AUP Musicians That Should Be On Your Radar
Music artists Zizou and Zoe Cartier are coming out with new music this winter and it will be unlike anything previously heard from them. Trialing new sounds that have been described as pushing the barriers of popular commercial rap, these AUP students are redefining their artistry in what will be Zizou's first album, "Commercial Break," and Zoe Cartier's untitled teaser of an EP.
"This album is special because it has many moods on it. There's a very confident and energetic aspect to it — I like to call it the 'dragon energy.' You can hear it from the tone and delivery. I'm really introducing myself. This is my way of owning the things that I say," says Zizou.
"My EP explores discovering who you are without someone who you may have thought was your person. It really speaks to how messy relationships can be and that things, people especially, are not black and white. I want people to change the way they look at relationships. I want people to understand that there are grey areas and people f*ck up because they're human," says Zoe Cartier.
Zizou, a 21-year-old International Business Administration major, and Zoe Cartier, a 25-year-old Psychology major and French minor, are student creatives in a rap industry that demands authenticity and uniqueness in order to stand out. Incorporating influences from the 2020 pandemic, these artists want to take the intimacy of their music to the next level with outpours on heartbreak, identity and mental health. Listeners can look forward to tastes of dream-like, bass-filled instrumentals that carry Zizou's verses and jazz-inspired beats from Zoe that will fill anyone with old-school nostalgia.
In exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews, artists Zizou and Zoe Cartier tell all about what to expect from their new projects.
Zizou on "Commercial Break"
21-year-old Egyptian-born Ziyad Assal, publicly known as Zizou or Th3Zizou, has collaborated with several artists like Conc3ept, Prophecy and Ghost in a Clan in a number of singles streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal. Since the release of his first song in 2017, Zizou has proved to be an artist of versatility.
Previously only putting out singles, Zizou's new album "Commercial Break" marks a new era for him as a rapper, introducing a change in sound and style that will redefine his artistry. Pulling inspiration from artists like Gunna, Polo G and Future, Zizou is challenging the style of his previous works like "Go Fast" by incorporating more melodic and emotional aspects into the album. This will also be Zizou's first time experimenting with the use of autotune.
Zizou. Image Credit: Ziyad Assal
Zizou's idea for "Commercial Break," a project so different from his frequented styles of rap and rhythm, largely took effect during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. "I was confined, so the only thing I could really do at home was music. You're put in a position where the world's on pause, so you take that time on pause to ground yourself," says Zizou. But time to write and record songs was not the only influence the pandemic had on Zizou's new album. The coronavirus and many other tragedies that define the year 2020 largely impacted Zizou's decision to name his album, saying, "from the death of Kobe Bryant, Donald Trump's [threats of] going to war with Iran, Pop Smoke and so many other terrible things, it feels like every time I pick up my phone, I read bad news. And the negativity only keeps on coming. I thought I would try to take everyone out of that mood and give them a little 'commercial break.'"
The album, although strung with a mixture of fast-paced and slow-moving beats, is a reflection project, intentionally produced to highlight the human experience during difficult times. Balancing the beat of his songs in "Commercial Break" with his lyrics, Zizou has found a way to make fast songs feel slow. Songs "Falling Apart," "Habits" and "Won't Last," all to be featured on the album, have the remarkable tendency to keep your head swiftly bopping while leaving you emotional and contemplative. Zizou wants his listeners to pay attention to the lyrics. "I don't want you to overlook the lyrics just because the music sounds nice to the ears. There's always a message," says Zizou. "I want you to feel my motivation or my nostalgia or my anger. I want you to feel what the song made me feel."
Zizou. Image Credit: Ziyad Assal
Expatriates will especially be able to relate to many of the lyrics within the album's songs. Born in Cairo, Zizou quickly became familiar with the feeling of expatriation. Having lived in Saudi Arabia, the United States and eventually France, Zizou often struggled with finding a culture to align himself with, constantly having to juggle past personas with the new identity he would cultivate upon moving. In wanting to share his experience growing up, Zizou's album is brimming with references about his roots. "I'm going to show people how my life really is. Sometimes people tell me that I can lose connection very easily. I'm always there but not at the same time. I really think that came from me moving away from my family in Cairo," says Zizou.
