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This episode of POP THEORY is a VERY special one as Zach is joined by the absolutely brilliant ZEE MACHINE. Together we take a dive into their discography, talking about songs like "The Radio," "Better Off" and his upcoming single "Worse" which is out May 9th! We also get the opportunity to talk about his creative process, their current TEARS & GEARZ TOUR with Bentley Robles and some of the incredible artists that would keep him sane if stranded on a deserted island.
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Transcript
Introduction to Z Machine and Musical Success
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello, everybody. Welcome back to pop theory. It's your host Zach Rickle. For those of you who don't know me, you might know my memes from my account on Instagram, a functioning gay today we have a very special guest someone who I've been a fan of for years. This person in my humble opinion is giving the major record labels are run for their money.
00:00:17
Speaker
from the 80 cent stylings of habit to the new wave banger that is Thunder currently featured in dead boy detectives to the dance floor stomper motions with DJ Dave Aude to one of the greatest songs of all time and one of my favorite songs released in the last 10 years the radio his latest single anyone but him with Bentley Robles is currently on streaming everywhere.
Meaning Behind the Music
00:00:35
Speaker
Please welcome into your ears Z machine
00:00:38
Speaker
Hello, hello. Thank you for that splendid introduction. You did great even with me watching. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I had to go through some of the greatest hits, some of the naturally. Thank you for joining. How are you today? I'm much better now, honestly. This was kind of my main thing I had going on today, so I'm planning my day around you, baby.
00:01:02
Speaker
Oh my God, that's such, I am truly honored. I have been talking about this all day. I was actually talking with a coworker of mine today who, so when you were teasing the radio last year and you were like putting out snippets, I like played it for her and I was like, I am so excited for this song to come out. I was like, I don't know how to describe it. It's like Savage Garden meets Lady Gaga meets, I don't even know like this like just incredible,
00:01:29
Speaker
it song and I played it for and she was like, Whoa, like this is an amazing song. And now that like I'm sitting here talking with you, it's just truly a dream come true. So I'm really excited.
Discussion on the Song 'Drive'
00:01:40
Speaker
Thank you so much. The imposter syndrome is real. That's so funny. I love both Savage Garden and Lady Gaga. I don't know that I would have compared that song to either of those two, but I'm also not mad at it. I think that the reason why it gave me Savage Garden vibes is that for some reason, parts of it made me think of, oh my gosh, what's their song? Crash and Burn?
00:02:02
Speaker
Mm hmm. OK. Do you know that song? I'm not. I'm not. I don't know. They're they're deep cuts, I will say. OK. It's it's this beautiful like pop rock ballad that came out after I knew I loved you. And it wasn't a successful here in the States, but like truly a beautiful song. I mean, honestly, like.
00:02:23
Speaker
Yeah, like you. Anyway, I'm just no amazing. No, amazing. Thank you. I'm I love it when people all take such like a different inspiration or meaning from some of these songs, because that's kind of the interesting thing about creating art and then putting it out there for the public to consume and interpret is that it's going to mean something different to everybody. Like for that song in particular, I've had people be like,
00:02:49
Speaker
I you know my my husband died and this song like kind of died like a year ago and this song helped me get closure on it and I'm just like that is not what I wrote that about but you know what seriously yeah but I'm but I'm just like I'm happy it can be there for you and then I could be there for you in some type of way because I feel like a lot of people when they first listened to it they were like I thought it was I'm hoping when you die
00:03:16
Speaker
For those who haven't heard it yet, it's Drive. Drive. But you know what?
Reflections on Career and Success of 'The Radio'
00:03:20
Speaker
Stream's a stream. Whatever you want to infer from it, it is your freedom to do so. And let's celebrate that. Because didn't you just cross over 300,000 streams on Spotify? It did. Yeah. Yeah. I was really happy that that one connected the way it did. Because I don't know. I feel like the last couple of releases before that had been a little bit
00:03:45
Speaker
I'm trying to think how to say it.
00:03:47
Speaker
It felt like I was really treading water really, really intensely. It didn't feel like I was making a lot of gratitude. It didn't feel like things were connecting with people. And when you're doing the whole thing where it's like one song at a time as an independent artist, you need to maximize exposure on every single song. And it just kind of felt like it was like losing traction. And I was really struggling for a minute there.
Creative Process and Inspirations
00:04:10
Speaker
And then I was about to put this one out. And this song was like a piece of my literal heart.
00:04:16
Speaker
Yeah, you know, like the last couple saw one was a very like, you know, the song I put out before Making Diamonds, it was which I love it, but it is a little bit out there lyrically and conceptually. I don't even really know if I know exactly what it means. It's kind of all over the place. So the fact that that one didn't really like blow up, I'm not surprised. It goes over really well alive, though. I'm very happy about that. And then the one before that was a cover. So I was just kind of like, shit, what am I doing? And then then, you know, diamonds are
00:04:45
Speaker
Radio was coming and I was just like this this one meant a lot to me and if this one didn't connect I was gonna take it personally The fact that it that it hit the way it did and and was received the way it was it really I felt very like Validated and like I was doing the right thing
00:05:04
Speaker
Absolutely. I mean, you teased that song on TikTok, I think back in March of last year. I think that you had just like had a demo that you would would work. Oh, yeah, you're right. Yeah, I know. I had done a very rough, rough demo of it. The lyrics and the melody were a little different. The vocals were completely rerecorded. And I was just like, I don't really know when this is coming out. There was even a moment where I was like,
00:05:30
Speaker
I don't know. This is like a cool hook, I guess, but like I can't really think of a verse here. I don't really the production isn't really where it needs to be. But girl, when that shit came together, I was like, oh, then I got nervous. I was like, well, I don't know how I'm going to top this one.
00:05:43
Speaker
Right. Yeah. I remember you saying that because I I can imagine as an artist, you know, you're constantly creating, but you're also I mean, I can relate to this as not a musician, but like as someone who does meme creation, video editing, graphic design, like you hit these ruts where you've you create something incredible and then you're all of a sudden like, wait a minute, I have to like like make something that's all right. Now do it again.
00:06:10
Speaker
Yeah, right. Do it again. Do the same, but different, you know, and better somehow. I don't know. Yeah, it's crazy. And but
Touring and Emotional Connections with Fans
00:06:19
Speaker
like you're doing it like you have released so many singles since the radio and you have another one on the way.
00:06:26
Speaker
We got a little baby on the way. I'm trying to be a little more consistent with my output this year. The thing now that I feel like my music is gaining more traction than it was a few years ago is that now things matter more.
00:06:43
Speaker
Sure. Like, you know, there was a time where I was putting I was dropping songs, you know, first days, I'd get like 100 streams. OK. But by comparison, the radio and Good Boy both got about eight or nine thousand first day. Wow. So so I'm just saying that, like, now that there are stakes like.
00:07:04
Speaker
I have things to compare it to. And I have goals that I want to achieve. Because then it just felt like, well, nothing really matters. And I'm just doing this for the people who are listening. And maybe I'll get my big break. And I'm not saying I've gotten the big break. But there have been a lot of little breaks along the way to get to this point where now I'm touring and selling out venues and stuff and having people sing these songs back
Independent Artist Challenges and Strategies
00:07:28
Speaker
to me. And it's like, shh.
