00:07:17] And it didn't, it felt very unified. And then also the sound was so good, 'cause he was traveling with his own front of house engineer I think at that time. And, my dad came, and my dad's like a big audio guy. He's the reason that I kind of got into more of the technical side of music as well. I remember the whole time he's just like, who do they have running this? Why does it sound so good?
[00:07:36] But it was just like, it was, everything was done excellently. Like the, the band was great. His energy on stage was great. The sound was great. The fans were ready for a good show. Like very engaged fans. And he just, he just delivered. It was so good. It was just like, it felt like you were part of like a special moment.
[00:07:54] And to this day, that is still the best concert that I've ever been to. And I've seen, I've seen Alan Stone one other time, butit was more of like a solo thing and it was still really good. But Alan Stone with a band though, is where it's at. He crushes in that context. So good.
[00:08:08] Charles: Cool.
[00:08:08] Zach: Gotta check him out.
[00:08:10] Charles: Yeah. So, I didn't know if you wanted to talk about this Drake show in 2016.
[00:08:14] Zach: Sure. I'll talk about it.
[00:08:16] Charles: Well, obviously must have been a Drake fan, right? Or you are?
[00:08:19] Zach: Yeah. Even still, I mean, I don't know. Last, last year was a tough year to be a Drake fan, so hanging on by a thread after the Kendrick beef. No, I was, especially during that time, 'cause it was a summer 2016 tour, I was a big Drake fan. I was living in Atlanta and he came to; I think it was the Phillips Arena.
[00:08:37] He had Future opening up for him and a few other people on his label. I think it was like Roy Woods on Ovio. But I think it was just, up until that point I'd gone to the, the exception of that festival I'd gone to mainly smaller, so like medium sized shows where like, you know, you feel like you get a good look at everybody, you get to hear the sound and everything.
[00:08:57] From the moment we like, you know, everything was [00:09:00] expensive, the ticket was expensive. Getting to the arena was expensive. We had to Uber and it was, you know, just like whatever. And it's hectic. There's a ton of people going there. But then we were just so far from the stage and like off to the side and it's like, why did I do this? Like this is just his whole, this is his music, but just like louder and like more echoey.
[00:09:21] Charles: Yeah.
[00:09:22] Zach: Yeah, I don't know. It just like. It didn't hold up. And that was, I was going to a lot of hip hop concerts at that time. I think there's just a different, there's gotta be a different expectation when you're going to a hip hop show, because it's not as, you're not capturing as much of this like unique one-time experience just because so much of it is tracks, you know?
[00:09:40] Charles: Yeah.
[00:09:40] Zach: it was just, I think that wasn't even due to the fact that it was hip hop though, because. That and singer songwriter ironically are like my favorite genres. But I think that just made me realize like, oh, stadium, stadium tours are a whole different vibe that are not quite as fun.
[00:09:55] Charles: Yeah. Yeah. And you were saying like people are like pretty much shouting the lyrics to all the songs and you couldn't really hear performers.
[00:10:03] Zach: Yeah. It's like, hey, do you want to hear the, the song that you like louder but worse? Like just a bunch of people shouting off key. But maybe I should have been like, drunk or something. I don't know. Maybe I was too sober. I probably would've been more fun the other way.
[00:10:16] Charles: Yeah, it's definitely a different vibe that those, you know, big venues obviously.
[00:10:21] Zach: Yeah.
[00:10:22] Charles: You had as a surprising thing that happened to you at a concert was, you went to go see one of your friend's bands play. The bassist made a marriage proposal.
[00:10:31] Zach: Yeah. And she said yes.
[00:10:33] Charles: Oh, good. Okay.
[00:10:34] Zach: Yeah, that was great. The local band here in LA called Good Luck Kid, and a bassist player, his name is Edmond. And, they had it to where like pretty much. At the end of the set, they're like pausing to take a photo or something. They're like, all right, everybody on, or this might have been at the end.
[00:10:49] They're like, let's take a picture of the band on stage real quick. All right, now the band and their like significant others. And they went on stage. And then he just turned around and dropped one knee and like she was the only one left on stage. He was great. But that was definitely surprising and a positive surprise. It wasn't like something crazy bad happened. But no, it was a great time. So shout out to Good Luck Kid, and shout out to Edmund. But definitely a surprise.
[00:11:11] Charles: What, year was that? Was that just recently?
[00:11:12] Zach: That was just last year. That was 2024. Yeah. At a Hotel Cafe in uh, uh, in Hollywood. Yeah.
