Rising Music Star Zain Stephen Of PressedFresh Collective On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry

An Interview With Eden Gold

Surround yourself with people that will support you. This tip really applies to life in general but is especially necessary for creatives. Building a network of people who can understand your vision and what you are going through goes a very long way. I couldn’t put a number to the amount of people who have helped me, and I them, with production, songwriting, social media content arrangements, and the list goes on. These bonds lead to you building each other up and countless opportunities.

As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Zain Stephen Smith.

Zain Stephen Smith, also known by his stage name Zain Stephen or Zain, is a Caribbean-American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer based in Atlanta, GA. Born in Long Island, New York, to Jamaican parents, Zain, often describing himself as a “citizenofdaworld”, spent his childhood growing up in Belize and Antigua before settling in Atlanta.

At four or five years old, Zain would often be heard playing random notes and singing gibberish on an old upright piano in his house. A few months later, his mother signed him up for music lessons. It was then his passion for music started as he would go on to play in recitals and concerts for music schools in Belize and Antigua. Having a strong upbringing in the church, he became a prominent church pianist in Antigua. After moving to Atlanta to pursue his educational goals, Zain continued to be an active musician on the church scene as well as playing in the North Atlanta High School bands. Though a talented vocalist, Zain was shy to share his vocal talent and would not be heard singing in public other than a few times at church. In 2021 at the age of sixteen, Zain began writing songs as a form of therapy to cope with feelings of anxiety and being overwhelmed with moving to a new country again and not being able to “find himself.”

It was in February of 2022, inspired by recent events, that Zain would share his original music and vocal talent for the first time, singing an acoustic version of his unfinished song, “The Perfect Man,” and posting it on social media. In an emotion-filled gospel/soul piece, he sang about the oppressed experience of being a black man in America and received some attention after his friends shared the post and the video reached several thousand views.

Fast forward a few years and Zain released a studio version of

“The Perfect Man” song in July of 2024. Known for his vintage, soulful voice and instrumental style, he has cited Jon Batiste, Jonathan McReynolds, Samm Henshaw, and PJ Morton as his biggest musical influences. Zain also has a passion for melodica and can be seen covering many popular songs in videos on his social media. He has stated that he sees himself in the melodica, “I think the melodica really summarizes me. It’s a frequently slept-on instrument with a fun and vintage personality that is seemingly simple, but is intricate and can easily light up a room.”

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story”. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I almost made my artist name Citizenofdaworld until I realized that was already taken. Now this wasn’t just an abstract, bad high school days idea, it was a reference to the melting pot of my childhood. Born to Jamaican parents, I lived in Belize and Antigua before moving to Atlanta. It’s also where I gained my first interest in music. I grew up in the church, admiring church musicians. I can remember like it was yesterday all the times I would beg the keyboardist to let me play on the keyboard for a few minutes after church. I spent my toddler to elementary school days in Belize. It’s where most of my family friends are and to this day where I ate the best food in the world. I spent middle and most of high school in Antigua. There is where I really began to come out of my shell as a musician, as I played in multiple concerts there.

What inspired you to pursue a career in music, and how did your journey begin?

Music helped me when I was at my lowest, so I owe it to music to be creative every day I live. When I first moved to Atlanta, it was a big adjustment from tiny Caribbean countries. I struggled to find a sense of belonging in school especially. So, I leaned on the only thing I knew — music. It helped me form my first bonds after joining high school bands and it surrounded me with amazing people who valued me and helped me realize my potential.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

There is a building on campus at Georgia State University called the Creative Media Industries Institute, or CMII for short, that has many creative media resources like music production studios, green screen rooms, e sports labs and more. I was there almost everyday of my first semester at GSU feeling like a kid in a candy store. One day, I walked into the music lab and saw someone in there making some beats. I introduced myself and we talked for about a minute then exchanged information. We never talked much after that, but I would often see him around. Anyway, fast forward about a year during which he graduated, and I seldom visit CMII. One random night in the fall of 2023, I got a cold DM from him saying he has seen my social media content and was wondering if I was interested in playing keys for this band that he and some of his friends from GSU started. That man was Treston aka Hippi, and that band was Earthtones. It’s crazy how that one small interaction led to sold out shows and lifetime bonds.

It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

As a musician, the funniest mistakes I’ve made would have to be collectively all my journeys with the dreaded transpose button. For those that don’t know, a transpose button on a keyboard allows you to change the pitch of a note up or down to enable you to play different keys in a key that you are physically more comfortable in. There have been too many times where I have started songs in the wrong key forgetting that transpose was on, or incorrectly counting how many semi tones to pitch shift a key and starting the song too high or too low. While these all gave me a good laugh after the panic, after a while it was enough to force me to learn all twelve keys.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

There are so many people from family to friends who I love so much and have been there for me through it all and supported me. If I were to choose one person that has helped me specifically musically, I would say it is my brother from another mother — Zephaniah Nicholas-Carter. Zeph and I met when we both lived in Antigua and with us both being church musicians, we had a lot of mutual friends and hung in the same circles. However, Zeph had always been into music production and engineering. Therefore, when I started making my own music, I would call him, and he would produce a lot of the things I wrote. He taught me almost everything I know about producing and mixing and I am eternally grateful he is in my corner today. He’s currently killing it as an engineer and producer in Orlando, Fl and I am excited for all the great things he is going to do.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

For the past just under a year, I have been a part of a band called Earthtones. This year alone we’ve had multiple sell out shows in Atlanta and Cincinnati. Right now, we are in the process of planning and confirming a lot more shows for the rest of the year, so stay tuned in with us @therealearthtones on Instagram to be in the loop about upcoming performances!