00:07:30
Speaker
shit. I want to I want to continue to keep I want to have a keep growing but I don't want it to have like the songs themselves just have to get bigger and bigger and bigger because it's just like I'm tired like sometimes I want to do something a little understated or I don't want to do just like single after single and have each one of them just be this like gargantuan epic moment although that could be fun and I've had and I'm really happy with the work I've done with that it's just when everything is so big
00:07:58
Speaker
It gets a little exhausting on my ears and on my vocal cords too. Oh, absolutely. Because you are an incredible singer. Your vocals are wild, like hearing your voice. And I'm not typically into more male-identifying singers for the most part. I'm a very stereotypical guy that way.
00:08:21
Speaker
But like your voice and media, I mean, so I was introduced to you through DJ John Michael from Peloton. Oh, yeah. And he had shared habit like right. You had just released it. And I remember like clicking. I remember the first thing that single art I thought was really cool. Like just the bright colors, the way that you are because the suit that you're wearing. That's one of my favorite cover arts, I think.
00:08:46
Speaker
It's it's stunning. It's it's gorgeous. And I remember like I was like, oh, what is this? And then I remember listening to it and I was like, this song is amazing. Like you did the perfect blend of because so many people are inspired by the 80s right now and disco and things like that. And you truly
00:09:10
Speaker
brought the essence of the 80s and synth pop from that era out in a time where I felt like I was back in that time while still somehow sounding fresh.
00:09:20
Speaker
and sounding like completely current.
Musical Influences and Collaborations
00:09:23
Speaker
And it sounded so rich and luxurious that I was like, Oh, this is like a new artist coming out of like Warner or something like that. And the fact that like you are an independent artist, like it blew my mind blew my mind. And I like had that song on repeat for weeks.
00:09:42
Speaker
Well, thank you. That's literally exactly like the vibe I was trying to go for at the time, honestly. I would always say then, I feel like I'm kind of moving into other sounds now, sort of.
00:09:57
Speaker
That era, I was kind of like, this is going to be music from the 20 eighties. I love that. Oh, my God. Literally. And that's what it was. Yeah, because I really I love the production and like bombastic kind of writing style of that era, because they were just it was so.
00:10:16
Speaker
Um just going for the biggest possible emotion at all times, you know, and I and I feel like now everything tries to be a little too cool for school and um I've like you're at work or like music like like music to like pop music to in a lot of ways is like they're it's a little too small and understated in a way for me, I mean, I I feel like there's a place for for that, but I just kind of felt like you know
00:10:44
Speaker
pop music and pop radio, the sonic landscape has gotten quieter. And I was like, no, give me a fucking living on a prayer. Give me a nothing's going to stop us now. Everybody wants to rule the world kind of moment.
00:11:03
Speaker
But then my producer who I worked with, that's not really like the genre he produces. But we just worked together so well and we covered all these different kind of genres and production styles that I feel like his touch kind of modernized it a little bit.
00:11:24
Speaker
as well.
Upcoming EP and Personal Themes
00:11:25
Speaker
So I feel like it's been a nice, it's been a nice blend working with him. Plus he's just like a really fun person to work with and has become one of my best friends since I've been making music here. And is this Gregory? No, this is Moises Zulica is his name. Gregory, Dylan and I, we did the radio together. I've been a fan of Greg's for
00:11:43
Speaker
for a while since I heard Plastic Ferrari during the pandemic. And so getting to do a song with him was a very, it felt like a very cool full circle moment. But no, I met Moises. He's the person I say I've probably done like 90% of my music with since 2020.
00:12:01
Speaker
Okay. We met at a songwriting camp back in 2019, a few months after I moved to LA. And I was trying to like get back, get my artist project up and moving again. And I didn't, the producer I'd been working with before was, he was on the other end of the country. He was really unresponsive. I just, you know, I mean, he did my first EP and I'm glad he did amazing work, but I couldn't keep working like that.
00:12:28
Speaker
So I hit him up and I was like, hey, would you want to like start trying to like maybe work on some of my own stuff? And I was really nervous because, you know, it's a very vulnerable process. Yeah, absolutely. But I over over the years, I've just gotten I'm so comfortable with him. And, you know, I maybe this is I think one of my fault. My shortcomings is that like I maybe have been like closed off to writing and producing with some other people because I'm so comfortable here.
00:12:53
Speaker
But honestly like that vibe right there is such an essential part of my process being able to just kind of be comfortable. And you know there probably will come a time where I'll you know branch out you know like anyone but him was with the different was with Dominic Floria who's actually someone I went to college with but has been working on a lot of Bentley stuff.
00:13:11
Speaker
Um,
Touring Experiences and Future Plans
00:13:12
Speaker
you know, I've loved working with Dave all day, although that's a little, but I haven't, I've never actually met him in person. Right. Um, I saw him from a distance once I was, I was performing at, uh, Indianapolis pride. Oh my God. Two summers ago. And he was performing a DJ set later that night. And I saw him way off in the distance in the crowd and he waved. Oh my God. And I was like, Hey girl, I'm going to try to catch your set later, but I was way too tired to see him. So we would make that work. But, um,
00:13:40
Speaker
I don't really remember what I was answering. But just like, no, you answered it beautifully, like just talking about your production and your like, so I'm actually really curious about your songwriting process. And like, when you have an idea for song, is it always different? Is it do this melody comforts like or how like, when you want something to sound a certain way, how does that process? What's that process like for you?
00:14:06
Speaker
Um, it's, it, it comes in a lot of different ways. Sometimes I have to sit down and force myself to be creative and, um, other times it will just come to me. Well, most of the time I feel like it comes to me at the most inconvenient time.
00:14:24
Speaker
It's sort of like Feaster Famine with my creativity. I feel like like end of end of last year I got a huge burst of just ideas like the floodgates finally opened and I feel like I wrote most of this upcoming EP. A lot of the times I will just I will hear a song in my head.
00:14:46
Speaker
Like it's almost kind of like you're hearing it in a dream. Yeah. Like I will hear the sound design. I will hear the beat and I'll hear like a melody or just I'll feel the vibe and I won't know exactly
00:15:01
Speaker
What it sounds like yet, but I will take out like my my voice note up Yeah, and I will just try to sing it as best I can even if it's like
00:15:16
Speaker
Kind of thing like that. An exclusive right there, exclusive. There you go. Don't nobody go stealing that one. And then I will try to recreate it as best I can, and then I'll name it something like, this vibe with this. Come back to this. Because sometimes when I sit back down on my computer to try to record it and write it,
00:15:41
Speaker
I'll be like, I'll listen back and I'll be like, what the fuck was I singing? Right. I'm like, I don't hear it anymore. So it's it's it's a they don't always come to me like that. But then other times, you know, I'll have I'll have a melody that comes to me and it like sticks with me for years. And I'll just and then finally I'll get around to using it.
00:16:01
Speaker
Um, like, what was I going to say? That's got to feel so satisfying to be able to like read to finally use one of those melodies that you had come up with or that you've been sitting on for a long time. It's a, it's a deep cut for, for most people, but, um, my song like power back that I put back out in 2019 is, um, I had that song.
00:16:21
Speaker
Oh, thank you. I've sort of retired that from live sets for now, just because that came out at a time where it's just I didn't really have the audience. And, you know, I think while I do think it deserved better, I also think I have better now. But that chorus I had had that whole thing. I had had that in my head for three years. Yeah. Before I put it out. Yeah. Yeah. And I kept being like, I don't know. I don't think I can make this work. But I just I just was like, no, I'm going to make this work.
