Meet Zaïe

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zaïe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zaïe, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I’m from Atlanta, GA and growing up here definitely impacted my life as a whole because although I faced many challenges and hardships I also feel like being in the city allowed me more opportunities at a young age than most people in small towns or rural areas. I have overcome many obstacles throughout my 23 years of life. It was only at the age of 12 when my family faced their first instance of homelessness and I had to take a bus from the shelter and walk with my mother not far behind walking my younger brother and I to school every day. It would happen a few more times after that, the homeless instances. It wasn’t until I was 14-15 when my family was more stable and I could partake in a lot more extra curricular activities at home such as: reading, writing both stories and songs, and working. I also started participating in musicals and choirs around this time. Being an adult of course has its own set of unique challenges but I have learned to just adapt to what life has to offer and never loose sight of the big picture. As I got older that’s when I became a lot more active in the hobbies and business ventures I set out on today. A lot of the obstacles I went through were fragments of my life that, when put together, make up who I am to the core.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When I first started out it was very hard to mesh the essence of my personal life with what I wanted to share to the public. I tried making songs that I knew everyone would like but in turn stopped writing music for me. It wasn’t until 2020 when I released my single “Obsessed” where I really got a taste of what it was like to write both FOR and ABOUT me. I released a bunch of projects under Zay Explicit; which some went on to do very well despite me not having signed to a label. However, as time went on and the obstacles came more aggressively; I took a step back from music. Even though I never stopped writing all this time; I didn’t feel the need anymore to push out songs by a certain deadline because there were so many traumatic and stressful events. My initial decision to change my name came in 2021 but was not official until 2022.
I then released my first solo single “ROTTEN” back in September of 2023; under this new artist name. My decision to ultimately give up the self proclaimed identity came in 2022 when I released my first article with the VoyageATL’s Canvas Rebel issue. I discussed the overall importance of changing my name and the meaning behind it. I have also been teasing this new Zaïe era on my social media platforms for the past two years; as over 14,000 Instagram followers await more updates regarding new music. I definitely have many plans to release a lot of new music and want to start off very gradually as I also get back into performing this new music.
I announced my first returning single titled “Moonlight” which will be released sometime later in June on all platforms. I am also working on a project that will feature this single as well as others and I’m very excited to share it!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I have honestly lived in Atlanta my entire life and there’s still SO many places I have not been. However, my favorite brunch spot would have to be Love at first Bite ATL or 9 Mile Station on top of The Roof at Ponce City Market. 10/10!
I love to hangout at Atlantic Station or underground Atlanta on off days or at night for concerts and events. I also love going to The Battery Atlanta whenever I have a concert or braves game there or just want to visit my bestie who lives in that area. For lunch I have been really loving Pita Mediterranean right now or really anything remotely healthy. My favorite food is probably Italian so my favorite dinner spot right now is Gigi’s mostly because it’s good but also I don’t know many other Italian places YET; other than Maggianos and Olive Garden of course. If I want to go to the bar or go clubbing I go to Midtown and hit up X the gay club or Blake’s. My favorite place to relax and unwind is probably Piedmont Park. Also if you have not been to the aquarium on your birthday (it’s free) then I definitely recommend!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people to thank for the journey I have been on these past 5 years since I graduated high school and even before then. I would personally like to thank and send a special shout out to everyone that has encouraged and supported me over the past 3 years. Life had gotten very hard on me the last few years, especially following the pandemic and I leaned heavily on my friends and family during that time and less on social media; while still having to keep a consistent content schedule. The people that have checked in and remained supportive and patient with me for not weeks or months but for YEARS are one of a kind and I am truly grateful. If it was not for all of my fans, followers, friends and family I don’t know if I would still be continuing to do all this now. A special specific shoutout goes to my amazing Mom; because despite the ups and downs of our relationship she’s been a significant part in helping me stay sane. There’s truly nothing quite like a mother’s love. I also would like to thank Jeffrey my cohost on the Funny Enough Podcast for always being there for me when I call and for being on this new venture with me. I also want to send a special shout out to each and every human being that listened, shared, and/or supported me during my Zay Explicit journey. I actually recently checked the stats and I have over 20,000 streams on Spotify alone under Zay Explicit and that could not have been possible without you all! A special specific shoutout also goes to each person that helped curate and work on my initial debut album “O2”. Thank you to: Maejor, Fannparis, Ricky Tunes, Jhustiz, my Family and Solar Sounds Productions for your work on this special project. And I can’t wait to share what I have in store next!

Website: https://www.zaiemusic.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zaiemusic

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/zaiemusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zaiemusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/zaiemusic

Image Credits
Zaïe