Zedd (musician)

Zedd

Zedd in Los Angeles at the film premiere of Divergent, 18 March 2014
Background information
Birth name Anton Zaslavski
Born 1989/1990 (age 25–26)[1]
Saratov, Soviet Union (present-day Russia)
Origin Kaiserslautern, Germany[2]
Genres Electro house[3]
Occupation(s)
  • Producer
  • DJ
  • musician
Years active 2002–present
Labels
Website zedd.net

Anton Zaslavski (Russian: Анто́н Засла́вский;[lower-alpha 1]), better known by his stage name Zedd (pronunciation: /zɛd/), is a Russian-German Grammy Award winning musician, music producer, and DJ.[1][2] He primarily produces in the electro house genre,[4] but has branched out, drawing influences from progressive house, dubstep, and classical music. Zedd grew up and began his career in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

Zedd's best-known productions to date are the songs "Clarity" featuring Foxes which charted at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number one of the US Hot Dance Club Songs; and "Break Free", a song which peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, becoming his first song to do so. Zedd won the Grammy award for Best Dance Recording at the 56th Grammy Awards for "Clarity".[5]

Early life

Anton Zaslavski was born in Saratov, Russia, September 2, 1989.[1][6] He moved to Germany at the age of three and grew up in Kaiserlautern.[7] He is a classically trained musician, born to two musicians. His father Igor Zaslavski is a guitarist and schoolteacher and his mother is a piano instructor.[7][8] He began playing the piano at the age of four and drums at twelve.[9][10] He has an elder brother, Arkadi.[8]

Career

2002–11: Early beginnings

In 2002 Zaslavski began playing for the German deathcore band Dioramic, signed by Lifeforce Records. Zaslavski's interest in producing electronic music was piqued after hearing † by French electronic duo Justice.[11] He began producing electronic music in 2009.

Under the name 'Zedd', Zaslavski has produced a wide variety of remixes and originals. He won two Beatport remix contests in 2010;[12] his first original release, "The Anthem", entered the Beatport Electro house chart in the top 20.[13]

His remix of Skrillex's "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" also entered the Beatport Electro House chart, peaking at number 2. He has since produced remixes of well-known artists, including Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, The Black Eyed Peas, and others.[14] Zaslavski creates his music using the Cubase suite of music production applications, and uses plug-ins such as the Sylenth1, Nexus, SynthMaster 2.6, and Omnisphere synthesizers, and the Kontakt sampler.[15]

In 2011, Zedd's remix of Lady Gaga's track "Born This Way" appeared on the special edition of her third studio album, Born This Way (2011).[16]

In September 2011, his single "Shave It Up" premiered as a thirty-second teaser on Skrillex's YouTube page, this being Zedd's first release on OWSLA records.

Porter Robinson, Zedd, and Skrillex performing at SXSW on 16 March 2012.
Zedd at 2013 Moment of Clarity World Tour at the Aragon, Chicago

2012–14: Clarity

In 2012, Zedd signed with Interscope Records and released his debut single from the label, "Spectrum", with vocals by Matthew Koma.[17] It shot to the top of Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs.[18] He then produced the Eva Simons song, "I Don't Like You", which was also released on Interscope. He also produced and co-wrote the third single "Beauty and a Beat" with Max Martin for Justin Bieber's third studio album, Believe.[19]

On 12 October 2012, Zedd released his debut studio album, Clarity, with "Spectrum" as the album's lead single. "Clarity", featuring British singer-songwriter Foxes, was released on February 1, 2013 as the album's third single. It was a commercial success; it not only charted in the Top 10 of Billboard Hot 100, but also on various international charts. It sold for 2,238,000 copies and certified platinum, making it Zedd's most successful single to date.[20] The song also became #1 most played on American radio in September 10, 2013.[21] Zedd held his first Moment of Clarity World Tour from August to December 2013 in 5 continents.[22]

Zedd worked with Japanese singer, Namie Amuro and produced her promotional single, "Heaven" for her album Feel.[23] Zedd would later work with her again in 2015 for her album, genic, although none of his songs were actually featured in her album.[24]

"Stay the Night", featuring Hayley Williams, was released as a single on September 10, 2013, as part of the deluxe version of Zedd's album. The song met similar success, although it was criticized for its lack of uniqueness and less powerful lyrics compared to "Clarity".[25] It ranked in Billboard Hot 100's Top 20, and certified platinum as well.[26]