00:16:50
Speaker
Anytime I experience like a power outage, I always I sing that I go, ah, we're back. I'm not even kidding. I'm not. And I remember like I was at work that happened at work once at like one of those like transformers blew and sort of like blew out the entire like block around us. And so we're like, well, what the hell we gonna do now? But I was like, give me the power back. And then people were like, what? They were like, what's that? And I was like, oh, you don't know this greatest hit? Like, how dare you?
00:17:15
Speaker
Apparently, there's also a Mary J. Blige song called Powerback as well that I discovered around the time I put that out. Really? Well, Mary wishes. Icons only.
00:17:25
Speaker
That's right. Icons only. No, this is fascinating. So when did you where was there a moment that you feel like you've started gating this traction and this like because you guys I have to say to like actually take a step back for a second. I because you're on tour currently. Yeah. Yes. And and so you're on a small break and then you head to the U.K. soon. Yep. We're heading to the U.K. that we have a sold out London show on the 23rd of May.
00:17:53
Speaker
Sold out. Sold out. But if you can't make, but if you're a UK listener and you can't make it to London, there are still tickets available for Manchester on the 26th. Hell yes.
Fan Interactions and Personal Growth
00:18:04
Speaker
Okay. There you go. UK listeners. So your last show, you had shared a story of just like everyone's, you know, videos and whatnot. And you were singing Thunder and you had the mic out and the response, like everyone's singing your song. Like you've got a fan base.
00:18:22
Speaker
It was kind of wild seeing that in a tangible form for the first time. Obviously, you'll get the likes and you'll get the comments, but that can be very fickle and fleeting and there's a disconnect. It's a screen and it's a red bubble that pops up. This time seeing people show up, having people pay to meet and greet you,
00:18:49
Speaker
Yeah, just it was going to like a country I had never been before because we sold out Toronto as well. Why was I mean, you know, it's it's, you know, hardly like a, you know, a flight across the ocean. But still, you know, it was it was that I think was was the best part of this whole experience to me is. And was a reminder of why we're doing this, because, like, you know, there were people who were like,
00:19:17
Speaker
Crying in the front row, there was this older gentleman, not that much older, but like came out later in life and was like, this is one of the first like, you know, times I've gone out and been like out and open and like myself. And so I was just like, holy, holy shit. That's magical.
00:19:36
Speaker
Yeah. And then people driving hours to see us or flying in to see us because that was the closest date that we had. It was a good reminder of why we do this because when you're
00:19:52
Speaker
At this specific stage I'm at with my career, you have to really push yourself so hard and then once your song is out, it becomes a numbers game and it no longer belongs to you. It's more than just that.
00:20:08
Speaker
file in your Dropbox, you know, or that thing that you're excited about that you're showing your friends or teasing on TikTok, like it belongs to the world. And then, um, and then you move on, you know, and it's, and it's so, and you can get really blinded by that, especially trying to like play the Spotify game, trying to get playlists, trying to hit that algorithm just right. And sometimes it just doesn't work. And you feel like, well, what the fuck is the point, which is such a new age thing for the industry, you know,
00:20:36
Speaker
It is, yeah. Which on one hand is I think a good thing because it offers people who might not have had a chance in the past an opportunity to go on tour or to gain a fan base and go on tour at the same time, you know, when all your self-worth as a creative relies on, you know, AI.
00:20:57
Speaker
and like an algorithm it's it can be we're already sensitive souls and so and that's a very precarious spot to put us in so going out and connecting with people and like meeting them and taking photos of them and hugging them and just talking to them has been i feel like the most healing and rewarding part of
00:21:18
Speaker
I guess I could say my career so far. And I'm just kind of hoping it grows from here because, you know, as as as as much as it seems like they enjoyed it and maybe needed it, I feel like I needed it more or as much as much. Yeah. Yeah. It was it was incredible. It's been incredible so far. And I am so fucking excited to go to London and see this because I will say like looking at my stats on the Spotify app, like London be streaming.
00:21:46
Speaker
like okay London and Australia really like connect like they loved the radio and good boy yeah yeah it's you and Kylie because you're performing at is it out loud fest yeah out loud pride you know I
00:22:03
Speaker
I should look up the official name, but it's West. It's WeHo Pride. Yeah. Put on by Out Loud. You are. You are performing with Kylie Minogue like not together, but like I'm basically going to just not together or even the same time or even within like seven hours of each other. But yeah, I go on sometime in the afternoon and she goes on last at night.
00:22:23
Speaker
Oh, my gosh, that's so cool. That's to see it to see your name on that poster. It was really cool. Like I was just because to see your career like really start to take off over the last couple of years. I mean, I know that this is like no overnight success. Like you have been working hard and continue to work so hard, but like truly seeing, you know, the notoriety and people like even just seeing like your followers grow on social media and things like that. Like it's really like I hope that you're really proud of yourself because you are really providing
00:22:53
Speaker
quality music, you are creating incredible spaces for people to express themselves and be themselves. It's really truly amazing to see. Thank you. For the first time in a while, I do feel that. I feel like I don't often allow myself a lot of space to feel good about what I've done.
00:23:16
Speaker
for whatever reason, I don't know, I'm just a very self-deprecating person. Maybe because I've seen people who are a little bit too much in the other direction sometimes. Sure. Who maybe in arguably haven't earned it. I don't know who's to say who haven't earned it, but it's kind of a lot of talk to a point where it's like,
00:23:37
Speaker
a little bit, it feels like bragging in a way and I don't find that particularly appealing as a quality. So I feel like I kind of maybe pushed too far in the other direction, but having gone on this tour and seeing the people who have showed up and showed out,
00:23:57
Speaker
and hearing them from the first song, sing along right away, it's just been like, God damn, you're really, really doing this, bitch. And I was just looking at your set list and I'm kicking myself because, so I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
00:24:13
Speaker
And I was like, I should have gone to the Chicago show. I'm like kicking myself for not going. So this is me just saying that you have to go back on tour at some point. Oh, I mean,
Creative Process and Artistic Significance
00:24:22
Speaker
I don't know. I don't know. This is like I just want to preface this by saying this is completely unconfirmed yet. It is merely a conversation we're having. OK, we are looking into the possibility of adding more dates after London or after the UK.
00:24:40
Speaker
Just because there were so many cities we weren't able to hit just because of timing because of venues who didn't get back to us Transportation was was tough. Yeah, because we basically we did like along the East Coast and then along the West Coast. Okay So we made it work with what we had but there were so many cities who were wish we we we could have gone to Yeah, like, you know, we'd love to like a like a Seattle show like a
00:25:08
Speaker
another Midwest show, honestly, like Denver, Atlanta, Boston, shit like that. Yeah. Um, so it was fun. I know. Yeah. And so basically I was looking at my, our top stream cities and I was like, we could have absolutely pulled a crowd. Like now, cause now we know we can do it because we were at the, we were kind of going into this being like,
00:25:27
Speaker
Oh, man, we'll try. Well, we were like, New York is probably fine. LA is probably fine. But like, you know, we didn't know what our poll in Toronto was going to be like. And bitch, you pulled. Honey, we were we were we were pretty gagged by that. Like, yeah, like we wish we could have there were some venues were like, actually, for some of them, they were like smaller venues and we were like, OK, that might be OK, because it's like we'd love to sell it out. But then there were some where it was like for Chicago, like we could have done a bigger venue.
