What I love about Zachariah is his unwavering determination – and as a performer, you need that!

Ever since I met and featured this young rapper on my blog 4 years ago, he has shown me that even when he’s knocked down, he comes back swinging.

In our initial interview, he spoke about his double life dealing with his budding music career as well as self-producing his web series – Life, Love N Struggle:Toronto.   Both projects dealt with friendship drama, and the highs and lows of the music biz. *click here to read the first interview.

I guess he enjoyed the first experience because he reached out to me in October, so that he could update me on his career.

Our second interview took place in a trendy and slightly noisy café– a different place from the first time we interviewed, and this time, we were both more relaxed. We’ve gotten to know each other over the years via social media, so when we met up, it felt like a mini reunion. And just like when old friends get together, we chatted about everything and anything.

We were both disappointed when our interview was cut short due to the café closing at 6pm. But in just under 20 minutes we were able to get caught up. We talked about holding down our 9-5s, our love life, social media, and of course, our creative careers.

Curious to know what Zachariah’s been up to for the past couple of years? Keep reading to find out.

 

What’s been happening since we last spoke?
So many things! I’ve released a few projects since then and performed on some really cool stages. I’d say the biggest thing was going through some emotionally abusive interpersonal relationships that really changed me as an artist and as a person.

 

The Mixtape

 

One of the cool projects Zachariah has worked on was his recent mixtape called Not So Full Bloom.

What motivated you to create music for the mixtape?
I started recording all original music last year and didn’t plan on releasing another mixtape until after I was fully immersed in the studio. However, I wrote a couple of songs that I didn’t plan to record in the studio and knew they’d be wasted if they weren’t shared in some way. That’s how it began, but as I started to go through different situations in my personal life, I felt the need to create a project in spite of my circumstances. It almost became this point I had to prove to both myself and everyone who was trying to hurt me. I felt trapped in a lot of ways and needed to bloom. To be honest, I wanted the mixtape to be out almost a year before it was actually released. That’s how bad things were going. 

How did you feel when your mixtape came out? What was the response like?
It was a bit of a rollercoaster because I ended up having to deal with a couple of technical difficulties that further delayed the release. I was so happy when it was finally online but I was exhausted at the same time. I went through so much to get it out, I had to take a minute to soak it all in. The response has been great! People feel it’s pretty cohesive and has something for everyone. There’s a couple of bops, some sombre songs, and some interludes to give context to the music. I perform “Treat It” a lot and want to see where that record goes, it’s one of my favourites off the mixtape! 

The Web series

 

Not one to sit still for too long, Zachariah has jumped back into the web series game. I ask him why he decided to film a web series again.

 

What compelled you to produce a web series again? 
Film has always been an easy medium for me to tap into. I’ve always liked the idea of having digital snapshots of things I’ve done musically and I enjoyed the behind the scenes aspect of the web series I produced in the past. I think people will understand my music and my artistry a lot more if they see those moments of creation and self-discovery, even if they’re hard for me to share. It’s one thing for me to say I have trust issues, it’s another thing to show how and why those issues manifested. This new show I’m producing will be really personal and self-reflective but I had to do it that way to tell my story. I think it will compliment the mixtape and the music I’m working on well. 

Any upcoming projects? 
My new single “What You Wanna Be?” is out on all digital and streaming platforms and I’m working on my first all original music project for next year. I’m also back on youtube (The ZachariahMusiq and TheZachariahExperience) and have been posting performance videos as well as interviews. I have a lot of plans for creative content on those channels next year so stay tuned for that. I’ll continue to perform in Toronto next year, and hope to secure some big stages soon. Things are looking up and I’m grateful.

Can you see why I love his drive? Zachariah gives 150% to everything he works on. Damn, I wish I had his energy! Lol

Thanks for meeting up with me again, Zachariah.

To find out more about Zachariah, please visit the following sites:

Instagram: @zachariahmusiq

Twitter: @zachariahmusiq

Facebook: click here

YouTube: The Zachariah Musiq & The Zachariah Experience

* Featured picture taken by @SomethingToCapture