This week at Nexus Radio, we were joined on theRoof at theWit in Chicago by up and coming, Chicago-based artist Zach Crean. Crean is a DJ, Producer, and independent artist with a serious future. At twenty-four years old, music has always been the driving force in his life, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change any time soon.
Ever since he discovered Justin Bieber at the age of 14, Crean has pursued a music career with precisely the kind of passion and dedication it takes to break through into the industry. To find his modern sound, he’s followed in the footsteps of musical idols like The Beach Boys, the Beatles, and even Led Zeppelin. Finally, after all that hard work, it looks like that dream is about to become a reality.
Over the last couple of years, we’ve not heard many positive stories coming out of the pandemic, but for Zach Crean, there’s been something of a silver lining. While people were locked up indoors, with little but their phones to entertain them, TikTok users began to discover Crean’s sound. In his own words, it “trajected” his music career.
He began releasing music on Spotify in 2018, and now his most famous track–“Infatuation” from the EP Evol–has been listened to almost 50’000 times. That being said, Crean has also added his voice to the growing chorus of artists who say that virtual concerts are no replacement for live performances.
“Aside from music,” says Crean, “I’m in sales, and everything is virtual now, so when things started getting virtual last year, I did my first virtual lab performance, and it was super weird… So I think they might keep it around, but I, as an artist, really hope that live music stays and is dominant because there’s nothing like that.”
Another significant change for Crean has been his lyric writing. He says he feels that his abilities for writing lyrics have grown tremendously, and that’s in part a result of having the extra time to write more. In addition, he says he’s begun drawing on his life experiences to express his emotions more clearly in the music he writes.
So what’s next for Crean? Zach Crean has been on the road, touring the country from Alabama through Kentucky, Iowa, and back to his hometown Chicago. In terms of the near future, he says he plans to be releasing new music “every six to eight weeks” as well as an upcoming music video for his latest single, “Eye to Eye .”It’s an ambitious timeline, but it only goes to show just how dedicated Crean is.
To learn more about Crean, how he writes his music, where his inspirations come from, and which movie scene never fails to get a laugh out of him, then make sure to listen to the full Nexus Radio interview. You can also follow Zach Crean on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and listen to all his latest music on Spotify.
