Putting yourself out there, at a young age, is not always easy. Although it’s what Zaia is doing.  A rising talent from Atlanta, which at first may seem like an outsider within his city’s peers, when in fact there’s a common thread. The propensity to risk, to proudly try to make something utilizing the influences accumulated over time, leading to a new point of view.

In a recent DJ Booth interview, Zaia described his decision to play without backing vocals:

These elements appear strongly in his latest offering, ‘Innerstate’: the resolute electronic synth lines create space for the thumping drums to lead the song into a march, where the artist finds himself carried away by the rules of an ordinary routine, describing the difficulties of opening up to others about conditions that can become detrimental. 

Its feeble state is presented when on the chorus he sings “Tears dry in the wind before they hit my face / Tryna hide how I feel today“  hinting at the blocked fairness of expressing real feelings with a clever laughing onomatopoeia, with a tone that protects its real sentiment. 

There’s only so much that a human can hold on, without turning into a distorted version of himself. In this case, the process of change starts with destruction: the outro sounds like a punchy fight, with distorted 808’s and fiery snare rolls, finally letting go of the turmoil state. 

And looking at the inner state becomes a bit easier.