Is Montrealer Zach Zoya the next Drake?
![The Montrealer Zach Zoya is he the next Drake? /></p>
<p> Singer Zach Zoya in his recording studio./Josie Desmarais/Métro </p>
<p>Singer-composer-performer Zach Zoya combines vocals and rap in his songs as skillfully as he mixes French and English when he expresses himself. If the Montrealer was raised in the language of Molière, it is that of Shakespeare who has inspired him in his creation since his adolescence. The 24-year-old artist is increasingly establishing himself on the Quebec music scene, but he has his sights set on the planet.</p>
<p>The one who has often been compared to Drake and described as the “hope” of Anglo hip-hop in Quebec has not been idle during the pandemic when the artistic community was on hiatus. Even less since the resumption of activities. Recently, he even opened for Charlotte Cardin, the one who triumphed at the last Juno awards gala by equaling a record held by Celine Dion.</p>
<p>During the last two years of health crisis, Zach Zoya worked with a select circle of artist friends to compose much of her second EP, <em>No Love Is Ever Wasted</em>. With this new album, even more accomplished than the first, the rapper and singer reaffirms his talent and versatility.</p>
<p>Meet in a studio on the West Island of Montreal, Zach Zoya explains that he now prefers to create in the comfort of an apartment with the same close collaborators. “I go to my friends and we make music <em>wherever we’re at. </em>[…] It gives me more creative freedom”, he mentions.</p>
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New creative process
While he was more used to arriving at the studio with texts already in hand, it’s with the arrival of the pandemic that the artist changed his creative process. Now, Zach Zoya chooses to write the lyrics of his songs as his three acolytes (Soran, Miko and yukidreamsagain) compose the instrumental arrangements during often spontaneous meetings.
This new way of doing things was first imposed on him by the health crisis and the restrictions it caused. “We were kind of forced to stay with the same people,” he recalls. […] It really solidified our crew and,to this day[to this day], those are the people I do business with. music.”
Although he worked extremely hard during this planetary downtime, Zach Zoya says he still got pleasure from it. “There was no pressure because we knew there would be no showbefore two years. We made music for fun, without really having a specific goal or really thinking about an album. And that gave a project”, he rejoices.
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No Love Is Ever Wasted
This project, which was born mostly during the pandemic, is No Love Is Ever Wasted, Zach Zoya's second EP, released last month.
“It's an ode to passion. It's not being afraid to try new things. Love is never lost. And not just love in a romantic relationship, but love for a new passion, a hobby, your job, your career…”, he says. .
The artist cites his background in the restaurant business as an example: “Sometimes you feel like you're wasting your time because it's just your day job. . You would like to use that time to do something else, but there are things about discipline and perseverance that I learned that are useful to me in music now,” he explains. /p>
Of this opus which he describes as “very melodic”, Zach Zoya mentions that his favorite song is All Alone In The Universe since it is a very personal one.
When you are an emerging English-speaking artist in Quebec, you find yourself not competing with other emerging artists on the Quebec scene [Anglophones or Francophones], but against Americans and international acts. […] Me, even though I'm an emerging Anglo artist, my competition is going to be Drake, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, because of the quotas.
Zach Zoya
Moreover, the reception in the United States is already excellent. But the best is yet to come for Zach Zoya, who has only just begun performing gigs since returning to normal life.
After a show at Osheaga's Special Edition last fall , he will perform again at the same Montreal festival this summer, on Sunday, July 31. “It's always cool when the local scene embrace you like that and show some love,” he rejoices.
As a long-term goal, the rapper is even targeting the African continent. “We don't often think of it when we think of shows, but it's huge and there's a huge market in the Francophonie and in English,” he explains.