[00:11:18] Charles: Cool. Yeah, best of luck to them. Well, Zach, I thought maybe, you know, we could talk about your music a little bit here. I've got kind of a timeline; we could kind of go in order. We don't have to; we could jump around.
[00:11:30] Zach: Sure.
[00:11:31] Charles: But, as we mentioned earlier, you worked at this record label called Reach Records. And from what I was reading, and I can't remember where I was reading this, were you a producer there or something?
[00:11:42] Zach: I was on staff as a recording engineer. Yeah. So, I was recording a ton of vocals. When I was working there, there was about eight or nine artists. So small boutique label, but doing really well for themselves. And, I interned there right out of my college program, cause I had to get an internship in order to graduate and I had sent on my resume to a bunch of different places in Cleveland because I was still living there and nobody got back to me except for Reach Records and they were the only out-of-state one that I had applied to.
[00:12:06] So yeah, that was all the way back in 2015. Went there and interned for three months over the summer, and then they offered me a job and I was like, yeah, I'll move for this. It was like, it was with music that I had already been aware of and had been a fan of, and it was doing exactly what I went to school for.
[00:12:21] And I was like, yeah, I can't pass this up. So, that's, how I got started in the music industry in like a, an actual professional sense, just recording tons and tons of vocals, and all hip hop. So that was fun. And like I was there, it was just funny 'cause I love hip hop, but I'm also like this like scrawny white kid, who loves like acoustic guitar, like sad music.
[00:12:43] And so I would like get into these phases where I'd listen to a bunch of, like trap because it's also Atlanta in the 20, like teens, which is like just everything is trap. You got like Migos, Future, just everybody's like coming out of Atlanta, Lil Baby.
[00:12:57] And it's like running the sound of hip hop and hip hop is like arguably the most popular genre at the time. So just everything is hip hop. And then after a while, like I, I'd be doing like sessions all week for like trap stuff. I'd like just listen to like city and color or like something on the way back home, just something that's not 808s all the time because I love 808s, but my ears are starting to hurt.
[00:13:17] So yeah, it was good times though. Good time to be in Atlanta. Grew a lot as a person, but definitely grew a lot as an engineer and that's when I started producing. I wasn't like on staff as a producer, but just being in the rooms and being able to develop relationships with the artists like 1K Phew being one of them and also Tadahi, WHATUPRG. And then there's a young kid who wasn't signed when I met him. His name is Holdi. He's doing really well now.
[00:13:39] He would come over to my house on a weekly basis and we just, like, I was just recording him for free and helping develop his sound a little bit. And now he's, it's cool. He's like really grown a ton. He just got off a 32-city tour or something like that, like just this past week. So, he's doing well. He's doing well. But yeah, shout out to Reach Records. It was great. That's how I got my start, essentially.
[00:13:58] Charles: Yeah. Is that how you also then did you start putting down your own vocal tracks then at that point too and singing?
[00:14:04] Zach: Yeah. I was in a band when I was still in Cleveland, just with my two buddies. We played like two or three shows. Nothing crazy. But we had a very like, genuine love of just making stuff and that got harder to keep up. Once, you know, I moved away. I am not local anymore. And so, I started making stuff just kind of on my own.
[00:14:21] So I was always writing, but I wasn't always singing or vocally delivering the stuff. Ironically. I, like, before I moved to Atlanta, I was trying to rap all the time, and that stopped, once I started working on an actual record label. I was like, oh yeah, that's not me. Okay, let me try singing. And I started doing that and, yeah, like I think the first song I put out, I just put out on Song Cloud, but like the first solo release I had was in 2016 after I'd been working there at Reach for about seven months.
[00:14:47] It was also just like a great outlet for me. And I was processing a lot, like moving away from home for the first time. I was very homesick. You know, missing all my friends, missing my family. Just like navigating, adapting to a new city, different vibe, everything. So, I was using music as an outlet to process a lot of sadness. A lot of like questions about like, where do we go from here? What am I doing? And also like, life is great, but also life is hard.
[00:15:10] And yeah, I was 19 and then started my early twenties and just that, that time of life, I think for a lot of people, but especially for me, I'll speak for myself, came with a lot of like identity questions and trying to figure out life and what I was doing.
[00:15:22] So music was the outlet for that. And, yeah, I put out a little EP that has since been stricken from the record called Half-Hearted. It had some little bops on it, but you know, elevated past it since then, so. But yeah, it was just me trying to process all that.
