What’s your stage name and where are you from?

Joey Zen and I am currently based out of Raleigh, NC

What’s the story behind your stage name?

My middle name, which is my father’s first name, is Joseph and he always went by Joey when I was growing up. I am extremely motivated by father’s efforts to support his family and those close to him which is why i wanted to adopt the moniker for my own Stage name. On the other side of the name is Zen, which is what I try to accomplish in everything I do. To be Zen in my perspective is to be lost in the flow of the action at hand. It is the location I create art from and where I intend to take my audience through my art.

Describe your musical journey in three sentences.

I have been making music since middle school where I began by rap battling peers during lunch at cafeteria tables. I grew in my artistry by expanding my network once I attended college at NC Sate where I performed at several events for the institution including their end of year festival “Woodstock” and for a Hip-Hop event headlined by Waka Flocka Flame. Since graduating, I have founded my own Independent Record Label, 47 Eyez On Me, which has successfully grown into an eclectic art collective that continues to expand in skillset and popularity.

Share an interesting experience you had while creating your latest track.

My latest track “No Faith” is a politically charged hip-hop track that discusses the current social climate and provides several perspectives on an array of topics. It was released on January 21st, which was the day after the US Inauguration of the current president. This release date was intentional and meant to strike the audience during this polarizing time period. It was even better to find out that 5 planets were visibly aligned in the sky on that same night.

What message do you want to convey through your music?

That this life that we live, is entirely up to us. We have all of the “power” and “ability” to change our lives and manifest all that we desire as long as we focus and do not lose faith.

Tell us about a challenge you faced during production and how you overcame it.

A challenge I faced during the production of “No Faith” was how to effectively fit 3 different 16 bar verses from each artists in a way that seemed fresh and not too repetitive. To accomplish this, I broke my 16 bars into a 4 bar intro which was interrupted by the chorus (in an intentional manner) before returning to the remainder of my verse. I tried to incorporate different elements into the production of the choruses between each verse to provide freshness to the track as well.

If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?

If I could collaborate with any artist right now, I would probably say Smino. I feel like he would definitely match up to my lyrical wordplay and I would compliment his R&B side as well. He has definitely been a big influence to my sound whether it is evident or not haha.

Where do you see your music taking you in the next year?

By next year, I see my music taking me across the nation. I want to be able to visit states I have never been to, solely off my music alone. Whether it is to go perform, go create, or simply to network – I see myself travelling extensively for music.

What’s the next big step for you as an artist?

My next big step for me as an artist is to grow my geographic reach. Currently, I see a lot of my audience stemming organically on the east coast of the US but I intend to take that statewide through my next action items.

Where can we hear/watch your most recent work?

Everything can be located on my LinkTree – https://linktr.ee/joeyzen