In 2013, Zedd produced "Aura", "G.U.Y.", and "Donatella" on Lady Gaga's 2013 album, Artpop.[27] On 26 January 2014, he released the single "Find You" featuring Matthew Koma and Miriam Bryant, which is included on the soundtrack for the film Divergent.[28]

On 3 July 2014, Ariana Grande released a song with Zedd entitled "Break Free",[29] which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs.[30] The song was nominated at the Teen Choice Awards in the category of "Break-Up Song".[31] On 18 December 2014, Moment of Clarity, a documentary about Zedd and his 2013 world tour, was released through his YouTube channel.[32]

2015–present: True Colors

After taking a break of 6 months, Zedd announced the completion and release of his second studio album, True Colors. On 23 February 2015, Zedd released his collaboration featuring Selena Gomez, "I Want You to Know".[33] The song was co-written by Zedd, Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, and KDrew.[34][35] The song is nominated for "Choice Party Song" at the Teen Choice Awards and made it to #1 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Songs and #17 on Billboard Hot 100.[36]

Zedd released his second single, "Beautiful Now" featuring Jon Bellion, on May 13, 2015, releasing his album 5 days later.[37] The album peaked at number 1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs, and has ranked at other various international charts.[38] On 17 July, the third single from the album, "Papercut", featuring Troye Sivan, was released.[39]

On 22–23 May, he headlined the Counter Point Music and Arts Festival along with The Roots and Widespread Panic.[40] Along with Eric Prydz, Zedd headlined the first day of 2015 Spring Awakening Festival.[41]

Zedd performed at the 2015 CMT Music Awards with Lady Antebellum. Together, they performed mashup of their songs Long Stretch of Love and Beautiful Now.[42]

Zedd held his second tour, True Colors, from August to November 2015 in Asia, North America and Europe.[43] Zedd was included in the line-up for Coachella 2016.[44]

Discography

Main article: Zedd discography

Tours and concerts

Awards and nominations

Year Ceremony Recipient Category Result
2013 American Music Awards Zedd Favorite Electronic Dance Music Artist Nominated[45]
MTV Video Music Awards "Clarity" (featuring Foxes) Artist To Watch Nominated[46]
2014 Grammy Awards Best Dance Recording Won[47]
iHeartRadio Music Awards EDM Song of the Year Nominated
Billboard Music Awards Top Dance/Electronic Song Nominated[48]
Clarity Top Dance/Electronic Album Nominated[48]
Zedd Top Dance/Electronic Artist Nominated[48]
Teen Choice Awards Choice Music – Electronic Dance Music Artist Nominated[49]
MTV Video Music Awards "Stay the Night" (with Hayley Williams) MTV Clubland Award Won[50]
MTV Europe Music Awards Zedd Best Push Act Nominated[51]
DJ Awards Best Electro DJ Nominated[52]
2015 Teen Choice Awards "I Want You to Know" (with Selena Gomez) Choice Party Song Nominated
Choice Theme Song Won
American Music Awards Zedd Favorite EDM Artist Nominated
2016 iHeartRadio Music Awards Dance Artist of the Year Nominated

Notes

  1. ↑ tr. Antón Zaslávskij, pronounced [ɐnˈton zɐsˈlafskʲɪj].