[00:15:35] Charles: Well, that's kind of kind of funny, like, yeah, I'll try out this singing thing and just, I mean, from my perspective, listening to your music, it's like, oh my God, your voice is like fantastic.
[00:15:47] Zach: Oh, thank you so much.
[00:15:48] Charles: I sort of stumble onto it like, oh, let me try this singing thing.
[00:15:51] Zach: Well, it was definitely like, what do they say? Necessity is the mother of invention. It was like I didn't have anybody to sing, so I started singing. The thing that got me through was that I just really liked doing it. It was very fun. I come from a musical family, like all my sisters sing.
[00:16:03] Even my brother Jesse, I think could have a great voice, but he always like, just jokes his way out of it. Once, like his voice will crack a little bit and then he just makes a joke. I'm like, ah, if you work through that, you probably have a great voice. But I just really enjoyed doing it. It was like, I was an engineer and I knew how to make myself sound better than I did when I started. And I think that gave me enough delusion to keep going until my actual talent could keep up with it. So, it is funny 'cause I did kind of just stumble into it. Now it's like my whole deal. So, very funny how life works.
[00:16:29] Charles: In the introduction, when I read your emotive, vocal range or what have you, and I might be categorizing this incorrectly, but it's like you have a great singing voice, but then you do this. Is that like a falsetto thing?
[00:16:41] Zach: Yeah.
[00:16:42] Charles: God. I mean, I couldn't even approach that, you know, like, it's like amazing, you know?
[00:16:47] Zach: I appreciate that. No, that's been, I mean, that's been a really helpful tool for me being able to flip into falsetto. And even that though, it's funny because I can't like belt sing, so a lot of times for the high notes I'll lean into like the more vulnerable sounding, softer like falsetto stuff. So, I think I've been just leaning into weaknesses, leaning into different things that I can do, I guess in a more unique way. Yeah, the falsetto is definitely a little weapon. That's the little Justin Timberlake influence too. I'll try to sing Cry Me a River and all that kind of stuff. Show me how to do it Justin.
[00:17:36] Ray and Mike: Hey everybody, it's Ray the Roadie and this is Hollywood Mike with the Rock and Roll Chicago Podcast coming to you from the Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66 in Joliet, Illinois, where once a week we are interviewing local musicians and singer songwriters and the podcast itself covers a wide range of topics.
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[00:18:06] Jessica Cantina: Hi, I'm Jessica Ann Catina. I've always loved music and surround myself with it every day. I've sung in choirs, took digital musical classes in college, and used to work in radio to further share my knowledge and. Experience with others. I created this podcast music Notes with Jess in 2019. I'm so fortunate of the listener growth and hearing back from some of the celebs I discussed in past episodes.
[00:18:39] That's why now I'm ready to expand, so let's have fun taking weekly music notes of throwbacks, modern hits and media. Thank you. Talk to you soon on music Notes with Jess.
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[00:19:43] Jamie: Hi, this is Jamie James on Seeing Them Live. We all have our first concert stories, so please share them. We'd love to hear yours.
[00:20:03] Charles: Zach, when I was looking at your, you know, I'll call it a discography, I guess, your recordings.
[00:20:08] Zach: Sure.
[00:20:09] Charles: Maybe the earliest one you'd mentioned that 2016 recording isn't out there anymore, but I saw this one, For Real is the name of the track. May 12th, 2017. So, is that kinda where you started releasing?
[00:20:23] Zach: Yeah. That's crazy. Yeah. That was a SoundCloud release, and then I eventually put on Spotify. That was that summer, yeah. 2017. I did that one, and then a song called Olivia. Both in the same summer and it was kind of a foray into starting to try to do my own stuff. And, also like take a stronger stance in the production. Like really try to figure that out.
[00:20:42] I was actually still working for, Real, I was working with one of the guys from Ohio who was in my band back in the day. Uh, his name is Zach Lander. He played the guitar part. What I love about that time, was that we were so new to everything and everything was so exciting. Like he played a guitar chord progression, like the coolest progression ever. I would add drums, it would be like, those are the sickest drums. Everything was so new and so fresh and so exciting. We took so much pride in it because, you know, we're doing it all from scratch.
[00:21:06] Yeah, it was just great. And like, putting together songs, songs, like the whole, like structuring a song, putting 'em together has always been pretty natural for me. But I think there are some things in life that I overthink, and like making songs and writing all that kind of stuff has never been one of 'em.
