Steven Zhu, known mononymously as Zhu (; stylized in
all caps
In typography, all caps (short for "all capitals") refers to text or a font in which all letters are capital letters, for example: "THIS TEXT IS IN ALL CAPS". All caps may be used for emphasis (for a word or phrase). They are commonly seen in ...
;
born April 28, 1989), is an American electronic music producer and singer who has been active since the beginning of 2014, signed to
Mind of a Genius Records.
Until mid-2014, Zhu remained anonymous, asking to be judged by his music alone. His debut album, ''
Generationwhy'', was released on July 29, 2016 and first premiered at
Coachella Coachella may refer to:
* Coachella, California
* Coachella Canal, in California
* Coachella (festival), an annual music and arts festival in California
* "Coachella – Woodstock in My Mind", a 2017 song by Lana del Rey
See also
* Coachell ...
during his closing set in the Sahara Tent. Zhu's Coachella performance was praised, with a writer for the ''
New York Observer'' suggesting that he could be "the next
Daft Punk
Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...
".
Early life
Zhu is of
Chinese heritage and grew up in the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
.
He played in jazz bands and orchestral practices at school, and later studied music during college.
Career
Zhu's first track, "Moves Like Ms Jackson",
a mashup of several songs by
Outkast, was released anonymously in February 2014 and was positively received by blogs and reviewers covering electronic music.
Other tracks appeared on the music streaming site
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...
throughout February and March,
followed by an EP titled ''
The Nightday
''The Nightday'' is the debut EP by Chinese-American electronic musician Zhu and was released in Australia on April 20, 2014 through Mind of a Genius.
Background
Zhu's first track, "Moves Like Ms Jackson", a mashup of several songs by Outkast, ...
'' in April 2014,
which earned a number 1 play of the week on
Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...
.
The first single from ''The Nightday'', titled "
Faded", drew support from
Pete Tong
Peter Michael Tong, (born 30 July 1960) is an English disc jockey who works for BBC Radio 1. He is the host of programmes such as ''Essential Mix'' and ''Essential Selection'' on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio stre ...
, who named it an "Essential New Tune" on his radio show on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
.
"Faded" was released in March 2014, and quickly climbed the global charts, peaking at number 3 in Australia and the UK, and number 12 on the US Dance/Electronic chart. "Faded" was certified platinum in Australia in 2014 and was nominated for the
Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording (formerly known as Best Dance Recording) is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists f ...
at the
57th Annual Grammy Awards
The 57th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2015, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The show was broadcast live by CBS at 5:00 p.m. PST ( UTC−8). Rapper LL Cool J hosted the show for the fourth consecutive time ...
.
In a November 2014 interview, Zhu's manager
Jake Udell described the current music climate as "very black and white" and acknowledged that Zhu's race played a role in the decision to release and market his music anonymously, saying: "Some of us don't even know the limitations of our own prejudice. Rather than put those limitations to the test, we've created an engaging way for fans to focus on the music rather than who's behind it."
Zhu stated in a February 2015 interview that "the project
HUis all about art, and we try to make it about the songs and the response."
[
On May 15, 2015, Zhu appeared on Pete Tong's "After Hours" show and performed a 40-minute DJ mix, mostly consisting of unreleased remixes, and also announced the Nightday Collection clothing line. On November 6, 2015, Zhu released a collaborative EP titled ''Genesis Series''. It featured appearances from ]Skrillex
Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ and music producer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as the lead si ...
, AlunaGeorge
AlunaGeorge are an English electronic music duo from London, consisting of singer-songwriter Aluna Francis and producer George Reid.
Career
2009: Formation
The duo first met in June 2009, when Reid remixed Francis' band My Toys Like Me's trac ...
, A-Trak
Alain Macklovitch (born March 30, 1982), known by his stage name A-Trak, is a Canadian DJ, record producer, and record executive. He came to prominence in the late 2000s as an international club DJ and remix artist, known for incorporating highly ...