References

  1. 1 2 3 O'Malley Greenburg, Zach (14 August 2013). "Zedd Ahead: Meet The Next Big Star Of Electronic Music". Forbes. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  2. 1 2 Heaney, Gregory. "Allmusic: Zedd (biography)". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  3. ↑ "Biography". zedd.net (Official site). Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "ELR™ Exclusive Interview w/ Zedd". Easyloverecords.com. 19 November 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  5. ↑ "Zedd & Cedric Gervais Take Home First Grammys". Billboardy. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  6. ↑ "Zedd on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  7. 1 2 O'Malley Greenburg, Zack (14 August 2013). "Zedd Ahead: Meet The Next Big Star Of Electronic Music". Forbes. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Watch Zedd Playing Music As A Child, Along With His Brother And Father". EDM.com. 21 February 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  9. ↑ "Zedd Exclusive Interview". The Worst Guy. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  10. ↑ "Zedd – 'The important point of the actual music is being neglected a bit'". Upcoming-Soon. 5 June 2011. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  11. ↑ "An Early Christmas Gift! An Interview with Zedd". 310electro.com. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  12. ↑ Brown, Hayley (23 July 2014). "Beatport's New President Lloyd Starr on Download Farms, What EDM Even Is". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  13. ↑ "Zedd – May 2010 Chart". pro.beatport.com. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  14. ↑ Lee, Christina (2 August 2014). "MAGIC!’s "Rude" Gets Remixed By Zedd At Lollapalooza". Idolator. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  15. ↑ Abascal, Lina (1 December 2012). "In The Studio With Zedd: Going for Clarity". DJ Times. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  16. ↑ Daw, Robbie (21 October 2011). "Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way: The Remix’ & ‘The Collection’ Covers Revealed". Idolator. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  17. ↑ "Zedd Bio, Music, News & Shows". DJZ.com. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  18. ↑ "Dance/Club Play Songs – Week of 1 September 2012". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 13 October 2012.
  19. ↑ Vena, Jocelyn. "Justin Bieber Didn't 'Convince' 'Beauty And A Beat' Producer Zedd At First". MTV. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  20. ↑ "Clarity (Zedd song)".
  21. ↑ "Zedd's 'Clarity' Finally Hits #1 On US Radio". EDMTunes. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  22. ↑ "Zedd – Moment Of Clarity World Tour". www.momentofclaritytour.com. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  23. ↑ "安室奈美恵 NEW ALBUM「_genic」 SPECIAL WEBSITE".
  24. ↑ Genic (Album liner notes) (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Avex Trax. 10 June 2015.
  25. ↑ Shotwell, James. "Zedd Streams "Stay the Night" Featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore". Under The Gun Review. Spin Media. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  26. ↑ "Zedd Announces 'Moment of Clarity' Documentary Release for 18 December". Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  27. ↑ "Lady Gaga Has 'A Lot Of Work Left' On ARTPOP Songs". MTV. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  28. ↑ Rigby, Sam (18 March 2014). "Zedd premieres Divergent music video for 'Find You'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  29. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (23 June 2014). "Ariana Grande's 'Break Free': Zedd Discusses The 'Problem' Follow-Up". Billboard. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  30. ↑ Trust, Gary. "Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea Triple Up In Hot 100's Top 10, MAGIC! Still No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  31. ↑ "2014 Teen Choice Awards Nominees Announced". PopCrush. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  32. ↑ "Zedd-Moment of Clarity (Documentary)". Youtube. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  33. ↑ "Zedd And Selena Gomez Release Highly Anticipated Single I Want You To Know".
  34. ↑ ""Selena did a bang-up job. She killed it," says Tedder of the hotly anticipated new track.". Billboard. 8 February 2015.
  35. ↑ "Written-By". Discogs. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  36. ↑ "Zedd - Chart history | Billboard". billboard.com. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  37. ↑ "Zedd Announces Album Release Date". wegotthiscovered.com. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  38. ↑ "Zedd – Chart History: Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  39. ↑ "Zedd-Papercut (featuring Troye Sivan)". Youtube. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  40. ↑ "Counterpoint music and art festival announces line-up widespread panic and zedd headlining". 15 January 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  41. ↑ "Spring Awakening Festival Announces 2015 Lineup: Zedd, Hardwell, Tiësto & More (Exclusive)". Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  42. ↑ "Long Stretch of Love/Beautiful Now". cmt.com. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  43. ↑ "True Colors Tour | Zedd". Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  44. ↑ "Coachella". Coachella. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  45. ↑ "'American Music Awards' 2013 nominees, winners – complete list". PopCrush. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  46. ↑ "2013 Video Music Award Nominations: Get The Full List!". MTV. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  47. ↑ "Grammy Awards 2014 Nominations, Dance Genre". Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  48. 1 2 3 "2014 Winners". Billboard Music Awards. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  49. ↑ Malec, Brett (17 June 2014). "Teen Choice 2014 Nominees: Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars Lead, Catching Fire Comes in Second". E! Online. NBC Universal. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  50. ↑ Frith, Vanessa (25 August 2014). "MTV VMAs 2014 'Clubland' Winner Is Zedd For 'Stay The Night'". ENSTARS. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  51. ↑ "MTV EMAs 2014: Katy Perry sieben, Ariana Grande sechs Mal nominiert". Musikmarkt (in German). 17 September 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  52. ↑ "2014 Winners and Nominee's". djawards.com. DJ Awards. Retrieved 18 May 2015.

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