[00:21:20] It's always been pretty much just like, oh yeah, we, we do this. And then that's the verse. And then obviously we do another melody, and that's the pre. That leaves the hook, which is our catchiest parts. Yeah. Let's do this melody. And like, that was just a very fun time. Exciting time for both, For Real. And Olivia, during that summer in 2017.
[00:21:34] The release in 2016 was very exploratory. I didn't really promote it either. Even if I was trying to, I didn't really know how to promote anything. It was very much so just for me and for what I was processing, and then for anybody really from Ohio, you know, my friends from Ohio who are still invested in like me doing music and stuff.
[00:21:49] But, then these two songs were like, no, I'm actually like trying at this. I'm gonna see if I can get better. For Real, or Olivia was also the first time I tried like really playing guitar on something. And it's like the most basic chords ever. It's like G, E, C, A minor. I think there's a B minor in there though, really switching it up. But it was all exploratory. It was all fun. It was all just like seeing what could happen. And I was 20 at that point. 21. Yeah. 21.
[00:22:11] Charles: Okay.
[00:22:12] Zach: And yeah. Fun times.
[00:22:14] Charles: Welllike then a year later, I noticed that, you released this song or maybe a little more than a year in October of 2018 called You Were Made for Light.
[00:22:23] Zach: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
[00:22:24] Charles: And that was picked up on this TV show they played it in an episode.
[00:22:29] Zach: Yeah, yeah, yeah. VH1 Black Ink crew. I believe it was Chicago, or was it New York?
[00:22:34] Charles: I think it's Chicago. Yeah.
[00:22:35] Zach: Yeah, that was great. So, shout out to Chad Pearson. Chad Pearson, who is my manager currently. He was at that time and then we took a break and now he is again, so that's why I say currently. But he had got me connected with a synch company and they were pitching my songs to different stuff.
[00:22:49] And this is one that caught, and it was really, honestly like a pretty beautiful moment. I had written that song in a very vulnerable moment to a girl that I was dating at the time, very sweet girl who was just dealing with [00:23:00] some things and I was just trying to like encourage her and like she was in a very low place, very dark place.
[00:23:04] And I just wanted to have this reminder, like, you're in this hard place and it feels wrong, it feels tough because that's not what you were made for. You were made for the light. You were made for, for good things. You were made to be living in like wholeness and all this kind of stuff.
[00:23:16] And so I'd written her this song and then it was really cool that it got picked up because they used it in a very emotional part of, uh, the episode. And I think a lot of people who were watching the show really resonated with the song 'cause a lot of people found me through that song. I'm on tour now with Abe Parker and we just played a show in Phoenix and one of the guys came up to me after the Phoenix Show. I got introduced to your music through Black Ink Crew, which I thought was very funny and wild. 'cause that was also several years ago at this point.
[00:23:38] But yeah, they gave me a little shout out at the end of the episode. It was like, music by Zach Paradis. So, a lot of people were able to find me. It was a really surreal moment. Also, first time having anything that I made be on TV. That's a really cool feeling. I don't know. It feels like not real. Very dope. I hope it happens again.
[00:23:56] Charles: Yeah, I was thinking just like how, affirming that would be they're putting it in an episode of this TV show. That's really cool.
[00:24:04] Zach: And to see it like with your own eyes and be like, oh, this actually does fit, like this actually is pretty cool in this scene, you know?
[00:24:09] Charles: Yeah. But then, you know, I noticed Zach, you release songs pretty regularly and you had this, I guess this album with, I don't know how you say Egomi.
[00:24:21] Zach: Egomi. Yeah. Yeah. yeah. Mm-hmm.
[00:24:22] Charles: Yeah. That was in 2020.
[00:24:23] Zach: Yeah. Right before everything shut down.
[00:24:26] Charles: Yeah.
[00:24:26] Zach: Yeah. We're all just growing up.
[00:24:28] Charles: And, I noticed too, along with this artist, you also collaborate with at least a couple other people I saw if, if not more.
[00:24:37] Zach: Yeah. Definitely a lot of people. I think that also stems from, I really like collaborating, but I think it also lends itself to what I do very naturally because, I'm producing and writing with people constantly. And sometimes, it just seems to make sense. Like as I'm writing a song with somebody, it's like, oh, well, you know, what do you think if you just either stayed on reverse or what if you took the chorus? I take the whatever, you know.
