Superstar DJ announces comeback with first album in nine years – and a decade after huge UK hit
A GRAMMY-WINNING DJ has announced his first album in nine years.
Zedd, who has collaborated with Liam Payne, Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez, enjoyed his biggest UK hit in 2014 with the number 2 single Stay the Night featuring Paramore’s Hayley Williams.
The 34-year-old music star – real name Anton Zaslavski – is now back with a full body of work in the form of Telos, which will be released on August 30.
Speaking about the album, Zedd said: “With Telos, I wanted to create a profound album listening experience that takes you on a journey beyond just the songs.
“I wanted everyone to be able to feel a deeper emotional connection, like how I felt listening to my favourite albums when I was growing up. It was the details, transitions and cohesiveness that made me want to create a truly meaningful body of work.”
German Zedd’s last record was 2015’s True Colours, which featured the singles I Want You to Know Beautiful Now and Papercut.
“It’s been almost 10 years since my last album came out,” he continued. “I knew for my next one I needed to allocate enough time to properly focus and craft something exceptional that lives up to my standards.
“On Telos, I had the honour of working with some of my musical heroes, best friends, and favourite new artists. I can confidently say that I have made my best album yet.”
New tracks are certain to feature in his sold out two day festival, Zedd In The Park presented by Insomniac, at LA Historic Park in September.
Zedd knows how to get a crowd going having played the biggest dance events and sporting occasions in the world.
He’s graced the stages of Coachella, Lollapalooza and ULTRA to name but a few and can commission six figure fees for his sets.
Not only is he a songwriter and dab hand behind the decks, he’s produced pop superstars including Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.
In an interview with Forbes, Zedd revealed his live show is much more than a regular EDM production.
He explained: “So my live show is not a DJ show at all. My platform is Djing, and I can change my music, and my selection of songs anytime.
“But essentially, what’s most important for me is for the crowd to go home and think that was an incredible experience. And to think that they can’t get that same experience from anybody else. And that involves, of course, the music choice, but also the visuals you see: the lights you see, the lasers, the special effects, and that’s all very choreographed. And that’s still all made live.
So the way we do it is I DJ, and then there’s a cable running from my computer to the front of the house, with three screens so everybody is always aware of what I am playing, if I decide to change something last minute. Every song that I’ve ever played has a specific visual that goes with the song.
“And my team can, in real time, see what I am about to play, and adjust and create the visuals, and the lighting looks, and the colours, that we rehearsed for each song.”
Time will now tell if Telos will add to Zedd’s five Grammy nominations and one win when the prestigious ceremony rolls around next year.