ZHU IS OUT OF THE SHADOWS

OPENING IMAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY SONYA MAZURYK - CREATIVE PRODUCTION MAISIE JANE DANIELS - STYLING BIANCA NICOLE - HAIR MATTHEW GAVIN - MAKEUP ROSIE MCGINN - PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT ELLIS DUCKWORTH - LOCATION MASH CREATIVE STUDIO - WORDS ROB CORSINI

When ZHU started his career, he strove to maintain his anonymity. At shows, he’d be shrouded in shadows, a faceless figure overlooking the crowds who’d come to see him play. At the time, this was what he knew he needed to present - placing his music on a pedestal, showcasing only his work to the world. That decision brought him fans - many drawn by the mega-hit Faded - but it also meant that people knew only one side of ZHU.

That’s why in many ways Black Midas, ZHU’s latest album, feels like the start of a new era for the artist. His identity has already been known for over a decade, but this record is giving fans a chance to really get to know him - tracing his San Francisco roots, through to his early rave days, and touring his musical influences.  

With Black Midas now out in the world, alongside his latest single with HNTR, Call Me Baby (Say My Name), ZHU talks to F Word about his transition away from being an anonymous artist, reflects on his early records, and talks about the Palisades fires that displaced him and fundamentally changed the process of his writing.  

Rob Corsini: Hey Zhu, welcome to F Word! First things first, how would you introduce yourself to F Word’s audience?

Zhu: My name is Zhu, Steven Zhu. People might have known me a decade ago for my hit “Faded” or they might have known me but not really have known me. But I'm back and sharing more with my fans there about my world, what I believe in, and how my artistry come and where it’s going,

Rob: People knowing you but not really knowing you is interesting, because you started off your career anonymously - what does it feel like being in the public eye now?

Zhu: I'm glad I got that experience. It almost feels like two different careers, you know? In the very beginning, I feel like what I did and how I presented my art was what people needed.But now I can speak on my experiences and I’m able to show people exactly what I contribute - whether it's songwriting, producing, playing instruments, singing, DJing, designing. I mean, there's so many different elements that into making a project.

Rob: What were the things you enjoyed about being an anonymous artist? And what are you enjoying about now being public?

Zhu: [Laughs] Before I was able to go into my own shows and walk around the crowd! I talked to people and it was just funny - it was kind of like an inside joke between me and the team. But, you know, people are smart. They became obsessed and started to try to find out all these details about me. My first couple of shows were just me in the shadows with visuals and projections but at some point it wasn’t possible to take that everywhere.

And then at some point I realised, I don't really need to hide from people. I already gave them the feeling that I wanted - which was intrigue, mystery, mystique, curiosity, discovery. In order for it to actually grow, I started bringing musicians into the show, which at that time people were very against, but I found a way to balance the liveness with what I loved about club culture.

Rob: Do you ever listen back to your old projects? How do you reflect on them?

Zhu: You know, I haven't really fully listened to complete records, but I still play edits of old records in sets, and I kind of reimagine them. But I will say there are some albums - especially Generationwhy - which my fans all just know is the GOAT album. Some things are timeless, even if you play them today. You just change the BPMs and it still sounds very current.

Rob: You’ve talked about Black Midas as somewhat of a return for you - what do you mean by that?

Zhu: In the very beginning, people didn't really know where I came from, where I really got my essence from, and who I was making music for. This feels like a culmination of different influences - from Prince, to Sade, to Pink Floyd, but also Portishead and Massive Attack, DJs like deadmau5 and Swedish House Mafia.

Rob: Can you tell me more about the name Black Midas?

Zhu: The blacklist parties were black parties. My vision for it was don't really have to think about what you're wearing - you wear black. You look around, everybody's wearing the same thing, you're really just listening to the music.

The first one was in 2017 in New York and ever since, we’ve been doing text message lists, last minute, locations, right? We just wanted to make it like the raves that I went to when I was younger. They weren't formalised into concerts.

When you come to a ZHU show with a band, when it's live, it's in an arena - it's a ticketed thing; but when you come to a blacklist party, it could be under a bridge, in a warehouse, in a submarine, or at some hangar, right? I wanted to give people the feeling of it, and that's why I chose Black Midas, because everything Black Midas touches turns black.

Rob: Where does your love of those spaces come from?

Zhu: I grew up in San Francisco which is a very DIY place. From the 70s, the hippies, Jefferson Airplane and Sly and the Family Stone - the Bay Area has a let's just do it ourselves attitude and our raves have that attitude. If you think about Burning Man, which is up in NorCal, there's this philosophy of independence and this rock-and-roll, punkness that is saying; let's get some speakers, a generator, and we can have a party.

Rob: When you were writing this album you were displaced by the Palisades fires. How did that experience affect the album?

Zhu: I mean, it put me in survival mode. In survival mode, you don't really get to think about too many things. You think about what’s happening now and what's happening tomorrow. In some ways, because I was making this album on the go, I had less choices, I had less time, and I had to really commit to just a few different things. That gave me a lot more freedom, actually, because it simplified my direction.

Rob: If you were going to design the perfect listening experience for Black Midas, what would it be?

Zhu: An industrial space with 3 rooms, it would go till 6 in the morning. It would almost be like a combination of Blade the scene in The Matrix where they're in Zion. People come in and then they blink and it's like 6 hours have passed.

Rob: Congrats on the release of 'Call Me Baby (Say My Name)' - tell us about the creation process? 

Zhu: HNTR came to LA to visit the NIGHTDAY showroom and we started to cook up some ideas for a club banger. Over the next couple months, we tested the track at raves and parties and now its ready to be shared with the world.

Rob: This sees you connect with HNTR again- is that a union we can expect to see again in the future? 

Zhu: We had a great time doing a b2b at Coda in Toronto, HNTRs hometown. You can expect to see more of his name in the future

Rob: This feels like a continuation of Black Midas in being dancefloor focused. How do you think the dancefloor is changing?

Zhu: The dancefloor is always changing, however, Black Midas is made for those who want to keep moving. 

Rob: And finally, what’s your favourite F Word?

Zhu: Probably food. Food is life.

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