[00:24:55] And I just, I'm a big fan of collaboration. I think it makes the songs more exciting. And also like I've gotten a lot of help from fellow artists through collaborations. Like, I have a song with my friend Kevin Chung. I have a couple songs with my friend Jalen Sean.
[00:25:08] Even a few with Tadashi who's on, uh, Reach Records, and all these different songs have really like helped lift my numbers up as well on Spotify. So, I'm really grateful. I feel like it's happened naturally very often and it's just fun. The new batch of music that I'm working on now has a little bit less collaborations because I'm trying to put a bit more of a stake in the ground of like, this is the Zach Paradis, I sound, this is what we're doing.
[00:25:30] Because that's maybe the only downside to collaborating is that unless it's a really good genre match already, it can kind of dilute your sound a little bit, or expand your sound depending on your perspective. But I've noticed that my sonic characteristics have been a little bit more varied than I think I'd like them to be.
[00:25:45] I'm trying to kind of narrow 'em down so that people know what they're getting when they come to me. But, yeah, done a lot of collaborations and been able to produce and write for other people. I have a two-part dream. The first part is be an artist and like make a living off that. And then the second part is keep writing songs and producing songs like forever and doing that for other people is the way to do it. And, I love being able to have an idea and then present it to somebody else and they make it larger than you. It becomes this moment rather than just this idea I had in my bedroom. So, lots of pluses.
[00:26:13] Charles: Like a natural combination of you and the other artists. From what I saw, on your videos, and it may be, yeah, it is your production and stuff, influencing it too, but, it's like seamless.
[00:26:24] Zach: Yeah.
[00:26:25] Charles: You know? Like they just go together perfectly.
[00:26:28] Zach: Yeah. That's great to hear. Yeah.
[00:26:29] Charles: Zach, this is sort of a collaboration, I guess.
[00:26:32] Zach: Okay. Yeah.
[00:26:33] Charles: With what you did with these guys, Crash Adams.
[00:26:36] Zach: Sure. Yeah.
[00:26:38] Charles: This video, they were in Hollywood, right? I, could see the Walk of Fame stars.
[00:26:43] Zach: yep, yep. We were right on Hollywood Boulevard.
[00:26:45] Charles: I guess it was funny. They're looking for somebody who can rap or whatever, or sing.
[00:26:51] Zach: Yep.
[00:26:51] Charles: So, there's a few people and they're like, nah, nah, I don't do that. And then they come up to you and I think you say like, nah, I don't rap, but I sing a little bit, which I thought was hilarious.
[00:27:00] Zach: Yeah.
[00:27:00] Charles: Okay. Yeah. You sing a little bit, right? Sure.
[00:27:03] Zach: You gotta play it off, you Know? Gotta be cool. Gotta be humble.
[00:27:09] Charles: And then, yeah, and then, yeah, you just light it up, man, on the sidewalk with these guys.
[00:27:13] Zach: Yeah.
[00:27:14] Charles: Yeah, it went, you got what? 26 million views?
[00:27:17] Zach: Even more than that. It was actually, it was crazy 'cause it, they posted it on the different platforms they posted on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. And like Instagram. I think it got like something like 56 million. I think it did it even a little bit more on TikTok. YouTube did a couple, like maybe around the 30, 40 million. Like it was wild. And I had 5,000 Instagram followers at the start of it, and I went up all the way to 120,000 and a lot of people have unfollowed since that moment, but just like shout out to them for having such a platform and then choosing to share it because the visibility that it gave me was wild.
[00:27:50] So wild. And, yeah, tons of growth happened at that point, and I was already putting out a lot of music. But once that happened. I was like, all right, I'm making Tik Toks every day. I am putting music out, every like three or two weeks. I am doing like; I am trying to ride this train till I can't anymore.
[00:28:06] And since then, things have slowed down a little bit. But, no, they, they gave me a huge bump, and the guys at Crash Adams, Raf and Vince, the nicest guys, super great guys, um, very generous with their platform. Yeah. And they've, like, I'm not the only one that they've really benefited. Like they've, they've done this with a bunch of different artists and it's really, really great of them, really generous of them.
[00:28:28] And, they're killing it. They got great content, great songs, and their kindness and their generosity, I think is what's gonna ultimately keep propelling them forward because they're just, they're just solid dudes.
[00:28:38] Charles: Yeah, they seem like really nice guys. But Zach, so your latest song is called Hurricane, right? It's available now. It's a song about someone you knew, or know.
