Music Interview: AØTheZealous delves on his creative tastes, musical influences & new EP “Matters of The Heart”
Great to have you on Xttrawave. Please, introduce yourself.
My name is Alexander Ømen also known as AØTheZealous. I’m New Jersey born but moved to Columbus, Ohio at a young age. I’m 18 years old and I’m very passionate about creating art. The word zealous derives from the word zeal which means enthusiasm and passion. I feel that these attitudes in life come from God and my faith is a big part of who I am as an artist you know.
What got you into music and made you realize that it was your chosen path?
I’ve always been in love with music. I grew up surrounded by both gospel and contemporary christian music. My parents always tell me that when I was a little kid, like around the age of 3 and 4, every time I was doing something I wasn’t supposed to do I would start singing “Aleluya” by Michael W. Smith to try to distract them and get out of trouble. I always thought that was funny. I’ve been writing songs since I was in the 2nd grade as kind of a release. Growing up I kind of had trouble connecting with reality so I would create my own realities with the lyrics I wrote. In the 5th grade is when I started battle rapping and that was always lots of fun. Honestly I didn’t decide that I wanted to start releasing music until I was a freshman in high school. I didn’t know how possible it was until I saw some of my older friends getting into it and I was like “Damn. This is really a possibility.” Released my first song in May of 2018 and it’s been up ever since.
Tell us about your new music? And what’s the story behind it?
The Matters of The Heart ep is really my take on modern R&B. Before this project a lot of my work was very rap heavy and kind of experimental. I was really all over the place to be honest. I still kind of am. I like to make a large variety of music. But for this I wanted to try to create something modern and melodic without hindering my lyrical vision. This ep contains 4 songs describing love/relationships as well as human emotions from different perspectives. The intro Akoma about integrity, Far From Love about being emotionally unavailable, Come Through about infatuation with a significant other and Everlost the last track about heart break. I had a lot of fun with it and hope that people enjoy it.
What makes your music unique? How would you describe it?
People that actively listen to my music often tell me that my music feels very personal. They say that they a feel like they’re connecting with me on a spiritual level when they listen. I don’t know if that necessarily makes me unique as an artist but it’s something that makes me happy for sure. When people ask me what genre of music do I make I always take the safe route in saying alternative r&b / hip-hop. It gets me weak though because really anything can be alternative you know. But I think that in saying that it doesn’t necessarily restrict me too much. I think that being put in a box is many artists biggest fears as it is mine.
Who are your biggest musical influences? And any particular artist/band you would like to collaborate with in the future?
I’m influenced by pretty much everything that I listen to so I’m really gonna try to keep this list short. I would say that my biggest influences are Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, Stevie Wonder, Andre 3000 and Lauryn Hill. As for artists I would wanna collaborate with besides the people I’ve named? I would really love to collab with Bryson Tiller one day, that man is a legend. I also feel like a SZA collab would go crazy. I’m in love with her.
Which is the best moment in your musical career that you’re most proud of?
I think the most proud I’ve felt in my music career was an event that I had with my crew. I am a member of the creative arts collective known as the RØSE Ring. There are 6 members including myself (Jiggy Sa’ree, Mac Indigo, Josh Jay, Joker, and Silko Slim.) Last year we threw a concert as fundraiser for an organization known as a Gahannathon to donate to children with pediatric cancer. It wasn’t my first time performing ever but It was the first time I was having my own show where the audience was actually there for me. It really touched my heart when they were singing my lyrics back to me. Might of shed a few tears haha. But yeah the RØSE Ring is working on a lot of crazy stuff so keep that name on your radar` as well.
How do you balance your music with other obligations – family, friends or work?
I’m actually a student in college. It’s really hard to balance both school and music but as cliché as it sounds if you really love something you gotta be willing to set aside time for it you know.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?
Take your time. Don’t feel like you have to rush things out just cause. If you’re getting stressed out take breaks. It really does help. Also most musicians use music as a stress release but they would be lying to say it never stresses them out. I would encourage finding something other than music to engage in like maybe the gym or watching a tv show. For me aside from listening to music in my free time I like to watch anime. I just finished rewatching Neon Genesis Evangelion….yeah that show is something else.
If you had one message to give to your fans, what would it be?
I really just wanna thank everyone who has been with me throughout this journey. I got so much love for you. Thank you for staying with me and believing in me for real.
What’s next for you? Any upcoming projects?
Oh for sure! I’m always working on music. So yeah, for sure. Many different projects and collaborations are in the works right now so stay tuned.
