Written by: Oliver Heffron

Listening to Zaia’s music is a soul-satisfying experience. The up-and-coming Atlanta artist sets the sonic table with a unique sound, blending rap, alt-rock, and synth-pop influences into a diverse array of instrumentals over his stellar debut album VERY ALONE. The main course of Zaia’s music, and what makes the experience feel communal and restorative, is his soothing delivery of emotional lyricism, which bravely shines a light into the dark corners of depression, isolation, and self-criticism. Combining these themes with upbeat, irresistible melodies makes Zaia a genuinely compelling and representative artist of this rising generation’s universal experience of stubbornly searching for love, community, and morality within a world criticized to nihilism and increasingly determined by algorithms instead of ethics.

Ironically, Zaia’s music has been shooting up the algorithms of streaming services, steadily building his following as his music resonates with a world that needs healing. Zaia crafts an inescapably catchy melody over “INNERSTATE’s” glitzy synths and swooning bassline while his lyrics contemplate vulnerable ideas about fear and honor’s destructive contradictions. Zaia instills the title track, “VERY ALONE,” with a melancholic beauty and sweet intimacy that sticks to the sides of your brain like soul honey.

Zaia recently collaborated with singer-songwriter Tom Odell on the track “numb (feat. Zaia),” displaying his genre-versatility and ability to lift a song with his lyricism through collaboration. Zaia’s unique perspective, sound, and commitment to companioning his tracks with equally well-crafted videos make him one of Atlanta’s most exciting young artists. Check out Very Alone and Reset (A Visual EP).