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by: Danny West
I hung up the phone Sunday afternoon, still scribbling some last minute notes, still not knowing what I really thought or how I really felt. “To my loyal fans, thank you for the support. To those that are new to me, to my music, take a listen to it, knowing that everything has a deeper meaning and when you find that meaning, I think you’ll have a better appreciation for me and (for my) music.”
This was how the London born pop rapper Zolo chose to end our fifteen minute conversation during which we spoke about what he hopes to accomplish, who has inspired him, and what he feels sets him apart from others in this highly competitive industry.
I’ve listened to his single Computer Freak almost two dozen times, I don’t much care for it, I didn’t tell him this, maybe I should have. What was clear from our conversation is that Zolo is an intelligent young man, using his words with confidence, expressing each thought with careful consideration and yet I was left wondering why he had failed to do that in song. “…everything has a deeper meaning….find that meaning…” Zolo’s words echoed through my mind as I listened to Computer Freak again and again, the deeper meaning still lost on me.
It wasn’t until I played Zolo’s second single Bubblegum that perhaps it dawned on me, the guy was intelligent, but that didn’t do much if no one would be willing to listen. “I’m inspired by the Beatles, Kid Cudie, Lady Gaga – they all have done something different, they work outside the box” and so, it would appear, that Zolo does as well.
Computer Freak is not a great song, but it is good and it is mainstream. With a single listen it is not hard to imagine the popularity that Zolo’s sound will have and without popularity, without people listening, music isn’t a craft, only a hobby. The verse in Bubblegum when the voice synchronizer is muted and you’re left with Zolo and Zolo alone, it is clear that the man has talent, a smooth flow that, driven by the right beat, can easily take him to unseen heights.
He described himself as “well maintained but wild within the music” and so this would seem to be the calm before the storm. Zolo seemed to have a very realistic look on the world and a drive to succeed, and maybe the man is biding his time, waiting until Computer Freak and Bubblegum have done what they were designed to and then, with the correct following, go “wild within the music”. So what’s in the immediate future for Zolo’s music? “A track called X & O’s and Bubblegum, which you can listen to on my Myspace page.” As far as the man being lumped in with some of the music industry’s greatest, we’ll just have to wait and see what he has in store.
To hear Zolo’s Computer Freak and to learn more about the artist, visit: www.myspace.com/zoloworld
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