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Anton Zaslavski, the internationally-acclaimed EDM DJ best known by his stage name, Zedd, didn’t make inroads into the music world through his laptop and headphones like most DJs.
His road to prominence and party-spinning began with the sounds of classical music.
“My parents were a big musical influence because they forced me to play the piano,” he told CBC’s Tashauna Reid, with a grin.
Beyond ivory keys and cryptic sheet music, the German-raised musician is widely known as a superstar of the electro house genre. But he says he still imbues classical elements into his synthetic sounds.
“My favourite part of producing a song is the first 30 per cent, especially when I record the piano demo,” he said, fondly. “Those moments are my favourite.”
But he’s also aware that the world of EDM music is over saturated, giving him the impetus to rise above the electronic din.
“Some musicians release mediocre music especially with the advent of SoundCloud and other online avenues,” said Zedd.
The 25 year-old, L.A.-based musician is trying to stay ahead of the EDM curve with his latest album’s poignant and colour-based concept.
“I want to make a timeless album. One that tells a story from start to finish,” he reveals. “To that end, I earmarked each song with a distinct colour and emotion.”
Musical misconceptions
But the young musician realizes that the deck is stacked against him.
Zedd discovered a widely-held misconception around the EDM sound while on a leisurely drive with his grandmother.
“I remember working on a remix. It was blaring in the car and my grandmother was so confused,” he recounted with a laugh.
“She was totally blown away by the fact that this was considered bona-fide music.”
Released earlier this year, True Colors boasts a roster of hits, including the Selena Gomez-featuring track, I Want You to Know, and the romantic single Beautiful Now.
“I’m trying to deviate from electronic music that works well. You play it and everyone jumps to it,” he says. “Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing everyone jumping to my music, but I’d rather achieve that through emotional music.”
Working with an array of heavyweight artists like Paramore’s lead vocalist, Hayley Williams, and OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder, Zedd wants to challenge the EDM status quo through genre-spanning and cross-pollinating.
“I want to make music with different artists that are left-field and surprising to people,” he says. “I want to prove that you can meld and mix with any genre and move that genre forward.”
In the spirit of challenging his musical sensibilities, he says he’d like to compose music for film or pen an acoustic album.
Splitting from Selena
In the fallout of his public breakup with pop star, Selena Gomez, Zedd admits there are drawbacks to the media scrutiny that comes with fame.
“It was really weird. I’ve never been in the press for anything except my music,” he said.
But the EDM star doesn’t have time to commiserate about his recent breakup because Zedd is booked to tour True Colors this summer into the fall.
To hear more from Zedd, check out the video above.