00:25:56
Speaker
Oh, wow. Yeah, we could have done it because there was no. Do you like yourself? Yeah, well, it was the thing is that venue, they were they were amazing. And like, honestly, the crowd was that was, I think, the best show of the first half. Yeah, it was there was no presale. So it was cash only at the door. And it was the capacity was not huge. So basically we did two nights in Chicago. And if we hit capacity, you couldn't get it.
00:26:23
Speaker
So we were a little scared about night two because we were like, well, some people might not be available and there's also no guarantee you can get in. So we were kind of like, if we had a bigger venue and a pre-sale, we feel like we maybe could have pulled more. That being said, I don't know that I would have changed the thing about it just because the people who set it up were amazing. The sound was great. The crowd was amazing.
00:26:47
Speaker
Yeah, it was no notes. It looks like such a fun tour and like looking at the set list too, I'm like kicking myself because you did a medley of Making Diamonds and Motions. I couldn't figure out which one to do so I didn't choose. I'm a huge fan of a medley. I love a good medley. And then I also saw that you did your medley of Fuck Shit Up and I Feel Love.
00:27:12
Speaker
I mean, those baselines just fit together so well that I hit up Moises and I was like, hey, do you still have the session file for Fuck Shit Up? Because I've got an idea. Oh, my God. And it works so well. Also, I just want to if I don't know if he'll be listening, but I just wanted to give a shout out to Bentley on here, because apart from being like one of the hardest working, I would say indie artists in our scene,
00:27:37
Speaker
Yeah, the the way he just kind of like took control of so many aspects of planning this tour. Like I could not have done this without him. I feel like, you know, I feel like this will help will prepare me for future tours because we because we're not going to do everything together. But this was it ended up being such an amazing experience. I think we really bonded well. And if you if anyone's listening and hasn't checked him out, definitely give him a listen. Because I think we are similar enough that we fit well on a tour.
00:28:07
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, for sure. And I think it was brilliant that you guys did that. Like it's brilliant that you guys did a joint tour together, the tears and gears tour. And we inspired, um, Troy and Charlie, I think you did. I mean, clearly they said, they were like, wait a minute. They're onto something. They're onto something. I can't, I can't prove that didn't happen. Exactly. Exactly. So you've gotten a lot of positive reaction. How are you getting also like, like haters at all or anything like that?
00:28:37
Speaker
Yeah, um, you know Would it be wrong of me to say? Not really Good. No, that's amazing because part of me is like am I doing something wrong? I should be getting haters I mean, I've gotten a few people who have You know
00:28:58
Speaker
I mean, who I've had to, you know, put up a little bit of a boundary with in the past. OK. Or I've kind of learned that, like, you know, I don't need to engage everybody like my best friend. Yeah. You know, like I am appreciative of every ounce of support I get. But I need to remind myself that, like, I don't owe them unless we are like, you know,
00:29:28
Speaker
close friends, I don't necessarily owe them anything other than the music. There have been a few people who have taken it upon themselves to be a little parasocial from time to time. But I actually feel like in the last year, I feel very fortunate that I haven't experienced
00:29:50
Speaker
as much. And maybe it is out there and I'm just not paying attention. I feel like I'm actually paying a little bit less attention to that kind of thing as well, just because if I were to meticulously go through every comment and every single message and every single tag I get, I just I would never be off my phone. I'm already on it too much.
00:30:08
Speaker
So I
Release of New Single and Vulnerability
00:30:09
Speaker
feel like there's been a lot of things that I've had to force myself to adapt to with this from an online perspective that I didn't have to before.
00:30:24
Speaker
like, you know, I just, I can't pay attention to like, try to compare myself to others. I can't care too much about like, whether or not I got this one really good playlist or not. And I can't like, I can't let my monthly numbers like, you know, control my happiness. Right. Because I know that is not an accurate reflection of the fans that are out there. Right, exactly. Um, so
00:30:50
Speaker
Switching gears a little bit, speaking of fans. Switching gears and gears. Tears and gears. Well, not really switching gears, but you've got a new single coming out. You just announced it today, officially on social media. Oh yeah, today was an announcement day. It was. I am a Z-Lister, so I had a little exclusive ZP. Yes, baby.
00:31:12
Speaker
For my broadcast channel, it was either Z Listers or Gen Z. Oh, my God. Which honestly, both would have been cute, but I feel like Z Listers will age better. Z Listers is literally perfect. And so tell us about the new single.
00:31:28
Speaker
this single. I will say, I mean, you can call it whatever you want. I tend to not call them like singles. I just call them because like it almost it sounds like, all right, I sat down with my label and we got this one to send the radio. And it's like, no, this is like the one that I was done with. And I felt like I needed to share. Yeah, it is. If anyone to the people who are out there who are like familiar with my stuff and my sound, this is
00:31:58
Speaker
This doesn't really sound like anything I feel like I've done before. I kind of felt like this is I'm leading up to an EP release here. So the last three songs. Thank God. It's you know, it's about time. I think I haven't done that in about six years at this point.
00:32:16
Speaker
Wow. So the last three will be will all be on on the record. But I kind of felt like I needed to. I had something else to say. I had a different vibe or side of me. I kind of wanted to put out there. This is the last two songs have have been very they've been bangers, you know, and like I was I was kind of I had gone through a lot of really like melancholy contemplative like
00:32:45
Speaker
uh, content over the past year. Um, and the last two songs, I was like, honestly, I'm tired of, of being this, like, this wet blanket. Um, but I'm not completely done. So, so this, I feel like this might be like the saddest thing I've ever, I've ever put out in a while. Wow. Oh my gosh. I don't know. It's, it's just like, I, for the longest time I was like,
00:33:14
Speaker
actively revolting against writing songs about love and relationships. And then, you know, I went through one and out of one. So the whole EP is kind of like the different phases that you sort of go through.
00:33:33
Speaker
As you are getting over it and healing it healing from it. Yeah And this is and this one I think is the the sort of This is a very self-deprecating one where basically it's saying like
00:33:48
Speaker
Please don't ask to get back together with me because you are so much worse when you're with me. And you have every right to be mad at me. And I don't want people telling me that I'm being too hard on myself.
00:34:06
Speaker
Because I just I just want to fucking feel like a piece of shit for a while Okay, because I need to work through that Even though even though I'm like sad about it and like there's parts of me that like wishes I could kind of go back I know that like we've tried this So like please please don't ask me to try this again because I know you want to but I need you to know that you don't
00:34:31
Speaker
You don't want to. You just don't know you don't want to. Right. So that's that's what this one is about. Damn.
Musical Influences and Favorite Artists
00:34:39
Speaker
Wow. Well, thank you for that vulnerability. And then also, I mean, I feel like I can say this. I was given the honor of hearing the song. Oh, yeah, that's right. I did. And it is a beautiful song like it is. And the honesty and the emotion comes through perfectly the sound of it. I mean,
00:35:02
Speaker
I think you said it when you sent it to me, you were like, this is my Celine Dion song. Yeah, it's my Celine Dion. To anyone who, if anyone knows Taken by Muna, I feel like that is the closest comparison I could give. Oh, wow. OK.
00:35:17
Speaker
Yeah. And you are a moon, a diehard stamp. Maybe this. Oh, my God. This tattoo here was the heart that one of them signed my vinyl copy of their album, Saves the World. And I got that heart tattoo to my arm. Oh, my God.
