The 19-year-old ZAVIER! is based in Austin, Texas. His sound is very different from that of other underground artists, so it would be refreshing for music lovers all over the world to hear something new. He is bringing back a familiar underground sound while adding his own spin in an effort to connect with listeners on a deeper level by expressing raw emotion and discussing mental health issues. Check out his song “Blood I’ve Drawn” and the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
ZAVIER!: I’m based out of Austin, Texas and I started producing music at the age of 12 on an old Dell desktop that I downloaded FL Studio 11 on. Back then, I was a big Hopsin fan and I watched one of his studio videos where he would make a beat then write and record to it. I figured out what DAW he was using and being a broke pre-teen I downloaded the trial version of FL Studio and started messing around.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
ZAVIER!: I guess you could say I was self-taught. I watched a bunch of youtube tutorials on what plugins and effects did what and I basically strung all of my knowledge together to make what I could.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘ZAVIER!’?
ZAVIER!: I went through a whole bunch of name changes but ZAVIER! is the name I chose because while it is not actually my real name it’s the closest thing to it. As far as my first and strongest musical influences, I believe that $uicideBoy$ were my first introduction to my dark and distorted sound. In 2016, my friend showed me a couple of their songs in art class one day and I had never heard anything like it. I went home and dug deeper in their catalog which opened a door and sparked a love for the underground scene at that time.
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
ZAVIER!: I try my best to have none of the elements of my songs outshine one another because I want every aspect to fit like a puzzle. From my lyrics to my beat selection, I feel like making everything shine as a whole makes a track that much more enjoyable to listen to.
5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as HIPHOP?
ZAVIER!:
I often found it very hard to find my own sound my first couple of years making and releasing songs. I often tried imitating artists such as $uicideBoy$ and XXXTENTACION because I found their styles so addicting and I wanted to make listeners feel that way about my catalog. It wasn’t until I started experimenting and trying small things that I didn’t think would fit in a track that I started to see myself drift away from those comparisons a little bit.
6. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
ZAVIER!:
I make my music for a way to express a lot of the emotions that I otherwise cannot exude in everyday life. Especially now with my newer stuff I can’t go around telling my friends or family what I say on these songs because I don’t want them to change how they view me. With that being said, I don’t think it matters how my listeners or a listener interprets what I say. If a person can connect my real life experiences and feelings with their own then I have done my job as an artist.
7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
ZAVIER!:
As of right now in 2022 I don’t believe so. I’m still an unknown face but I have really high hopes for these next couple of years. I know with everyone trying to do music these days it’s hard for people who don’t know you to take you seriously but I truly believe this is what I was born to do and I won’t stop until I get it.
8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
ZAVIER!:
My brain is always on go mode so it’s always thinking of hard punchlines or just ideas in general. Most of the time with my sad stuff I just write down how i’m feeling in that exact moment and when I actually have time to sit down and write a song it’s easy for me to write around that topic. When it comes to solo tracks i’m a one man army. Everything from writing and recording, to vocal processing, to mixing and mastering, publishing and marketing it’s all me.
9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
ZAVIER!: Honestly, the hardest thing has been finding myself. Outside of the music and the persona I portray online I have found it hard to really understand who I am and I have lost a lot of close people in the process because of it. ADDICT 2 is my newest project coming out in 2023 and it covers just that so be on the lookout.
10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
ZAVIER!: I would say by far one of the biggest moments in my music career is when Yung Jarq and myself got co-signed by Slim Thug. I remember listening to him growing up and it really opened my eyes to how far I could really take this.
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