Today we’d like to introduce you to Zach Paradis.
Hi Zach, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My professional journey in music started in 2015 at nineteen years old, when I moved from Cleveland, Ohio to Atlanta in order to pursue an audio engineering internship with local record label, Reach Records. I currently am a recording artist here in Atlanta (check my music out!), writing, producing, and engineering in the wide variety of genres that thrive here in our city. However, the seeds of my love for music and addiction to creating had been sown years prior in my childhood.
Words have always had a hold on me. Poetry and fiction novels in particular captivated me at a young age, so much so that I was sure I would be a fiction author when I grew up. I started trying to make that dream a reality at eight years old, when I wrote my first “novel,” which was simply a terrible yet hilarious The Lord of the Rings knock off. My family read it and simultaneously encouraged me to keep writing while also dying of laughter at my eight-year-old attempt at fantasy fiction.
As I got older, prose and poetry turned into melody as a love for music was growing in me. My mother had made me take piano lessons early on but I had quit after it became too difficult, a fact I now regret. Years later, I dove headfirst into drum lessons and began playing at my church on Sundays and in a band with my friends. My band and I started writing our own songs in high school but had no way to record them. Thus, a desire to discover how to create and record music from the ground up arose.
I began a two-year audio engineering program at my local community college (Cuyahoga Community College) in 2013. I was immersed in all aspects of studio sessions, audio softwares like Pro Tools, and the daily grind of an audio engineer and I absolutely loved it. The program was incredibly hands-on and I was soon tracking bands and creating songs, just like I had wanted. At the end of it, I needed an internship to graduate and was accepted by Reach Records here in Atlanta. So at nineteen years old, I packed up my 1989 Honda CRX in May of 2015 and drove the eleven hours down to Georgia for what I thought would only be one summer. Seven years later, I’m still here.
Reach Records allowed me to do what I loved for a living. Every day, I was recording artists and helping realize artists’ visions for their songs. I was able to work with Grammy-winning artists like Lecrae and Tori Kelly and help young, newly-signed artists develop their sonic fingerprints. My boss at the time, Jacob “Biz” Morris, was a constant source of practical wisdom and support, helping hone my skills and providing me with countless opportunities, even now, after leaving Reach.
During my time at Reach, I began to craft my own solo songs. Besides the people I met through work, I really knew no one in Atlanta, which presented a number of problems or opportunities, depending on my perspective. I had never had this much free time in my life to concentrate on my craft. Though I can’t deny that it was a season of loneliness for me, the first two years in Atlanta were an irreplaceable time in my career. I would work as an audio engineer during the day (and sometimes night) and then come back home and make beats and write songs till after midnight. I was growing as a producer, beatmaker, songwriter, and artist. I began finding my voice, singing on songs for the first time. Whether I knew it or not, I was working on my first solo-artist releases.
Over the course of the next three years, I released my first batch of songs as an artist. Going by my real name, Zach Paradis (yes, my last name is pronounced “paradise”), I launched my indie career with several singles, later an EP, then a collaborative album with a friend of mine, and more and more singles. I was having so much fun. It was a whole new world, figuring out how to finalize a body of work create cover art and videos.
After three and a half years at Reach, I left there to focus more on my career as an artist, producer and songwriter. I’m constantly inspired by producer-artists such as Ryan Tedder, Pharrell, Jon Bellion, and Ed Sheeran, who are undeniably great artists in their own right but have also created hits for other acts. While still producing and writing for other artists around the country, I released a string of singles in 2019 and 2020, as well as a collaborative EP with LA artist Egomi called “we’re all just growing up.” In 2021, I released another EP called “sometimes things work out” and have continued to work with many other artists in many different roles.
Present day, I feel incredibly lucky to work in music full-time. This is a dream come true, to spend my weeks immersed in creating. The process of making an idea a reality is addicting to me. So to take song concepts from others or myself and turn them into tangible mp3s or live sets is absolutely wild and so fun. I have so much slated for 2022, including a lot of new music so I’m incredibly excited for what’s to come!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The growing pains of moving across states for a career are no joke. Relocation to unfamiliar territory is difficult and that was my first challenge. But it was also the biggest growth factor because I was forced to adapt and make things happen for myself, even when I wasn’t quite sure what to do. It taught me perseverance and to simply do “something,” even if you don’t know if it’s the ultimate best thing.
Secondly, the music business is so confusing. That is a constant struggle. The ins and outs of royalties, publishing, session rates, releasing music, and navigating the industry as a whole feel unnecessarily nuanced and unclear. Very few of us have a firm grasp on the business side of what we’re doing. Much of my production and songwriting work naturally leads to me sharing what little industry insight I have with my clients because we’re all just trying to figure this thing out.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a song maker and that plays out in several different ways.
As an artist, I believe that only real music will last. So with every song, I do my best to write lyrics that stick with you about topics that you feel deeply, over sonically rich music beds that you can lose yourself in. I want my listener to be able to live with my music for years and find new elements and layers to it with each listen. But I’m also going to mix in some straightforward bops too. Over the years, I have developed my musicianship to allow myself to tell stories over multiple instruments and I’m persistently sharpening my pen to write better lyrics over heartfelt, catchy melodies. Physically and emotionally, I want my music to move the listener.
As a writer and producer, whether you need a piano ballad or a trap anthem, I’m your guy. What sets me apart is my versatility and my desire and ability to see an artist’s vision for their music and help them get there. Or for artists who may not know their vision yet, I love helping them realize what it might be. When I’m producing and writing for others, I want to help them achieve their unique ideas, rather than simply making songs that I think they’d sound good on. Our individual vision for our artistry is what makes us unique.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
The variety of people and influences here. One day I may be working in Stankonia Studios on soul-inspired hip hop, the next day I could be working with an indie-folk artist in my bedroom studio. Trap music, pop, and every genre in between all thrive here. Also, a specific thing about Atlanta that I absolutely love is the large amount of murals in the city. Where I grew up, that wasn’t common. Here, a mundane drive across town can expose me to a handful of local artists as I pass by the side of any given building.
Given that I like so much about Atlanta, probably the 75/85 traffic running up through the city is my least favorite part. Otherwise, ATL is alright with me.
Pricing:
- Studio time: $30/hr
- Mixing/mastering: $300/song
- Production: $400/song
- Artist feature: $500/song
Contact Info:
- Email: zachparadismusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zach.paradis/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zachparadismusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/zach_paradis
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmijRpSofGCVfFFKPw6wWZQ
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/zach-paradis-profile
Image Credits:
Jaylon Jenkins Artimio Blackburn Riley Russill