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

It’s pretty simple — the world is diverse therefore so should entertainment be. While there is a lot of great music and film out there, as a young black man, it hits different when I see my brothers and sisters out their winning knowing what we have been through. Even further, when there are TV shows and movies that highlight things about black or Caribbean culture that I can relate to, it hits close to home and makes the experience of watching that show or listening to that music a million times better. I think it’s important that every segment or minority of society feels that validation.

As a successful music star, you’ve likely faced challenges along the way. How do you stay motivated? How do you overcome obstacles in your career?

Focusing on the end goal. Obstacles will come and go but it’s important to learn from those experiences and use it to make you stronger. As great as the accomplishments at the end of the tunnel are the sweetest part is realizing how much you persevered to get there.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?

1 . Do it for the love not the potential fame. This is a big one for me. People’s validation of you will come and go. There are going to be some shows, songs, and content that flunk. If you tie your motivation to the popularity, when it goes, so will your motivation. Instead, your drive to keep going should be grounded in your love for being creative. There is nothing that can take that away from you.

2 . Surround yourself with people that will support you. This tip really applies to life in general but is especially necessary for creatives. Building a network of people who can understand your vision and what you are going through goes a very long way. I couldn’t put a number to the amount of people who have helped me, and I them, with production, songwriting, social media content arrangements, and the list goes on. These bonds lead to you building each other up and countless opportunities.

3 . Don’t stop being curious. Being a sponge, especially as a young creative, is the best thing that you can do. Don’t limit yourself to what you think you should do now. For me, I used to think all I wanted to do was be a pianist. However, thanks to putting myself in uncomfortable situations, being around seasoned professionals, and honestly just always wanting to learn new things, I can now play the organ, main keys and auxiliary keys, produce a song, mix and master a song, sound engineer a live show, and design and implement an entire audio-visual system. That hunger for learning more can lead you to places and put you in rooms you never thought you’d be in. I would be lying, though, if I didn’t mention how big of a teacher YouTube University has been.

4 . Appreciate your piano and music theory lessons. Growing up, I hated lessons and having to practice “boring” scales and classical music and learning about time signatures. Writing my own songs and rocking with amazing musicians has given me a newfound appreciation for those lessons. If it wasn’t for the foundation those lessons gave me, I wouldn’t be half the musician I am today.

5 . Just do it. When I first started writing, I used to think everything had to be perfect for me to make a great record or great content. I supposedly needed to have some expensive microphone, be in ‘x’ studio, have ‘y’ midi instruments, and wait for some supernatural beam to strike me and deliver the perfect lyric. The number one thing I realized along the way is that everything you need is already inside of you. When it comes to the words, write from your heart. When it comes to producing, whatever feels right to you, is right. At the end of the day, people don’t care if I used a piano sound from this keyboard versus that plug in. They just want to hear my sound.

Can you share some insights into your creative process? How do you approach songwriting? How do you approach musical collaborations?

My first inspirations come very abstractly. For example, the first verse of “The Perfect Man” came to me while I was in senior year history class (hence the Jefferson reference)! Wherever I am when I begin to hear those first lines or chords in my head, I take out my phone and write it down in my notes app or record it to voice memos. When I get home, I open Ableton Live and with a vocal and piano track on I begin to record different ideas. After this point is where collaborations come. I’ll call up a few of my friends that are musicians, producers, and songwriters and we work to bring these ideas into a record.

Your music has resonated with so many fans worldwide. What do you believe sets your music apart?

Just staying true to my sound. God put these melodies and lyrics in my head for me to bring it alive in the way I see fit. People want to hear something fresh and new not the same things they can get from an already established artist. Think of your favorite artists right now. Imagine what the world would be missing if they tried to copy someone else instead of staying true to their sound!

How do you connect with your audience?

I think connecting with an audience is all about authenticity and shared experiences. I try to be as genuine as possible in my music, portraying my own emotions and experiences. Once people feel like they can relate or learn something from my content, they begin to value it. Ultimately, it’s about creating a space where we can all feel connected through the music, where my stories and their stories can meet and mingle.

With your busy schedule and demanding performances, how do you prioritize self-care and maintain a balance between your personal life and career in the music industry?

I make a deliberate effort to take breaks and just say no to some opportunities sometimes. It’s great that I can make money doing music but all that means nothing if I can’t take the time to enjoy the fruits of my labor and the people around me.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would want to inspire a movement that brings respect back to everyday life. In the Caribbean, we have such a great sense of community and togetherness because we don’t let our differences separate us. Just because we don’t agree on everything doesn’t mean that I must think of you as any less of a person or try to tear you down. I think as a country, the US has lost this fundamental principle, and it’s led to the nation being so divided.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

Leonard Ray Jarman, Jr. (keys player) has been one of my biggest influences of late. A contemporary musician, he has one of the most unique minds when it comes to sound designing auxiliary keys patches. If I were to have a private meal with him, I would seek to learn more about his creative process and what inspired him to have such an unorthodox approach to sound selection.

How can our readers continue to follow your work online?

Follow me on social media at @zain05stephen on all platforms, except TikTok @zainstepen. You can also sign up for my mailing list on zainstephenmusic.com to get updates about performances (of which there will be a lot in the next few months), new music, and new content!

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!

About The Interviewer: Eden Gold, is a youth speaker, keynote speaker, founder of the online program Life After High School, and host of the Real Life Adulting Podcast. Being America’s rising force for positive change, Eden is a catalyst for change in shaping the future of education. With a lifelong mission of impacting the lives of 1 billion young adults, Eden serves as a practical guide, aiding young adults in honing their self-confidence, challenging societal conventions, and crafting a strategic roadmap towards the fulfilling lives they envision.

Do you need a dynamic speaker, or want to learn more about Eden’s programs? Click here: https://bit.ly/EdenGold.