Xavier Young aka Zavy has been making a huge wave for himself within the last few years and riding the hell out of it. The 20-year-old out of Orange County has already built a sizable fanbase and following from a mixture of heater singles and viral content. What he brings to the table is the ability to flow freely in this new era of hip-hop with either catchy bars or melodic vocal work.
He went viral last year with a video he did covering Xxxtentacion’s “Changes,” that’s since brought in millions of views on both Instagram and Youtube. This isn’t his first time going viral with a video though, as a video he did prior rapping about the death of his grandfather has also made it to that level. The kid has shown nothing but potential as both a rapper and a singer since he was a kid. He even sang at his high school graduation ceremony.
Zavy’s since come together with F.A.M. The Label to collaborate with fellow label-mates in search of their first hit. I had a chance to talk with Zavy about his artistic process, how their label operates, and what kind of moves to expect down the pipeline from the young talent.
Zavy Exclusive Interview
How Often Do You Go Into The Studio?
Zavy immediately hit me with “every couple weeks we hop in the stu, mandatory.” He then said that they’ll “come in for a 8-10 hour session with one to three songs already in mind.” But the rest is left open to however the magic ensues. Zavy stands by the creative forces from within the confines of a session asserting that “you gotta go into the studio with an open mind, we don’t pre-plan shit like that.”
You Seem To Only Collaborate With Label-mates, Is That On Purpose?
This is a definite aspect of F.A.M’s style of artist exposure. Zavy said they put in equal grinds individually, and only collaborate with each other to crossover fans and create a bigger chance of popping off. “If one of us pops, we all pop, and that’s the way we look at it,” he said. You don’t see new labels trying this method of promotion very often. “We all like to work together, so we stay in the same circle and collaborate as a team,” Zavy said in conclusion.
You Just Put Out “Rain” Produced By Gora (aka Franskiiz,) What’s It Like Working With Him?
“Fran is like, a musical genius,” Zavy said to me with a laugh, “he plays like 10 instruments.” Zavy expects himself to be collaborating with Franskiiz a lot more in the near future. “You show him a beat you like and he’ll recreate a new version on the spot.”
When asking if there would ever be a joint album with the two, Zavy said it’s possible. “If we went in and decided to lay down a
Zavy – “Rain” (prod. Gora)
Do You See Yourself Singing More Than Rapping Down The Line?
In the current state of hip-hop, having the ability to sing is only going to give you that extra edge. He told me that he does consider himself more of a singer than a rapper, but he likes to often switch it up. “Even though I can write rap songs, I can also write some Bieber pop songs that could be on the radio.” He concluded saying that “I always switch it up, but definitely more singing down the line.”
I Noticed You Haven’t Released An EP Yet, Why Is That?
Zavy has a handful of singles floating around the internet, as well as more than a few features on other tracks. He said “I’m not going to be making those bigger projects until I have a bigger fanbase.” He went on to conclude with saying that “there’s no reason to really put out anything other than singles until you have the demand.”
I think this style of building up your brand and music is becoming more and more popular in the digital age. It’s crazy how much you can do with marketing and promo on one song alone. Talking with Zavy really drove that fact home for me.
Zavy – “VVS” (Official Music Video)
How Many Songs Should We Expect In 2019?
The future of this year seems brimming with content for the young hustler. “I’m gonna put out enough songs that you would consider an album’s worth,” Zavy confidently told me over the phone. With the recent release of “Rain” we should be expecting one or two more singles even before June 1st.
The first of June also happens to be when Zavy and the F.A.M. team will be rocking an undoubtedly legendary show with Lil Mosey in Eugene. Considering that the last big show they threw in Eugene brought in over 600 heads at WOW Hall, this one will also no doubt be fat as hell.
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