[00:28:49] Zach: Yeah. No, it's um, it's kind of a sad song. It's, it's funny 'cause I almost look like. I'll explain my perspective of it, but it's funny 'cause I've, I've seen people comment on my posts and they have very different interpretations of the song like that are very different than what I had in mind when I wrote it.
[00:29:07] And I think that's so interesting. Like, 'cause, 'cause this, the song when I wrote it was about a, uh, like a relationship that didn't end up working out, but it was a short-term relief in like the chaos of life. The first verse talks about how, you know, life feels like it's just one storm after another, but like here in this moment with you, it's so quiet and it's like you found the eye of the hurricane.
[00:29:27] It's like, as soon as I step out of this door, I'll be back in like the, the, the strong winds and the rain and everything like, but right now I'm right in the calm, you know? Yeah, the song means a lot to me, but it definitely has a sad overtone. Like somebody commented like, just waiting for a love like this to find me.
[00:29:42] And I was like, I don't know about that. I don't know if you want that. But at the same time, that made me realize like, honestly, like I, I sing what I think I'm singing about, but people have totally different interpretations and that's kind of a beautiful thing. Although I wrote it with one perspective in mind, whatever people bring to it and whatever it helps them process or whatever, like they connect to and feel, yeah, that's great. Feel that. That's happier though.
[00:30:04] But yeah, it's the first single working on a handful of singles and an album for this summer. Very excited. Yeah, and this is kinda like I was saying earlier, this is me putting a stake the ground, at least for where I am currently. This is more the Zach Paradis sound, this is like the kind of stuff that I'm chasing, so, very excited.
[00:30:20] Charles: Cool. Yeah. And you're actually out on tour right now as well. And, I noticed you're coming to Chicago.
[00:30:26] Zach: Yes. Subterranean, I was just gonna look it up. Yep.
[00:30:29] Charles: Yeah, I've never been there, but I've heard good things about it. Have you been through Chicago before?
[00:30:34] Zach: Yeah, last October I played Shuba's Tavern.
[00:30:37] Charles: Oh yeah. Okay. I've been there.
[00:30:38] Zach: Yeah, so that was really great. Honestly, I was direct support for Kevin Chung, my friend, and we had a great show. People in Chicago are lovely. So nice. Everybody just came ready to have a good time, and everybody was very positive and very friendly. It was a phenomenal show. So, I'm very excited to go back. Yeah, I love Chicago. I love the Midwest in general. That's where I'm from. That's my jam.
[00:30:57] Charles: Cool. Yeah. 'cause it's quite a number of dates you [00:31:00] have on this tour.
[00:31:01] Zach: Yeah, 16 total. I mean, we've actually already done nine of 'em at this point, so we got seven more.
[00:31:05] Charles: Okay.
[00:31:06] Zach: We're on a little break here for this week, and we're hopping back in it.
[00:31:09] Charles: And then, like you said, you're gonna be recording more songs and stuff, and then I would imagine with this album you would come out and support that as well.
[00:31:17] Zach: Yeah. Yeah. That's the hope. The hope is to be able to play some shows and then of course, do a bunch of social media content. Just get the word out about it. But yeah, it's been so much fun to be able to go out and play these shows, and it's like an itch. Once you start doing it more, you just wanna do it even more. So, hoping to be able to go out and play more of my originals and all that kind of stuff. So, yeah, we'll see how it all develops, but that's the hope.
[00:31:38] Charles: Cool. Yeah, that sounds great. So, Zach, looks like we're coming up on time here. Would you like to plug something I missed or, uh, talk about something else that you wanna promote or where people can find you?
[00:31:50] Zach: Yeah. The biggest thing, I'll just give people a place to find me. It's Zach Paradis, ZACH. The best way to spell Zach. And then Paradis is just paradise without an E at the end. I'm on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, all the whole nine yards. And yeah, really proud of the last song I just put out. It's called Hurricane. Please go listen to that one and stay tuned for more songs dropping in the next couple months. And then this will be my first debut album that I'm working on where it's like a true album. I've done like an album before, but it was actually just a compilation of singles that I had already released. So this is the first you know, doing it the old-fashioned right, real way. So very excited. So yes, please just follow along.
[00:32:27] Charles: Check out Zach on tour and check out his music, and this has been a lot of fun. Zach. Thanks so much for coming on Seeing Them Live.
[00:32:34] Zach: Yeah. Thanks so much, Charles.
Charles: All Right. Safe travels.