00:35:34
Speaker
And so worse is going to be part of the EP, though, the all the are all the songs that you released this year going to be on the EP and the radio, the radio. I guess I'm just dropping all the tea here. I think I am going to include the radio on. OK, everything I've put out so far this year will also be on it. I will. There will be something in the next.
00:36:00
Speaker
month or so that's coming out that will not be a part of the EP but is a very exciting project that I don't know that I want to I don't I don't know how much they're they're trying to say about it okay say I'm some some former collaborators
00:36:20
Speaker
I've I've had as well as some new collaborators that people have heard of before. We'll we'll we'll be a part of this. So why it's very it's very exciting. Oh my God. It should be coming out around Pride.
00:36:37
Speaker
So I already have guesses. Oh, my God. OK, well, we can talk about this off air. Yeah, we will talk about it. And I feel like I may have cracked the code on what the EP's title is, but I don't want to like spoil it either. Oh, I think I think so. Interesting. I mean, again, as me following you on. Well, was it the one where I said Toxic Sniffy's cock?
00:37:00
Speaker
I laughed so hard though when I saw that and I was like, please. Honestly, that'll be the next one. That'll be the acoustic EP. There we go. Exactly. Very fitting. Very fitting. No, you had tweeted something I want to say yesterday.
00:37:15
Speaker
at 211. Just one word. 11. Oh no, that's not it. It's not. Okay. I don't know what it was, but I know that that's not it. I thought I was pulling a Taylor Swift and I was like, Oh my God, he's posted it then. And then I was like, Oh my God, I think it's this. And he's been teasing these numbers.
00:37:33
Speaker
You had posted one word. Oh, was it wish? Yeah. No, I see. I always I always tweet. Oh, so it's 211 your time. I'm always tweeting make a wish at 1111. Right. OK. So no, maybe I should. No, that'll be corny. No, no, that's not it. But I just I I stay tweeting that whenever whenever I catch 1111, I tweet it. I love that. I love that. You know what? My mom told me that I was born at 711 711 p.m. my entire life. And I just found out that it was 726.
00:38:03
Speaker
My certificate says 27. I was like, mother. Oh my god. I know. So like. Has your math chart been wrong all this time? Apparently. And that's maybe why I'm single for so long. But who knows? You've been looking for all the wrong signs. Looking for, I need to, yeah. Who knows? Who knew? Who knew?
00:38:19
Speaker
So I have a fun question that I want to ask you that I've been taking some guesses at in my head just after following you for a while. Okay. But okay. So you are, let's pretend this is going to get dark for a second, but let's pretend you're stranded on a deserted island. You were the only survivor.
00:38:35
Speaker
And help is on the way, but this deserted island gives you a magical CD player. Again, this is gonna be the only thing that keeps you sane until help comes. And the magical CD player can hold the CD that can hold the entire discographies of up to five artists. Oh, okay. Okay. What five artists are you choosing? And it can be artists, bands, DJs, whatever. Okay. Oh my god. All right.
00:39:06
Speaker
This is hard. No, I know. I know two of them for sure. But I'm also kind of like, you know what? Fuck, I don't care. Michael Jackson. Love for sure. Gaga. Definitely. I mean, I guess I'm going to go ahead and say Muna. Of course.
00:39:27
Speaker
Maybe the 1975. Oh, I think just because they're just their albums are so long. Yeah. And you need that sanity. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because I was about to say Jeff Buckley, but he only put out two albums and only one when he was alive. Right. Yeah. Yeah. So, OK, I'm trying to think of who else. I have one more, right? Yep. You've got one more. So you said Michael Jackson Gaga, the 1975 Mona.
00:39:56
Speaker
And then, hang on, I need to save this for, I know, I feel like I'll regret it if I, as soon as I name it, I'm gonna, I'm gonna be, I feel like people are yelling like, Beyonce, yeah! And I'm like, right? You know, don't hate me, but, oh my God. No, I'm scrolling, I'm scrolling through. It doesn't mean we're eliminating her from history. Exactly. I'm getting off the island. Eventually.
00:40:21
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, exactly. And I have a guess of an artist, but like I want to see if you say it. I feel like I know who you think I'm going to say. I think so. I think you. Yeah. And I and I don't think I'm going to say you know what I'm going to say. And this is a little bit out of left field. Actually, not really if you know me. And this is only taking consideration that I will be
00:40:45
Speaker
Oh, I might regret this. Betty who? Oh, wow. Yeah. Did you think I was going to say Annie Lennox? Yes, I was. I was. I actually like I like almost put money on it because I was talking about this this question with my co-worker today. Yeah. And I was like, I bet you he's going to say Annie
Influence of Michael Jackson on Z Machine
00:41:01
Speaker
Lennox. No, I I I I I'm sorry. Go on. Finish your thing.
00:41:05
Speaker
Well, I was because I was going to say, well, I'm going to say regardless now, but I if you ever feel like doing a cover at some point, I feel like you would absolutely murder Little Bird. Oh, yes, I would. Yeah, like like not even kidding. Like, no, I like like I and she was like, I don't know if I know this song. And so I played it for her.
00:41:27
Speaker
And she was like, Oh my God. Like, she was like, the chorus kind of sounds familiar. And I was like, it was a hit, but I was like, it's one of those songs that you'd probably recognize. It would probably trigger a response in your brain, but you'd be like, how did I, where did I know this from? And, but like that song, I just feel like, especially like the, Oh yeah. Oh, like, no, no.
00:41:51
Speaker
Seriously? Are you listening? I don't know if I don't know how deep you've dove. I have recorded Annie Lennox cover. You have? I did not know. I recorded an acoustic version of why that's it's a part of a compilation album and it's it's it's it's fairly low fi. Okay. I recorded it like in my room during COVID and I had like a friend mix it but so it's not it's not like
00:42:18
Speaker
the highest caliber but but i i think you'll like it oh my god i'm gonna be listening to that is immediately once we're done here like that it is my lowest streaming song for sure but it's okay because it was i was gonna say whole compilation actually bent betley was on the compilation too before we even knew each other
00:42:35
Speaker
Oh, wow. I was gonna say, when you said it, when you said acoustic in my bedroom, immediately I thought of like your twink days when... Not the Vogue cover. Oh, my God. That was so funny that some random account found that the other day. And I was like, I was like, I was just like scrolling because I get because I'm a huge Madonna fan. And so... That video did very well amongst the Madonna forums of the early 2010s.
00:43:00
Speaker
Oh my God. And then when I suddenly saw that, I was like, wait, is that Z machine? I messaged you and I was like, at the time, no, that was not Z machine. Oh my God. It was amazing. It was just a little, a little baby Z, a little uppercase, lowercase Z. I can't, I have a hard time watching that, but you know what? If it brings joy to y'all, more power to you. Celebrate that. Cause that was also when you, you had also done a, during that phase of life, you had also done, I think you did a lot of acoustic covers, right? You did.
00:43:30
Speaker
Yeah, it was a different era. It was a different era of YouTube, you know, where you can just kind of sit down and just like get famous by playing in your bedroom. That doesn't really happen now. Right. I didn't do breathing. I know I did breathe on me. I covered it one time a couple of years ago at a show in L.A. Oh, OK. And actually, I should bring that back. That was pretty fierce. I really liked it. It was it was a good one. I just kind of like the.
