A CHAT WITH ZEDD

BY ADI COHEN

Zedd is arguably one of the largest names in the electronic music world. With hits like ‘The Middle’ and ‘Stay’ having over 1 billion streams each, it’s safe to say that Zedd has made his mark on the music industry. He recently released his third album, Telos and sat down with 1824 for a press conference to share some details on it. 

As someone pretty steeped into the EDM scene, I remember seeing him perform for the first time at Ultra 2016, essentially at the height of his album runs with Clarity and True Colors. His set was masterful, and full of hard hitting songs that quickly became dubbed EDM classics. Telos on the other hand, has a slow burn effect, which, as Zedd shared with us, was intentional.

It has been a decade since we have received a new Zedd album, and while we were blessed with some record-breaking singles in the interim, Telos has been a long time coming for us fans. He shared that the delay in releasing a new full-length album was due to the fact that he felt very uninspired over the course of the pandemic. He did not want to put out an album just for the sake of putting out an album and knew he wanted this to be approached more artistically than commercially.  

Zedd shared that he wanted this album to be different from his past work. He wanted the music to get what it needed, not necessarily what people expected from him. This is part of why it took so long to create. He was looking to make an album that was interconnected, explored different sounds, and brought new life to music from his biggest influences. He expressed that he was building an album that maybe would not be an instant hit the same way Clarity and True Colors were, but rather a body of work that could be looked at 20 years down the line and talked about from a more critical lens. It is meant to be an album that stands the test of time and does not necessarily buy into the ever changing “trends” landscape we live in.  

The amount of thought and planning that was put into the music itself, is also apparent within his tour preparations. Zedd talked a lot about how much effort went into perfecting the visuals for the live show he is currently performing on tour. He told us that it has taken him and his team over a month to develop the visuals. This is due to the fact that he wants fans to be able to see everything they hear when they come out to one of his shows. He went into detail about how he wanted to build out a world that those attending his show can immerse themselves in. 

It is very clear the attention to detail is high when it comes to this album, which frankly is fitting. Telos is the ancient Greek word for a completion or accomplishment. Zedd shared that creating this type of album was something he was unsure he could do. It takes on a special meaning for him which was evident in the way he spoke about what it took to create an album like this one. 

Telos is not only an album that was challenging for Zedd to make, but one that in turn challenges its listeners. While it has some standout tracks that are more reminiscent of his “classic” sound, it features a healthy amount of music that does not fall into that mold. It pushes the boundaries of what EDM can sound like and is a very welcome addition to his discography that I have no doubt will just grow more beloved over time. 

If you haven’t already, be sure to give Telos a listen. And if Zedd is stopping in a city near you, be sure to grab tickets, as you will be in for a treat.