5 Questions With - ZZ Ward
In case you haven’t noticed, I kind of have a crush on ZZ Ward. But, how can you not? She’s bluesy, hip-hoppy, indie, poppy, and all-around fantastic. And like, look at her. She’s got swagger.
I had a lovely call with ZZ the other day, and here it is. It was a pleasure to talk to someone so talented and up-and-coming, and especially someone I like so much.
Oh, and this is another one of those times where I called it “5 Questions With…”, but this is definitely more than five questions.
PBB: Can you tell me why you as a mixed artist – all these different genres – decided to go this route?
ZZ: I wasn’t like “Oh, we should do a mixtape!” The way it came about was I was laying songs for my record and I was also listening to hip-hop songs that I love. The first song that I did for the mixtape was over Tyler, the Creator’s “Yonkers”. That’s where you get to the chorus and no one’s singing, so I just started singing melodies. That’s the first song that I did. It kind of freed my mind from writing the stuff for the album. It was just this other project that I started working on.
Then I started doing it with a lot of songs I liked, and I wanted to give people out there something to listen to from me. I just did it really quick – I did it in like, a month and then put it out there. I know that it is kind of unconventional; it’s not the usual way that it happens, but I think everyone does music like that. I make music because I love it, and it felt right for me to do it.
PBB: Oh, I thought it was great. I was speaking with Heather (her publicist), and she was saying “what a great way to introduce yourself”. It’s not something that they have to buy, it’s fresh and original, and it was done so well. It was great.
You picked Tyler, the Creator, but how did you pick the other artists?
ZZ: Yeah, they were just songs that I was listening to and songs that I liked. I loved Freddie Gibbs. I had been going to Freddie’s concerts for a while. Never really dreamed that I would end up working with him…He had “Oil Money”, and I loved “Oil Money” because the production on it was very bluesy and it had this sinister feel, and I liked it.
I ended up flipping that song and also met the producer of the original track, Blended Babies, and we ended up working on a lot of my record together.
PBB: I know that Freddie loved it so much that he’s actually on ‘Til The Casket Drops’. Have you heard from Tyler (the Creator)? Have you heard from Childish Gambino or anyone being like “Wow, this is great!”?
ZZ: Well, both Freddie [Gibbs] and Kendrick Lamar are on the record, so definitely some awesome collaborations came out of the mixtape. And really Blended Babies.
PBB: That’s kind of cool that you just went and did it and then they ended up on your record, I love that.
Do you know how many downloads of the mixtape you’ve had?
ZZ: I think probably several thousand. I’m not sure of the exact number, but somewhere like that.
PBB: That only came out in what, January or late last year?
ZZ: It was this year. January.
PBB: Do you think that kind of helped push the album?
ZZ: I think the best way that I can explain it…which is totally an artist’s way of explaining it…I think it introduced a lot of people to me, and I think that was my only hope for it; just to get to know people through it. Obviously when my record came out…the people who had heard the mixtape were looking forward to hearing the record. They wanted to hear more from me. So yeah, I definitely think it helped.
PBB: How did Hollywood [Records, her label] like this? Did you tell them, or were you just like “oops, I let it go”, or were they like “yeah, go for it!”?
ZZ: Hollywood is very, very supportive of me and my artistry, and that’s why I really like working with them. They all really believe in me. Yeah, they supported it. Definitely.
PBB: How did you end up on Hollywood? I know that you signed with Evan [Kidd] Bogart. So, how did you find him, and then how did that turn into Hollywood?
ZZ: Evan found me on Myspace.
PBB: Oh wow (laughs).
ZZ: Yeah (laughs). He was looking for an artist, and he found me. I was playing LA and a lot of the labels were coming to my shows and they were having me come out and play for them kind of all at one time. I met with Hollywood Records and played for them and I really liked the people that were there. The people that are there. Because they believe in my artistry and they love my music…you want to work with people that support you.
PBB: Absolutely. That’s good that they liked you. And…Myspace?!
ZZ: Random, right?
PBB: Random, yeah. I wonder how many artists these days are found on Myspace.
ZZ: (laughs)
PBB: I just reviewed your record, and I said that you are part of this whole movement that Adele opened the door for. Now the mainstream is willing to hear this sort of thing. Do you agree with that? That this is the time for your music – in a mainstream market? Or, are you not concerned about that…?