00:43:58
Speaker
Uh, when it's a good mic and you just kind of go. Oh, my God. Goosebumps. It's that's I think my favorite Britney song, though. It's one of mine, too. It's yeah. I absolutely love. Love that song. And it's I feel like it's very love well loved amongst her fans. But like, yes. Yeah, she did it. She did that medley at like the was it the Billboard Awards, the AMA's and she did that one. And I'm just like, oh,
00:44:26
Speaker
You know what? Mm hmm. Can't ever say she ever lost her taste. Right. Exactly. Because she did that and touch of my hand. And oh, wow. I forgot about that. Wow. Yeah. She was really giving in the zone its flowers. She really was. She was like, this is art. So just to go back to the the the Desert Island albums, I chose those mostly because of
00:44:52
Speaker
I would say the re-listenability and just consistent playthrough of all of those. I feel like most of those albums I can listen to from start to finish, there is enough within each discography that I feel like it'll keep me entertained. The thing with Annie, I feel like she has
Personal Challenges and Triumphs
00:45:12
Speaker
made more of an impact with less for me not that she hasn't put out a lot but like you know there's a lot of deep cuts in her discography I'm I'm less familiar with or or don't listen to as much but you know there I just have like a
00:45:30
Speaker
I sort of imprinted on her when I was like 13 and she dropped Bear. That was the era of Barnes & Noble and Borders. You can go in and scan the CD and listen to them. That album had just dropped. It was in the new release's bestseller section.
00:45:47
Speaker
And I was just like, you know, I was very interested in like what the, you know, that hot new albums were. And I was like, what is this? What is this weird looking cover that's doing really well? Like I've never heard of this person. Why is she selling well? And so I just I just kind of took a chance on it and I bought the CD and I just that whole summer I was just on constant repeat. And then I kind of then I went and I scanned and I and then that.
00:46:14
Speaker
changed my life. Yeah. And then and then I found out, oh, she did Sweet Dreams. So it was like, and then, you know, it just kind of went deeper and deeper. And so that was kind of how that was how my connection with her went. So my favorite album of hers is Bear, which was her sort of divorce album from 2003. Yeah. Yeah. That's the album with like pavement cracks on it. Yes, sure is. Bitter pill. Oh my God. A loneliness.
00:46:40
Speaker
That's probably my, I need to revisit that album because that's one that I'm not super familiar with. I remember like some of the dance remixes. I want to say, I forgot there. You are a dance remix girl. I love a dance remix. I know I'm so annoying, but I absolutely love it. But I remember like Mac.
00:46:56
Speaker
I don't know if you know who that is, but he did some remixes with Hex. Do you know who Hex Hector is? Yeah. He did a lot of remixes with Hex Hector back in the late 90s, early 2000s, but he did a remix, I want to say, of Pavement Cracks. Pavement Cracks, I think, was the single they sent out, but I feel like there was
00:47:18
Speaker
Looking back on it now that I know, you know, more about her and where that kind of lays in her discography, I feel like that what that was very overlooked. Oh, 100 percent. And that is that where is that the one where she's kind of like she's like covered in like she's like white powder, white, like hair, hair, white, like just kind of like fitting their arms kind of clasped against her face. Yeah. Yeah. Looking kind of creepy. Yeah. Wait, is the song sing on that album?
00:47:48
Speaker
No, or is that part of something else? I don't I don't know which one that one. Let me let me look that up right now. I think it's not on that album I know because yeah, I was gonna say she did a song called sing and it was I think to raise from it's on songs of mass destruction. That's what the album that came out a few years later.
00:48:05
Speaker
OK, that's what it was. Yeah, I love that one. And probably because I'm partial because again, it features the verse from Madonna. But oh, perfect. Yeah. But the song also was to raise money. That song featured a choir of twenty three, actually like big female singers from around the world to sleep beyond us vocals on it and on stage as vocals. No, OK. I will admit I'm not as familiar with that album, but I'm going to get familiar. Holy shit.
00:48:31
Speaker
Yeah, it's a really and it's a beautiful. It's a really fun song to sing. And obviously, but it helps raise money for AIDS in Africa. And I just love like how much of a humanitarian she is. Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Also, I just want to say I love your love for Michael Jackson.
00:48:51
Speaker
Thank you. I feel like in this day and age, we could get into any kind of controversy. I'd rather not. But I'm just speaking about the music. He is the blueprint. It's impossible to remove these things from culture or deny their impact. Yeah, no. Because honestly, Thriller was the first CD I ever bought.
00:49:19
Speaker
Oh, wow. I remember once someone showed me that before I bought that, someone showed me the cover of Bad. And I remember being a little bit scared of it. Oh, sure. Because because I was like, who is this? Like, like I didn't know what he had done to his face. I didn't really. I was like, I thought he was black. It was it was it was. And even at the time, I think when it came out, it was it was a very
00:49:43
Speaker
I didn't know anything about him. Even when he came out, people were a little off put by the change in his appearance and his behavior. But honestly, bad is, I think, in my top 10 of all times. I think it's better than Thriller. Oh, wow. I would agree. I agree. From top to bottom, I think it's better than Thriller, for sure. Yeah. Yeah. And you, I mean, there's clearer influence in Good Boy, like from Michael Jackson. Oh, yeah.
00:50:08
Speaker
Yeah. So that and also, do you know Laura M. Vula? No. Who's that? She is a British singer. She has a song called Got Me that I was very influenced by. I think if you listen to her song, her album Pink Noise,
00:50:31
Speaker
particularly like that song. There's a song called Church Girl. There's a song called Magic. Honestly, it's almost no skips, I would say. Wow. If you're into that 80s type of vibe, modernized 80s thing, you will eat this up. Ooh, okay. Start with Got Me because that's kind of the one that got me going. But the whole album is incredible. She's really, really something else.
00:51:01
Speaker
Oh my god. And her name is Lauren. Laura M. M. V. U. L. A. Okay. Mvula. I believe I believe that's how it's pronounced. Okay. Watch it be something completely different. I think I think I looked up how to pronounce it and it was like either way. Laura M. V. U. L. A. Love it. Yeah. Okay. I can't wait. Would you say that is bad than your favorite Michael Jackson album?
00:51:23
Speaker
Oh, completely. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. For sure. Love. My favorite song of this might be it might be the way you make me feel. It might also be. Do you know? Oh, fuck. I don't know.
00:51:34
Speaker
Maybe human nature, but also underrated. Do you know Streetwalker? I'm actually not super familiar with Streetwalker.
Nostalgic Moments and Career Defining Experiences
00:51:41
Speaker
Oh, it was it was so there was a story about so I had the I think it was like the 20th anniversary version of bad and it has like commentary tracks from Quincy Jones on it. OK. And he was talking about how it was between Streetwalker or another part of me.
00:51:57
Speaker
Oh, no way. Do you know that one? Okay, yeah. That was a song with Stevie Wonder, I think. No, that was Just Good Friends, which I've so underrated. Okay. But there was just another part of me. Okay.
00:52:13
Speaker
So it was between those two and Michael wanted Streetwalker and Quincy wanted another part of me. And they basically asked some random. I don't know if some random guys do, but it was a guy who was in the studio with them. You play them both. And like when another part of me starts, he just starts dancing. And so they went with that one. Oh, wow. But I like Streetwalker more. And I think it could have been on the album because anything with like a it kind of is giving like Billie Jean, but like happy. Uh huh. It has that same type of bass. I boom, boom.
