Emerging pop vocalist ZACHARIAH garnered attention as a multi-talented vocalist, musician and songwriter after the soft release of his song “Tears,” which was released earlier this year via Youtube and Soundcloud — the song touched on the experience of coming out as a gay teenager, a topic that is relevant and relatable to the LGBTQ community to say the least.
Originally from NYC, ZACHARIAH moved to Los Angeles when he was just a pre-teen — and has been crafting his striking and vibey sound ever since. He spent high school discovering his love for jazz and gospel music, from the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker and Sam Cooke — while his parents threw in their “90’s hipster” influence by listening to Lauryn Hill, Nirvana, Chris Whitley and Sublime.
ZACHARIAH’s influences now range from mainstream pop to indie/down tempo. He says of his influences, “The indie women in music that create their own lane like FKA Twigs, Lana Del Rey, and Sevdaliza have been really influential to me.”
Today, ZACHARIAH is releasing his first digital single, “Hurtin’” which offers nostalgic and poetic lyrics mixed with lush production, and a provocative smooth vocal to the pop world. When asked about the song’s origins, ZACHARIAH says, “I gave myself to someone who didn’t want me, but strung me along. I felt responsible for his happiness and lost myself,” again, a topic that many will undoubtedly relate to.
ZACHARIAH says, “Music is the only thing that lets me express myself completely uncensored. I find that my best writing comes when I’m almost embarrassingly honest. I’m also inspired a lot by my environment. Los Angeles is inspiring to me — especially at night, when everything has shut down. It’s beautiful, ghostly and weird. It for sure influences my music.” He adds, that he hopes people will feel connected to the music, since it is such a universal topic.
As for what’s next in ZACHARIAH’s world, he’s been in the studio working on more music — and also a visual for “Hurtin’” which he says will give viewers a visual introduction to his world.
CONNECT WITH ZACHARIAH:
INSTAGRAM //SPOTIFY // SOUNDCLOUD
PHOTOGRAPHER // ANGELO KRITIKOS
STORY // ANGIE PICCIRILLO
.