ZZ: It’s not that I’m not concerned about it. I think that you could say that she opened the door, and bands like Mumford & Sons and The Black Keys. People are accepting different kinds of music, and the more that I get out there and people hear me, the more I hear that my music is really different, and it’s not the norm that you would hear. So, yeah I think it’s definitely a good time for that. But, when I’m sitting and writing these songs by myself in my apartment, I’m not really thinking about if it’s going to work right now. I’m just making music that feels right to me.
PBB: Yeah, I can’t blame you.
Doing this kind of new music, this unheard…How did you fit into these TV syncs that I have heard about? One of your first videos was a mix of the video and then it was from a show. What show was it from?
ZZ: Pretty Little Liars.
PBB: Yeah.
ZZ: It’s interesting how that came about. I heard that they wanted to use my song, and I had never actually seen the show, but a lot of my friends were watching it. And then when I actually watched the show, I was like “Oh my gosh, this is like, a really edgy, really cool show”, and I sort of became addicted to watching it.
It’s really cool when stuff like that happens, especially to connect with people. My song connects with the show. It totally goes along with the theme of these girls trying to stick together and this fight that they’re going through. And for people that connect with the show, it’s a great way for them to also connect with my song. Or vice versa.
PBB: I’ve never seen the show either…
ZZ: (gasp)
PBB: …so I don’t know what it’s…but hey, if it fits then hey, you know?
ZZ: You should watch it so you can get addicted.
PBB: No! The last thing I need is another thing to be addicted to.
I only found out about you a couple of months ago, and it seems like…the mixtape was out this year, and then the EP, and then the record…has this all happened really, really quickly, or has it been a long time and it just seems like that to me?
ZZ: Well, it might if you just found out a couple of month ago. It probably does seem like that to you.
For me, it depends. It changes from day to day. I used to come up with songs and demo them and sell them in parking lots years ago. Sometimes when you look at it, I wanted to be in music and be able to create music for a really long time. I moved to Los Angeles three years ago, and I started in a new city not knowing where to start or what to do at all. I think when things pick up they start moving pretty fast.
PBB: I’m sure you’ve been actually doing this. No one can pick up the talent you have instantly. It just seems like…essentially three releases this year. That’s crazy.
ZZ: Yeah. Been workin’.
PBB: Been working. You’re on tour, aren’t you?
ZZ: Yeah.
PBB: Where are you now?
ZZ: San Francisco.
PBB: Oh great. You’re playing there tonight?
ZZ: Yeah, we have a sold out show tonight. So, it’s going to be rowdy. It’s going to be fun.
PBB: That’s great. When I try to explain you to people, I say “she’s soul and blues and R&B and hip-hop and this and that” and it’s a list of every genre. What would you call it? Does it have a name?
ZZ: I get asked that question all the time now and it’s really the hardest question to answer. It’s like trying to explain what kind of person you are to someone, the putting myself into genres. The only thing that I can really say is that I grew up listening to a lot of blues. A lot of Etta James and Muddy Waters. A lot of hip-hop – a lot of Nas and Jay-Z. I think that the music that I end up creating is the music that I enjoyed growing up listening to. It’s what feels good to me. It’s a mix of blues and hip-hop.
PBB: Blues and hip-hop. Blues-hop, we’ll say. Something like that. Whatever.
ZZ: (laughs)
PBB: Maybe you just said no to this, but when I am explaining it to someone and I say “she’s blues/hip-hop” and they say “what is that?” I could say “kind of like so-and-so”? Is there someone that you see yourself as…ish?
ZZ: Ummm…I’m not going to answer that question because it’s hard for me to…I think the last question I was stretching my ability to explain myself without trying to tell me what mix of artists I am. I don’t know.
PBB: Yeah, that’s ok.
So, I always ask people this. Who is someone – a person or a band or an album – what is something that you are listening to or that you love that we might not know, and that we should all go out and try?
ZZ: Oh, that you should go listen to? Gary Clark Jr. or Azealia Banks. I’m totally into Azealia Banks right now. She’s a little piece of amazing.
PBB: Great. I love that picked a hip-hop artist and a rock/blues guy.
ZZ: Totally unintentional (laughing).
PBB: Oh I know, it’s just so telling. It’s great. I love it.
Excellent. That’s great. Thank you!
ZZ: Thank you so much for talking with me!
PBB: Of course! Have fun in San Francisco!
ZZ: Bye!
PBB: Bye!
So much fun. ZZ is HAPPENING you guys. It's big, and it's real.
Her album, 'Til The Casket Drops' really was stunning. You can get your copy here.
