We’ve said it time and time again and we will say it again – Zak Waters is the reason for the dramatic rise of unplanned pregnancies around the globe. Whether we like to face that truth or not, we cannot deny his ability to swoon us all with his soulful sound frequencies. We have been featuring most of Zak’s music on TMN for quite some time now and have come to love everything about his music. Not only does he fill our lives with passion, funk, and enough dirty love-making-groove-house to make us want to bump and grind into the night, but he has showed us an entirely new different side to dance music. So we decided that it was time to sit down with Mr. Waters and talk more about his musical upbringing, his recent EP release, and everything else in between. Check out the interview below.
TMN: Hey Zak! Thanks for sitting down with TMN today. We really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk more with us about what you have going on these days. You know, it has been really cool to watch you grow over the past few years from collaborations with Madeon, to Candyland, to Adventure Club and David Dolano, etc. Before we talk more about that side of music, can you tell us a little bit more about your background in music and any instruments you learned to play?
ZW: Well, i’ve been singing my entire life, but it wasn’t until I got into the 6th or 7th grade that I became conscious of it. My grandpa told me to pick up a voice recorder and listen to myself. I realized then that I had something good going on for me so I stuck with it and here I am now! When I was in the 8th grade, I learned how to play the guitar and electric bass.
*FUN FACT*: Zak was obsessed with 90’s R&B as an adolescent. TMN stamp of approval.
TMN: Hey, you could have made the oboe sound really cool had you been forced to play that! (laughs) So we know that you used to be in a band back in the day. How would you say your experience with them influenced your transition into the dance music world?
ZW: To be honest, I really didn’t get into dance music until later on in life. I grew up listening to a lot of old school, 80’s/90’s funk. Eventually I got into hardcore music and guys like The Fray and Augustana. I actually used to hate dance music back in the day, but after I left the band, I stumbled upon Madeon and my opinion entirely changed – and i’m talking 15-year-old original Madeon. Once I heard him I said to myself “Wow, this is good music”. Hearing Madeon for the first time really opened me up to dance music and I’ve learned to appreciate it that much more.
TMN: We know that Madeon and you teamed up and made a huge track called, “The City.” How did you go from internet fan to artist-to-artist relationship?
ZW: I became friends with Madeon through a mutual friend back in the day. She had mentioned to me that I should check out this young producer so I did and ended up emailing him at that time about his music. It turned out that he had heard my EP at the time, and told me he loved my music and wanted do a remix out of it. That didn’t end up happening, but instead we did end up collaborating and made “The City,” which apparently did well. I’m not too sure because I didn’t keep up with it.
TMN: Considering it’s still being played to this day, we’d say it’s a timeless track. So let’s talk about your current endeavors with music. How would you describe your sound? We here at TMN like to call it “Love-Making-Groove-House.”
ZW: (Laughs) Wait…can we make than an actual thing? But really, at the core of it, my music is influenced by a lot by pop and soul. I guess I can classify it as more of Nu-Disco/Neo-funk. I’m just trying to bring new elements to dance music and bring a lot more soul! I use a lot of my own guitar and bass samples in my tracks, so it’s really cool to see it all come together.
TMN: So, you have an EP coming out (OUT NOW!) and a Japan tour this August; we can only imagine your excitement!
ZW: Oh definitely. I put a lot of work into this EP, and am just ready for everyone to hear it already. So yeah, i’m definitely excited to have my music out there for people to enjoy. As far as the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan goes, I am really curious to see that side of the world. I didn’t know that I had such a following out there, but apparently people over there love them some Zak Waters!
Out Of My Head (OUT NOW)’
TMN: Now that we’ve gotten through the music questions, let’s dive into some fun ones. First things first – if we were to go into your bathroom completely blindfolded and had to physically bring 3 items out with us, what would we expect to come across?
ZW: Oh wow (laughs) I have to think about this one. I’m a very clean person so there really isn’t anything too out of the ordinary, but if I had to pick a few items, i’d say: hair product and tools like Scissor Hub Australia, my Burberry cologne, and scented candles.
TMN: When life gives you lemons…
ZW: Drink Bud Light
TMN: If you could be in the circus, what type of performer would you be?
ZW: Definitely a trapeze artist.
TMN: Describe the perfect pizza.
ZW: I like a lot of cheese, so more the merrier. I’m pretty simple when it comes to pizza but as long as it has a lot of cheese and grease, i’m sold.
TMN: What would you do for a Klondike Bar?
ZW: I’d get a Brazillian wax.
TMN: We always end our interviews with this question – if you could be any animal, what would you be and why?
ZW: I’d have to say a dog because they just have it so good.
TMN: Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us Zak! We wish you all the luck coming up this year and can’t wait to see what’s in store for you.
Zak’s new EP, Now // Later, is out now on iTunes, so go grab yourself a copy today.
