It’s been nearly a decade since Anton Zaslavski, better known to the world as Zedd, last set foot in India, and a lot has changed since then. The German-Russian producer’s fingerprints are everywhere — chart-topping hits like “Clarity”, “Stay”, and “The Middle” have not only lodged themselves in the cultural bloodstream but have, in many ways, dictated its rhythm. If Billboard’s Top 40 for the past ten years have been any indication, the Grammy-winning musician has gone from being EDM’s prodigious wunderkind to a full-fledged pop savant, bridging the worlds between electronic and mainstream pop.Telos is perhaps his most complete vision yet. The new album is a culmination of his classical training, dancefloor instincts, and personal evolution. Real drums crash alongside spectral synths and his collaborators range from pop powerhouses to underground voices that could only exist in a post-streaming, genre-agnostic landscape. It is, in many ways, a distillation of the constant tension in his music: structure versus spontaneity, human versus machine, past versus future.Now, on the eve of the India leg of his Telos tour, Zedd seems reflective. There is something about this album that feels different, not just to his listeners, but to him. “I think Telos is my grand work,” he says. “It’s the album that combines my entire life into one.”At 34, Zedd has lived many musical lives. He was a classically trained pianist before he ever touched a synthesiser. He played drums in a metal band before he even considered making electronic music. And, as it turns out, he has been chasing a particular sound — a distinct emotional resonance — since childhood.“My music is really deeply inspired by Dragon Ball,” he says almost sheepishly, acknowledging the lifelong grip that the late Akira Toriyama’s iconic anime franchise has had on him. “The theme song, “Cha-La Head-Cha-La”, has been so deeply ingrained in me that, honestly, everything I write is subconsciously influenced by it.”And now, in a serendipitous turn of events, the opening theme for Dragon Ball Daima— the thumping “Jaka Jaan”— comes courtesy of none other than the lifelong Dragon Ball disciple, joined by Japanese vocal duo C&K. He also lends his touch to the closing theme, “Nakama”, alongside Japanese-American singer Ai. The gig likely didn’t find him by chance considering his fandom has never been a well-kept secret.“Anytime I talk to my friends, and I tell them about any of the cool things that are happening in my life, they’re always like, ‘Yeah, awesome.’ But when I said I was working on Dragon Ball, they lost their minds.”He laughs, but his excitement is palpable. “It’s crazy because I grew up loving this music, and now I’ve made a song that could be this generation’s “Cha-La Head-Cha-La”. Maybe someday, someone will hear my song and want to make music because of it.”For an artist whose career has been built on pristine, surgically precise sound design, there is something strikingly human about Zedd’s new album. “With Clarity, I was just figuring things out. I didn’t know how to make an album as an electronic musician, so I was experimenting, starting with instrumentals and then figuring out how to get a vocalist,” he explains. “With True Colors, I wanted to prove that I wasn’t just one thing — that I wasn’t boxed into the Clarity sound. Every song on that album was a different subgenre.”Telos is the bridge between those two worlds. “A lot of these songs started from the ground up, like I did with Clarity, but I also brought in influences from my band days. There are real drums on this album. There are classical elements. I even worked with musicians I grew up listening to. It’s everything that has ever inspired me, all in one place.”He pauses for a beat, then adds, “I think that’s why this tour has felt different. The visual identity is so closely linked to the music. It’s the first time we developed the show alongside the album itself, so it all feels much more connected. And maybe that’s why I’m having more fun on stage than I’ve ever had before.”Got to ring into 2025 in style 😎 pic.twitter.com/z8eWc6PTDv— Zedd (@Zedd) January 2, 2025It has been nearly a decade since Zedd last played in India, a fact that surprises even him. “The last time I was here, I didn’t really know what I was doing in terms of production. I knew how to DJ, but I didn’t fully understand what a show was.”This time, it’s different. The Telos tour is a spectacle — a culmination of everything he has learned, everything he has felt, everything he has built. “I think fans can expect a really emotional show. And, for anyone who’s listened to Telos, there’s a whole song essentially dedicated to India called ‘Shanti’.”His voice shifts, just slightly. “In my head, I was waiting to play that song in India while I was making it. It’s obviously more special here than anywhere else. I think I’m going to have tears in my eyes when I play it.”Though he seems eager for his return for more than just the tour as well. “I don’t think I realised how incredible India was until I came for the first time,” he says. “And I just tasted all these things that I’ve never tasted before.” He grins. “I’m not great with spice, but I’m willing to grow into being better at it. I’m going to probably spend a good week eating spicy food beforehand, so I’m ready to take it on.”Electronic music, like fashion, cycles through phases at an unforgiving pace — what’s hot today is passé tomorrow, and what’s passé today might be ripe for a nostalgic resurgence in three years. Having spent his career shaping musical trends, Zedd is surprisingly indifferent to them. “I honestly don’t even know what’s popular right now,” he admits. “I shut off all outside influence while making Telos. But I have noticed that the lifespan of trends keeps getting shorter. Years ago, something like trap (a subgenre of electronic music) would dominate for over a year. Now, a new trend lasts maybe three months before the next one takes over.”- TELOS ASIA TOUR -🇰🇷 & 🇮🇳 ON SALE NOW!!!Tickets & 🇯🇵 pre-sale @ https://t.co/afTuYOpWhTpic.twitter.com/O1kdONdg4Z— Zedd (@Zedd) November 22, 2024So what excites him? “I’d love to see people take more risks — just really shut off the noise of what people are saying online and focus on what they want to make. I think when you spend years on a piece of music, you’ve probably thought about it a little more than someone listening with half an ear.”Zedd has done just about everything — sold out venues across five continents, won a Grammy, collaborated with some of the biggest artists in the world. But there is one frontier he has yet to conquer.“I’ve always dreamed of scoring an entire movie or TV show,” he says. “I’ve done bits and pieces here and there, but never a full project.” His dream collaborators? “I’ve always said my two favorite directors are Christopher Nolan and Darren Aronofsky. I love pretty much all of their movies, so those would be my first choices.”And if Telos serves as his audition reel, it’s quite a compelling one. It is, in a sense, a score full of motifs for the life Zedd has lived so far. But before Hollywood comes calling, there is a stage to take. Bengaluru and Delhi await, and somewhere in the crowd, someone will be hearing Shanti for the first time, feeling everything, all at once. Zedd wouldn’t have it any other way.Zedd is set to perform in India as part of his Telos Tour 2025. Sunburn Arena has announced two shows: March 6 at the Manpho Convention Center in Bengaluru and March 7 at Huda Gymkhana, Sector 29, in Delhi-NCR. He will also be playing at Lollapalooza India 2025 which will take place on 8th & 9th march 2025 at Mahalaxmi racecourse, Mumbai. Tickets are available on BookMyShow. Published – February 10, 2025 04:43 pm IST
Source link