00:52:42
Speaker
It's so good. Oh, my God. Love. I know. I need it because that's part because I need to really see like a street walker film or something like that. Right. Which that was a part of. What? And there was there was Moonwalk was his moonwalk. It was his autobiography.
00:52:56
Speaker
Yeah. That's what I was thinking of. That's what I was thinking of. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. That's that's a song that I need to, I need to revisit because I, yeah, I think that they released it on like the, like the one of the anniversary additions. Okay. Yeah. And so, and I want to say, did they even, again, being the remix girl that I am, I want to say that they had like done a remix or something at that, at that point. They may have, I haven't done a huge, uh, deep dive into a lot of the, the remixes of that one. Yeah. That's, that's your gig. I'll let you. Yeah.
00:53:26
Speaker
I will cover it. I will take care of it. Show me what's up. Michael Jackson was a huge part of my childhood growing up, I think with a lot of people around my age. For me, I think my favorite Michael Jackson album was Dangerous. I just love the new Jack Swing of it all. She drives me wild.
00:53:45
Speaker
Mm hmm. That might be my song. We are. I feel like if you pick like the like the six best songs on that album, I'm obsessed. I feel like start to finish. You just it was a very I do love the album starts fish. It was just like, oh, you can clearly tell this is a different producer.
00:54:02
Speaker
Oh, for sure. Like, like he kind of like that. That almost sort of became like his signature beat like that. Oh, wow. You did that perfectly. Whoa. Look, it has that like kind of that like like round clap like. Yeah. 100 percent. Yeah. Oh my God. Oh my God.
00:54:24
Speaker
And I felt like a lot of those songs had that beat. Yes, which is totally right. Yeah, which is like a cool sound. But I kind of felt like there was maybe just a couple too many on that album that had that for me. But at the same time, there's like classics on that. Yeah. Like the title track, I feel like is very underrated as a song.
00:54:44
Speaker
And it was supposed to be the final single from the album. What stopped? I mean, were the... I want to say it was the allegation. I think the promo cycle may have ended by default. Just a little bit, yeah. And which is super unfortunate for obvious reasons. But yeah, I want to say that that was supposed to be the final single from the album, but still it went like so many songs deep single wise. And so, but yeah, I mean, and I also...
00:55:14
Speaker
I wish that She
Cultural Impact and Dream Collaborations
00:55:15
Speaker
Drives New Wild was a single, but I get why it wasn't because to your point, it does sound very similar to a lot of the other songs that were released to singles. Like Jam, In the Closet, Remember the Time, Dangerous, that one, they all kind of had like a very like signature sound, which is like fine, you know? Totally. Yeah. Did you know that In the Closet was supposed to be a duet with Madonna? I did. I did know that.
00:55:41
Speaker
I, the, every time I watched that interview where she kind of talks about it, I'm like, God, I would have loved to have heard what they like. And if there was anything even recorded, like God, what hurts me even more was knowing that I just can't stop loving you was supposed to be with Whitney.
00:55:57
Speaker
Stop it. I mean, I mean, OK, I'm like not I've heard this from several people. Apparently it was supposed to be a do like they had pitched it to Whitney. Oh, really? And I think Saida Garrett did amazing on it. Obviously she wrote that. She wrote Man in the Mirror. Yeah. But just thinking of what we could have gotten.
00:56:15
Speaker
Literally. Oh, my God, Michael. I remember where I so former life of mine, I was a hairstylist. And yeah. And so I was actually I was right. I was actually at a salon. I was new and I was assisting one of their top stylists at the time. And I remember I was doing a blowout for him after he had colored her hair. And I remember that we had the news on and they said like Michael Jackson died.
00:56:44
Speaker
And I actually I was like, I'm really sorry. I have to go sit down for a second. I was like, I I was devastated personally. Yeah. Oh, same. I think I very much remember where I was at that time as well. Like that moment as well. Mm hmm. I was. Have you heard of Summerfest? You know, Summerfest in Midwest, right? Yes, but it's in Milwaukee. No, I've never heard of this. Oh, well, it's it's one of the biggest music festivals in the country, actually. But I feel like it doesn't get enough.
00:57:14
Speaker
attention. It's a full week long. And there's like multiple stages going on at one time for a full week. But I was one of my first summer jobs ever, I think was working at a stand at Summerfest. I was like some concession thing.
00:57:32
Speaker
And it was the first day of, it was June 25th of 09. And I think we, I started like seeing like rumblings on like the news and TV and I got texts and then by the end of the day, it was like confirmed. And like I was heading home and everyone was playing them out, out their speakers in the car in the parking lot. And then that whole week, like you would hear like little Michael tributes going on, like people would cover like Man of Mirror and stuff like that. So, yeah.
00:58:00
Speaker
I know I was really hoping to like such a fucked up thing to say maybe, but I was really hoping like at the VMAs that we were going to finally get a photo of Madonna and Janet together because they've never been photographed together. In fact, I don't even know if they've ever met. I know. I know that there was like some beef for a while between the two of them.
00:58:18
Speaker
But I did not know that. I know that that feels very much like up your up your alley of lore. Yeah, right. Yeah, I know. And so I was like, I was like, oh, my God, I would love to see a photo of them together, much like how we finally finally have a photo of video footage of Kamala and Kylie. Yes. Oh, my. Finally, I went to the show two nights after that. Oh, my. I was so upset.
00:58:42
Speaker
Who was your who was there? The Vogue ballroom? Cardi B. Oh, my God. Which was cute. Which was cute. That's really fine. I was I was fine with that. Yeah. But like.
00:58:53
Speaker
Could you have? Seriously, I fuck like the fact that she brought not only brought her up on stage, but the fact that they sang together. Mm hmm. Why was she the Vogue judge as well? No, I don't remember who. Sorry. So sorry to that man. Sorry to that person. Don't know who the Vogue judge was that night. Yeah, sorry. You got overshadowed girl. You got overshadowed by. I mean, if anyone should overshadow, I mean, wow. The moment that Kylie's having. Yeah.
00:59:22
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. She gets to perform with me. I mean, come on. I mean, come on. She's probably going to come out, do a little cover. She's probably going to do a cover of Fuck Shit Up, probably mash it up with one of her songs. Oh, wait, I was going to also say I was listening to light years the other day and I was like, it would be really cute if you incorporated light years sometime into Fuck Shit Up.
00:59:44
Speaker
You know, I will look into the BPM mobility of that. Mm hmm. I have covered Padam. Oh, I did. I did a show in New York last summer and I was like, this is probably the last moment I can cover this and have people still be relevant and have people go off. Oh, my God. Did it go off?
01:00:05
Speaker
It went off. It went off. I had to lower the key. I was I was sick as a dog for the days leading up to that. And then I just put myself full of of Tylenol and tea and caffeine. And just I came through at the last moment, but I powered through. Wow. That's
Future Plans and Appreciation
01:00:24
Speaker
it. That's going to be really scary to like be sick before a performance. Terrifying. Yeah. But, you know, I feel like there's really only been
01:00:34
Speaker
Maybe once or twice ever where my voice has not like carried me through. I sure I pay for it the next day. Yeah. Yeah. But there was there was one show I played Venice Beach Pride a couple of years ago and I had just been this is funny story. A week prior to that, I was at some
01:00:57
Speaker
some some party thing. I don't know what it was, but like I was just, you know, it's pride month. I'm having a good time. There was some some dude I had never met before who was kind of like grinding up on me. And and I just I let him spit in my mouth like I. And then two days after that, my throat was swelling up there. So, you know, you know, I paid for my for my sins. Yeah. You know, Leviticus, whatever you want, whatever it was. Six nine.
