Sixteen year old Zoey G is wise beyond her years and the world doesn’t even know… yet! We’re happy to introduce our TYF family to pop singer Zoey G who, we assume, is going to be someone you’ll plop in your playlist sometime soon. Today, she releases her very first single “Runaway” with the world and we’re excited to share it with you! Keep in mind – she made this in under two hours (minus the tweakings and final touches). Not bad for her first song, right? Get to know the talented gal below where we had a chance to ask about her upbringing, her journey in the music industry, and how she’s managed to stay so balanced!
The Young Folks: Love, love your latest single! But before we get to that, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and how you got your start in music?
Zoey G: Thank you! Well I’m 16 years old and I’m from Greeley, Colorado. I started playing piano at the age of four and ever since then I’ve been learning and teaching myself instruments, seven in total. I love italian food and making people happy.
TYF: You know quite a few instruments! So tell us, how did you go about mastering the guitar to the piano to even the saxophone? Is there an instrument you would like to learn that you don’t know how to play yet?
Zoey G: I do! I just dedicated a lot of my time to learning instruments that I wanted to learn. I loved doing it, so it wasn’t much of a task to learn them. I would love to learn how to play the Cello.
TYF: What type of music did you listen to as you were growing up? Did this influence your music in any type of way? If so, how?
Zoey G: I listened to anything that my family was listening to, which consisted of my father’s 80s pop/rock playlists, my mom’s early 90s pop playlists, and my brother’s late 90s/2000s pop playlists. It really influenced my music style and taste as it was a constant in my life. I also listened to a lot of classical music as both my brother and I grew up taking classical piano lessons. Also, it helped me fall asleep when I was little. It really gave a foundation to my knowledge of music and I’m sure a lot of techniques those musicians, composers, and producers I’ve listened to has bled into how I create music.
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TYF: I am VERY excited to talk to you about your single “Runaway”! It’s SO catchy, makes you want to dance, and it’s a very relatable song. How did this whole song come into formation from lyrics to production?
Zoey G: Aw, thank you! I’m glad that it makes you want to dance. To be honest with you, I wrote the lyrics and made a whole demo in under two hours. The song really just flowed out of me and every step of the way I was smiling like a kid in a candy store. It was one of those songs that made the part of my brain that’s difficult to please when it comes to different melodies and chord progressions very happy. I just sat down at my desk and got into this locked in mode and worked on it until I felt like it was done. A few months later I went out to LA to record it and the producer I worked with took my demo and blew the idea up into something so great.
TYF: I watched the video where you spoke a bit about your EP. Now that it’s 2018, what can we expect to hear from your new project? How long did it take for this to come together?
Zoey G: You can expect to hear something about it sometime this year. It took about four months in total, three months to write the songs, make demos, choose which songs should be on the project, a week to record them, and about another three weeks to make final mixing/mastering tweaks.
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TYF: If you could describe your new music in 3 words or 5 words, what words would you use?
Zoey G: I would describe it as real, fun, and heartfelt.
TYF: I love to ask this question – how does your music stand out? Why should people be listening to your new music?
Zoey G: My music stands out as I’m writing it from experience. Also, my music equates to the lyrics. When I listen to music, I listen to certain songs that I feel musically depict a certain mood that I’m feeling at that moment. For example, “Runaway” is this more upbeat, party, and outgoing song. I wrote “Runaway” feeling angry and in a ranting mood. It was this more “I don’t care!” mood, which I tried to depict with the chord progression and bass line. I feel like a lot of musicians just put lyrics to a chord progression with no meaning behind that chord progression or instrumental. It doesn’t discount the quality, but it just is super common in pop music. I feel like my music is different in that sense.
TYF: Being new to the music industry, what was the biggest lesson you’ve learned while in the process of making your own music? What did you wish you knew from day one?
Zoey G: I’m still very new, I just barely started doing things in the industry less than 7 months ago, but the biggest lesson is to constantly work 110% on everything. Whether it be another take on a vocal, or just simply answering interview questions, approach it with your best and all. I wish I knew how cut throat people are as this is a very cut throat industry.
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TYF: How do you juggle your music, school, and time to do extra activities? What do you do to relax and when you have downtime?
Zoey G: I just try to take it one day at a time. If I focus too much on the future and upcoming things, it overwhelms me and I tend to lose focus. Also, just finding balance is super important. When I have downtime, I hang out with friends/family or just watch YouTube or Netflix.
TYF: What are you most looking forward to this upcoming year in terms of your music and your life in general?
Zoey G: I’m looking forward to what this year may bring. Every year is another year for opportunity and growth.
Don’t forget to follow Zoey G!
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thezoeyg/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thezoeyg/
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