Two weeks ago, Anton Zaslavski, known professionally as Zedd, released his sophomore artist album, True Colors. Reviews have been a mixed bag, but the project did quite well in the charts and sales department for a dance album, selling 50,000 in the first week and topping iTunes dance charts worldwide. He spoke to Rolling Stone about the LP, collaborating with other artists like Lady Gaga, Echosmith and Logic, who both appear on the album and the influence artists like Daft Punk and Skrillex have had on his career.
Within the context of his album and managing expectations after a hit like "Clarity," Zedd had to evolve and do something different.
"It's boring to stay the same. I can't make "Clarity" 10 times. I'm bored of it; I made it once and I want to move on. It's important for me that my fans know I'm Zedd the musician, not Zedd the EDM DJ," says Zaslavski. "And if I decide to make an acoustic album next time, which is very well possible, that's still me. My heart is in there. It doesn't mean that sonically the sound will be the same."
He didn't like electronic music until he heard Daft Punk and that changed everything for the young musician, especially when he finally got in touch with Skrillex.
The Recess DJ not only influenced Zedd's production, but also his live show.
"He had his new production, he had his new team, and I watched the show. And I know he's doing it live, because I know him, but the production was so on point - it was unbelievable. It was the first time I realized you can be perfect live," reflects Zedd.
According to the Russian-born producer, Lady Gaga, one of the first major artists to support him, was the person who taught him how to collaborate and he has been lucky to find individuals who buy into his vision as a musician.
"Working with Lady Gaga, for example, made me learn to collaborate, because she's a musician too. I got really lucky that every collaborator really trusted my vision, even if it was outside of their comfort zone. Echosmith doesn't make music like what we did together. Logic doesn't. Every single person I worked with trusted my vision, and at the point where we recorded vocals, the songs weren't always done. Sometimes they were really raw. It was like, just trust me. I'm not gonna do anything that's not great."