At 16 songs, "Commercial Break" is unapologetically complex. The balance between the album's playfulness and seriousness lies in the interplay between the beat and the lyrics. In stylistically redefining Zizou as an artist, "Commercial Break" makes leaps towards the heart and the head, branding itself on a level of intimacy previously unprecedented in Zizou's work. The overall intention of the album is simply to tell the truth.
Zoe Cartier on Untitled EP
Writer first and artist second, Zoe Cartier has always had a knack for expressing herself. At 25 years old, Zoe has produced quite an extensive setlist, including three albums and a handful of singles streaming on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music and SoundCloud. Zoe's climb within the music industry was a swift one. From recording her first song, "Devil In Your Eyes," at 19 years old — a heartbreak-inspired piece about her first ex-girlfriend — to performing in showcases like South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, Zoe quickly gained a circle of popularity, with her song "New Phone" receiving nearly half a million plays on SoundCloud.
Appearing in music videos cool and unbothered, covered in tattoos and sipping lean on rooftops, Zoe has procured an image that often times distracts from the vulnerability and emotion hidden in her song lyrics. Many of Zoe's songs, although dressed in the commercial aesthetic of rap, are extremely personal renditions of pain and heartbreak. "That's what fuels the lyrics for me — the pain," says Zoe.
Zoe's upcoming EP, consisting of six songs, will be the most intimate project she has released to date. Discussing past relationships and her most recent breakup, Zoe's EP is going to be about raw emotion. "It's not a work that I want you to listen to while you're partying with your friends. I want you to listen to it when you're alone in your house. I want it to be taken seriously," says Zoe.
Taking inspiration from artists like King Krule, Zoe's EP is a step towards redefining her genre as more than just rap. Amidst jazz tracks that run over slow verses and pop songs that synthesize a perfect mix of eclectic, dreamy sound waves grounded by hard-hitting bass, Zoe's EP toys with what it means to "rap" in songs. "I love rap. I grew up listening to rap. But, I think I want to get further and further away from being labeled as a rapper. I've made songs that certainly aren't rap, so am I still a rapper? I can rap, but does that mean I am a rapper? No. I don't want to be cheesy and say I'm an artist, but I am a songwriter — it's an art form. I don't want to be pigeonholed into only making rap. I just want to stand out and have my own sound that's recognizable," says Zoe.
Zoe Cartier in the studio. Image Credit: Lauren Nanes
In redefining her identity as a rap artist, Zoe is also challenging what it means to be a gay woman in the music industry.
"Being a gay woman making rap is especially f*cking difficult. You're categorized into being a lesbian rapper and it feels like you have to make rap for the gay community, which is not something I want to feel like I have to do. Even though being a woman in this industry is hard, straight women like Megan Thee Stallion are killing it — but that's not me. I'm not open with my body and sexuality in my songs and performance. I'm a woman making music, I'm gay, and I'm not selling physical interpretations of sex," says Zoe.
With so much room still open for new creatives in the music industry, Zoe is keen on growing the arena for gay, female artists that are not only producing for the gay community. Her newest project is intended to expand her reach, pushing the barriers of what rap can achieve and who it can touch.
Zoe's untitled track, rampant with genre mixing, has something for everyone. Old school rap buffs, pop songs lovers and 80s style enthusiasts can all indulge in what will be Zoe's ode to hopeless romantics. The lyrics are eerily relatable, a reminder of the blunders of dating and the self-reassurance that comes with figuring it all out. In what will be Zoe's most personal project, her EP speaks towards what it feels like to have loved and lost, shedding remnants of a tough image and reidentifying herself as a writer first, artist second.
Find them on social media
Zizou: Instagram: @zizouassal Spotify: Th3Zizou
Zoe Cartier: Instagram: @zoecartier Spotify: Zoe Cartier