Oh, and that mixtape we talked about so much? P!B!B! wrote about it a few months ago. Free and FUCKING GREAT, so get that too. A free album and a cheap one, both stellar. It's a good day for you.
I had a lovely call with ZZ the other day, and here it is. It was a pleasure to talk to someone so talented and up-and-coming, and especially someone I like so much.
Oh, and this is another one of those times where I called it “5 Questions With…”, but this is definitely more than five questions.
PBB: Can you tell me why you as a mixed artist – all these different genres – decided to go this route?
ZZ: I wasn’t like “Oh, we should do a mixtape!” The way it came about was I was laying songs for my record and I was also listening to hip-hop songs that I love. The first song that I did for the mixtape was over Tyler, the Creator’s “Yonkers”. That’s where you get to the chorus and no one’s singing, so I just started singing melodies. That’s the first song that I did. It kind of freed my mind from writing the stuff for the album. It was just this other project that I started working on.
Then I started doing it with a lot of songs I liked, and I wanted to give people out there something to listen to from me. I just did it really quick – I did it in like, a month and then put it out there. I know that it is kind of unconventional; it’s not the usual way that it happens, but I think everyone does music like that. I make music because I love it, and it felt right for me to do it.
PBB: Oh, I thought it was great. I was speaking with Heather (her publicist), and she was saying “what a great way to introduce yourself”. It’s not something that they have to buy, it’s fresh and original, and it was done so well. It was great.
You picked Tyler, the Creator, but how did you pick the other artists?
ZZ: Yeah, they were just songs that I was listening to and songs that I liked. I loved Freddie Gibbs. I had been going to Freddie’s concerts for a while. Never really dreamed that I would end up working with him…He had “Oil Money”, and I loved “Oil Money” because the production on it was very bluesy and it had this sinister feel, and I liked it.
I ended up flipping that song and also met the producer of the original track, Blended Babies, and we ended up working on a lot of my record together.
PBB: I know that Freddie loved it so much that he’s actually on ‘Til The Casket Drops’. Have you heard from Tyler (the Creator)? Have you heard from Childish Gambino or anyone being like “Wow, this is great!”?
ZZ: Well, both Freddie [Gibbs] and Kendrick Lamar are on the record, so definitely some awesome collaborations came out of the mixtape. And really Blended Babies.
PBB: That’s kind of cool that you just went and did it and then they ended up on your record, I love that.
Do you know how many downloads of the mixtape you’ve had?
ZZ: I think probably several thousand. I’m not sure of the exact number, but somewhere like that.
PBB: That only came out in what, January or late last year?
ZZ: It was this year. January.
PBB: Do you think that kind of helped push the album?
ZZ: I think the best way that I can explain it…which is totally an artist’s way of explaining it…I think it introduced a lot of people to me, and I think that was my only hope for it; just to get to know people through it. Obviously when my record came out…the people who had heard the mixtape were looking forward to hearing the record. They wanted to hear more from me. So yeah, I definitely think it helped.
PBB: How did Hollywood [Records, her label] like this? Did you tell them, or were you just like “oops, I let it go”, or were they like “yeah, go for it!”?
ZZ: Hollywood is very, very supportive of me and my artistry, and that’s why I really like working with them. They all really believe in me. Yeah, they supported it. Definitely.
PBB: How did you end up on Hollywood? I know that you signed with Evan [Kidd] Bogart. So, how did you find him, and then how did that turn into Hollywood?
ZZ: Evan found me on Myspace.
PBB: Oh wow (laughs).
ZZ: Yeah (laughs). He was looking for an artist, and he found me. I was playing LA and a lot of the labels were coming to my shows and they were having me come out and play for them kind of all at one time. I met with Hollywood Records and played for them and I really liked the people that were there. The people that are there. Because they believe in my artistry and they love my music…you want to work with people that support you.
PBB: Absolutely. That’s good that they liked you. And…Myspace?!
ZZ: Random, right?
PBB: Random, yeah. I wonder how many artists these days are found on Myspace.
ZZ: (laughs)
PBB: I just reviewed your record, and I said that you are part of this whole movement that Adele opened the door for. Now the mainstream is willing to hear this sort of thing. Do you agree with that? That this is the time for your music – in a mainstream market? Or, are you not concerned about that…?
ZZ: It’s not that I’m not concerned about it. I think that you could say that she opened the door, and bands like Mumford & Sons and The Black Keys. People are accepting different kinds of music, and the more that I get out there and people hear me, the more I hear that my music is really different, and it’s not the norm that you would hear. So, yeah I think it’s definitely a good time for that. But, when I’m sitting and writing these songs by myself in my apartment, I’m not really thinking about if it’s going to work right now. I’m just making music that feels right to me.