01:01:27
Speaker
It was Leviticus 6-9. Maybe that should be the EP title. That's kind of hot. That's where the controversy would come in. I didn't grow up with religion, so I feel like fighting against it would feel a little try hard for me.
01:01:45
Speaker
OK, OK, sure, sure, sure, sure. Because, yeah, when I was doing a little I did a little bit of research on you before before we jumped on. You you you said that you grew up in Wisconsin, right? Well, you were born in Wisconsin and you had to some liberal liberal parents. Yeah, yeah, I was born in Milwaukee. I grew up in Madison until I was about nine years old before we moved. But yeah, my parents were. Yes, correct.
01:02:08
Speaker
Yeah, my parents were very, very liberal, did not raise us with any type of religious influence. Jealous. Yeah, it was which I oh, shit. Hang on. I need to I need to adjust. I need to get like fix this microphone. The nail here is starting to come undone. Oh, no. But no, yeah, they were. So I didn't know that that was weird.
01:02:29
Speaker
Oh, wow. So so whenever I went to like I was at like a church, I was like, what the fuck are we doing? Right. Yeah. No, not that I had anything against that. It just was like, this is like boring. And then like when we moved to Beijing, there was, you know, I just remember I went to this friend's birthday party once and my dad had kind of like all these little like
01:02:53
Speaker
like decorations, you know, like, you know, like kind of like Buddhist flags kind of just just for fun. Like we weren't religious in that way. But you know, we were just it was nice decorations and we were, you know, in the culture. Yeah. And so like for his for a friend's birthday, I got him that had it was like this like little statue of like Siddhartha just just like a little like decoration or whatever, you know, not not just like the Buddha with the fierce hair.
01:03:15
Speaker
Yeah, that goes up. And I got him that because it was like, this is pretty and it's nice. And his parents were like, oh, no. Oh, we can't we can't have this in the house because they were like Christian. Oh, no way. And I was like, what did I do?
01:03:30
Speaker
I was just like, this is weird. Like, I don't give a shit about who this guy is, you know, just some skinny, skinny dude who, you know, likes to meditate. So, yeah. So that was like how I came in with religion. Like, whereas my perspective on it, I just didn't really understand why people were getting their panties in a bunch. Right. Yeah. So we can. Right. Right. So we can expect a gospel album soon.
01:03:55
Speaker
That's what you're saying. You know, the thing about that is that I actually love gospel singers and gospel. I think a lot of gospel music is so cool. When I was at Berkeley for college, I was surrounded by all these kids who like grew up in the church and sang like down and in a way that I had never heard. And like that whole, oh, God, I'm going to fuck it up like the whole like.
01:04:18
Speaker
oh like those kind of riffs and stuff I had never heard before like that descending thing which they they I feel like is very much gospel culture and I do all the time now yeah when it was very influenced by the people I heard singing at school there like I'm obsessed with that but
01:04:37
Speaker
I never went to church. Right. Yeah. But I just I have so much love and respect for those singers, though. They're they truly are incredible. Yeah. Absolutely incredible. That makes me think of the song Witness Me with by Jacob Collier, Tori Kelly. Oh, yeah. I'm sorry. It's it's Shawn Mendes. I think Tori Kelly. Oh, nice. Nice. Cool. Yeah. I don't know if you've heard it, but it's a beautiful song. I haven't heard that one, but I'm familiar with all those names.
01:05:04
Speaker
And then Kirk Franklin on it. Oh, OK. There you go. Who then brings in the choir. Yeah. And it was, yeah, truly, truly incredible. Well, Z machine, we have gotten to the point of the show where I like to end each episode with a song that each of us think that is not talked about enough. OK. You feel that you have a song that you feel like it's not talked about enough.
01:05:29
Speaker
Yeah, Got Me by Laura Mvula. There we go. Everyone check her. Where did you say that she was from again? I believe she's from the UK. Let me look that real quick. I'm gonna do a quick Laura Mvula British singer. Yeah, a native of Birmingham, England. Okay.
01:05:51
Speaker
There we go. Everyone check it out. I am going to go with the, I said earlier, I said, I was like, maybe they'll do, she's drives me wild. This is my song, but I'm going to go with, I don't know if you're familiar with this artist, uh, his name's the machine.
01:06:06
Speaker
And Z Machine has a song called Better Off that I think is an absolute bop. And I please forgive me, I do not know how to pronounce the other artist's names. And so when I had first discovered your music through DJ John Michael, I was like going through your discography at the time.
01:06:26
Speaker
And that was one of the songs. I just remember all of your songs sound so different. And that was a song where I was like, it's like this bop. It almost gave me Lionel Richie all night long vibes in a way, melodically. Oh, I hear that. The story behind that is that I had written that with Katie, my friend, who went by Atrell at the time. That was her artist's name. But she hasn't really been releasing music.
01:06:54
Speaker
She she's like deep in the business. She owns a studio. She owns a production company. She's really doing her thing. She doesn't but but she was we wrote that song just back in like 2018 and we were like, let's write like a song that like Rihanna and Drake could sing.
01:07:10
Speaker
Oh, yeah. But as we wrote it and produced it out, I'm like, this actually could be like Ariana and Justin Bieber or something like that. And then Moises, my producer, he ended up hopping on it and producing it over the vocals we had recorded and.
01:07:27
Speaker
he turned that shit out. And I was like, we had just been kind of sitting with that song for ages. And I was like, honestly, if we're not going to send this out for pitch, can I just put it out? Yeah. And so and so that was a pandemic release.
01:07:41
Speaker
And it's a great song. I was just walking to it the other day and it's such a great strutting song. I'm suddenly strutting down the street to it and I'm like, wait a minute, who am I right now? Wait a minute. So you guys recorded the vocals and then Moises came in and produced it.
01:07:58
Speaker
So it so the the whole track it sounded a little bit more like Take care Okay, Rhiannon Drake that put out it was kind of just like a kick line and some piano Oh sure a little bit and a little bit of like ethereal guitar Yeah, it was very sparse And then Moises came in and he actually we did end up re-recording some of those but he produced the whole track around our scratch vocals that we did oh wow that was that whole kind of like
01:08:26
Speaker
like that you hear now. Yes. And then we went in and then we produced the key change and all that. We wrote a bridge. We wrote the bridge and then kind of solidified the song as it is now. Wow. Oh, my gosh. Very cool. Yeah. Yeah. Song. We do not talk about enough. And that's true. That was.
01:08:46
Speaker
My microphone is falling. We've both got a microphone whoa. It's all good, babe. Oh my gosh. Well, thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to talk with me. This is our first time actually speaking. Yeah, this has been such a blast. So much fun. I hope that we get to do this again another time soon. Congratulations on anyone but him.
01:09:10
Speaker
Congratulations on worst coming out soon. May 9th. Thank you. So yes. Pre-save it. Pre-save it. Um, and tell everyone where they can find you on the socials. Um, I'm on most socials as Z machine music, ZEE machine music, except Instagram. I'm just at Z machine. Oh my God. Look at that. Blessed. So good. Well, thank you everyone for listening and until next time, peace out. Bye bye. Thanks babe. Bye.