, and Bone Thugs N Harmony, among others. The EP received critical acclaim for its diverse sound and diverse range of talent. "Working for It", the lead collaboration with Skrillex
Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ and music producer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as the lead si ...
and THEY., reached the top 40 and was certified platinum in Australia. It also charted on the US Dance/Electronic chart.
In 2016, the single "In the Morning" was released. After his Neon City Tour, he announced that his debut album, '' Generationwhy'', would be released on July 29, 2016, and that "In the Morning" was the first single from the album.
On June 13, 2016, Zhu released the title track, "Generationwhy", as the second single from the album.
Zhu's success carried over into 2017, where he was a featured performer in Ultra Music Festival
Ultra Music Festival (UMF) is an annual outdoor electronic music festival that takes place during March in Miami, Florida, United States. The festival was founded in 1999 by Russell Faibisch and Alex Omes.
It was first held on Miami Beach, bu ...
2017 in Miami on the live stage on March 24, 2017. His performance was positively received. Also in March, he released the single "Nightcrawler", which was followed by a second single "Intoxicate". Additionally, Zhu provided remixes of " Andromeda" by Gorillaz, "Bad and Boujee
"Bad and Boujee" is a song by American hip-hop group Migos featuring vocals from American rapper Lil Uzi Vert. It was released on October 28, 2016 as the lead single from Migos' second studio album ''Culture''. It was released by Quality Cont ...
" by Migos
Migos () is an American hip hop trio from Lawrenceville, Georgia, founded in 2008. The group was originally composed of Southern rappers Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset. Quavo is from Athens, Georgia; Offset and Takeoff were born and raised in Law ...
, and "Feel It Still
"Feel It Still" is a song by American rock band Portugal. The Man. The song, which interpolates the Marvelettes' 1961 hit "Please Mr. Postman", was written by the band along with John Hill and Asa Taccone, with the latter two serving as produc ...
" by Portugal. The Man. That same year, he released his third EP, titled ''Stardustexhalemarrakechdreams'', on August 18. The EP's lead single, titled "Dreams", is a collaboration with electronic music trio Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
. The EP's single "Chasing Marrakech" was featured by Apple in an ad for the iPhone XS and XS Max on September 14, 2018.
On April 26, 2018, Zhu released the first installment of his second studio album, '' Ringos Desert'', as an extended play. The full album was made available five months later on September 7, comprising 14 tracks featuring Tame Impala
Tame Impala is the psychedelic music project of Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker. In the recording studio, Parker writes, records, performs, and produces all of the project's music. As a touring act, Tame Impala consists of Parke ...
, Majid Jordan
Majid Jordan is a Canadian R&B duo, consisting of singer Majid Al Maskati and producer Jordan Ullman from Toronto, Ontario. They formed in 2011 and signed to OVO Sound, the record label co-founded by rapper Drake, producer Noah "40" Shebib and O ...
, and Tokimonsta
Jennifer Lee, known professionally as Tokimonsta (stylized as TOKiMONSTA), is an American record producer and DJ based in Los Angeles. She has collaborated with artists such as Anderson .Paak, Earthgang, Isaiah Rashad, Selah Sue, and ZHU. Additio ...
. An accompanying North American tour was announced in support of the album.
In 2019, Zhu released the song "Came for the Low", the music video for which featured 2020 United States presidential candidate Andrew Yang
Andrew Yang (born January 13, 1975) is an American businessman, attorney, lobbyist, and politician. Yang was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary. He is the co-c ...
.[ The song was also featured in the third episode of the ]Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
television series, ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' is an American television miniseries created by Malcolm Spellman for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Sam Wilson / Falcon and Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier. ...
'', which was released onto Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
on April 2, 2021.
On May 14, 2020, he released the single "Only" in collaboration with Tinashe
Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe ( ; born February 6, 1993), known mononymously as Tinashe, is an American singer, dancer, and actress. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Tinashe moved to Pasadena as a child to pursue a career in entertainment. Her notab ...
as the first single from his third studio album ''Dreamland 2021''.
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhu
American electronic musicians
American dance musicians
Deep house musicians
1989 births
Living people
American musicians of Chinese descent
Because Music artists
Electronic dance music DJs
21st-century American male singers