PBB: Yeah, I can’t blame you.
Doing this kind of new music, this unheard…How did you fit into these TV syncs that I have heard about? One of your first videos was a mix of the video and then it was from a show. What show was it from?
ZZ: Pretty Little Liars.
PBB: Yeah.
ZZ: It’s interesting how that came about. I heard that they wanted to use my song, and I had never actually seen the show, but a lot of my friends were watching it. And then when I actually watched the show, I was like “Oh my gosh, this is like, a really edgy, really cool show”, and I sort of became addicted to watching it.
It’s really cool when stuff like that happens, especially to connect with people. My song connects with the show. It totally goes along with the theme of these girls trying to stick together and this fight that they’re going through. And for people that connect with the show, it’s a great way for them to also connect with my song. Or vice versa.
PBB: I’ve never seen the show either…
ZZ: (gasp)
PBB: …so I don’t know what it’s…but hey, if it fits then hey, you know?
ZZ: You should watch it so you can get addicted.
PBB: No! The last thing I need is another thing to be addicted to.
I only found out about you a couple of months ago, and it seems like…the mixtape was out this year, and then the EP, and then the record…has this all happened really, really quickly, or has it been a long time and it just seems like that to me?
ZZ: Well, it might if you just found out a couple of month ago. It probably does seem like that to you.
For me, it depends. It changes from day to day. I used to come up with songs and demo them and sell them in parking lots years ago. Sometimes when you look at it, I wanted to be in music and be able to create music for a really long time. I moved to Los Angeles three years ago, and I started in a new city not knowing where to start or what to do at all. I think when things pick up they start moving pretty fast.
PBB: I’m sure you’ve been actually doing this. No one can pick up the talent you have instantly. It just seems like…essentially three releases this year. That’s crazy.
ZZ: Yeah. Been workin’.
PBB: Been working. You’re on tour, aren’t you?
ZZ: Yeah.
PBB: Where are you now?
ZZ: San Francisco.
PBB: Oh great. You’re playing there tonight?
ZZ: Yeah, we have a sold out show tonight. So, it’s going to be rowdy. It’s going to be fun.
PBB: That’s great. When I try to explain you to people, I say “she’s soul and blues and R&B and hip-hop and this and that” and it’s a list of every genre. What would you call it? Does it have a name?
ZZ: I get asked that question all the time now and it’s really the hardest question to answer. It’s like trying to explain what kind of person you are to someone, the putting myself into genres. The only thing that I can really say is that I grew up listening to a lot of blues. A lot of Etta James and Muddy Waters. A lot of hip-hop – a lot of Nas and Jay-Z. I think that the music that I end up creating is the music that I enjoyed growing up listening to. It’s what feels good to me. It’s a mix of blues and hip-hop.
PBB: Blues and hip-hop. Blues-hop, we’ll say. Something like that. Whatever.
ZZ: (laughs)
PBB: Maybe you just said no to this, but when I am explaining it to someone and I say “she’s blues/hip-hop” and they say “what is that?” I could say “kind of like so-and-so”? Is there someone that you see yourself as…ish?
ZZ: Ummm…I’m not going to answer that question because it’s hard for me to…I think the last question I was stretching my ability to explain myself without trying to tell me what mix of artists I am. I don’t know.
PBB: Yeah, that’s ok.
So, I always ask people this. Who is someone – a person or a band or an album – what is something that you are listening to or that you love that we might not know, and that we should all go out and try?
ZZ: Oh, that you should go listen to? Gary Clark Jr. or Azealia Banks. I’m totally into Azealia Banks right now. She’s a little piece of amazing.
PBB: Great. I love that picked a hip-hop artist and a rock/blues guy.
ZZ: Totally unintentional (laughing).
PBB: Oh I know, it’s just so telling. It’s great. I love it.
Excellent. That’s great. Thank you!
ZZ: Thank you so much for talking with me!
PBB: Of course! Have fun in San Francisco!
ZZ: Bye!
PBB: Bye!
So much fun. ZZ is HAPPENING you guys. It's big, and it's real.
Her album, 'Til The Casket Drops' really was stunning. You can get your copy here.
Oh, and that mixtape we talked about so much? P!B!B! wrote about it a few months ago. Free and FUCKING GREAT, so get that too. A free album and a cheap one, both stellar. It's a good day for you.