Steven Zhu, a.k.a. ZHU, had his breakthrough in 2014 with the song “Faded“, which, we can honestly say, put the American deep house scene back on the world map. The following year, he was nominated for the most important music award in the world – the Grammy.
He released his debut album “Generationwhy“ in 2016 and premiered it at the Coachella Festival. This got him compared to the iconic Daft Punk.
His beginnings were quiet, anonymous, with an exclusive focus on music. Before the fame and “Faded“, in February 2014, he released an unsinged mash-up of Outkast’s hit “Moves Like Ms Jackson“. This led to various discussions about who the author of the remix was on Reddit and EDM forums. Only two months later, he released “Faded“, a mystical and somewhat dark track that became an instant hit from the EP “Nightday“.
He hid his identity because of his Chinese origins and, as his manager Jake Udell pointed out, the “black and white music climate,” and because sometimes we are unaware of the limitations that our conscious or unconscious prejudices bring us. ZHU remained anonymous until he was sure that he had built a name for himself and that people appreciated and loved him for his music, not who he was.
In the year in which he was nominated for a Grammy, he also released an EP called “Genesis Series“. The EP hosted Skrillex, AlunaGeorge, A-Trak and Bone Thugs N Harmony, among others. This release received many positive reviews due to its genre diversity. The song „Working For It“ went platinum in Australia.
The first single from the album “Generationwhy“ – “In the morning“ came in 2016. The single “Nightcrawler“ was released the following year, as well as “Intoxicate“. He also did a remix of “Andromeda“ by Gorillaz, “Bad and Boujee“ by Migos and “Feel it Still“ by Portugal. He released his third EP, “Stardustexhalemarrakechdreams”, in 2017.
He never stopped with his hard work and effort, so in 2018, he released his second studio album, “Ringos Desert“, with 14 tracks. On this album, he collaborated with the famous Australian indie-rock band Tame Impala, Canadian r & b duo Majid Jordan and American DJ Tokimonsta.
The single “Only“ from his third studio album “Dreamland 2021“ was released in 2020. He wrote this album inspired by warehouse rave, and it featured a total of 12 songs.
His sophisticated style and melodic mystique are not surprising, given his avant-garde and jazz roots – as a kid, he played in various jazz bands. ZHU is one of the most prolific producers and DJs of the younger generation, with a refined taste for hits without slipping too far into commercial waters.
That is more than enough reason to hear him at EXIT in July this year, on the Main Stage, the last day of the festival!
Written by: Vanja Ratković
