We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Todd Zack Jr. a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Todd, appreciate you joining us today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

Before the pandemic in 2020, I used to adhere to a lot of different ways of thinking/actions that in hindsight didn’t serve me the best. As a result, I often felt misunderstood creatively, which bled into my personal life. At that time, being narcissistic, never knowing self-love, and filling voids was a norm. My music from years like 2018 & 2019 was often led by this, which for the most part has been removed from my catalog. Once I decided to truly begin to be accountable for my actions / shortcomings within relationships, heal from personal/business losses, and begin to do the shadow work that occurs when you spend time alone – my entire life & career changed. I submitted to the growth process, forgave others, gave myself grace, got healthy, & healed from past traumas, which led to me being a better man & musician.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m an R&B singer/songwriter first, but my skillset has evolved from that into a producer of all genres, audio engineer, and graphic designer. I also write at an editorial level, mainly due to doing my own press releases, EPK’s for clients, & previously serving as an Intelligence Analyst in the U.S. Air Force for 6 1/2 years writing/briefing/public speaking at a very high visibility level.

In my opinion, having been in so many adverse situations in & out of the music business has made me great when it comes to my ability to read the room, gauge the audience, and ultimately deliver via myself or role in someone else’s project. I’m an extremely heart-led person, so I genuinely care about the success of who I work with from a place where my ego is balanced. I understand the duality between where I can add to someone’s sound, help their confidence level, or be a great addition on the front end. However, I take pride in knowing that my approach intertwined with my integrity & talent is what makes me a 1 of 1 person.

I’m most proud of releasing my debut album in the fall of 2020, fully independent, titled “Appropriate”, which served as a re-introduction to fans from the healed up version of myself as an elevated musician. Ended up profiting 20k (approx. equivalent to the payout of 6-7 million streams), followed by doing a major music festival & having my EP “ICH2U.” (It Could Happen To You) chart on the iTunes R&B/Soul charts at #14 over major label acts as an independent artist. Having production placements with major labels such as WMG & Atlantic, in addition to working with notable artists/producers such as Sango, Cam Wallace, IAMNOBODI, ESTA., Blocboy JB, Wanya Morris (Boyz II Men) just to name a few has been a blessing.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think because music isn’t tangible & often commonly seen in a successful financial sense for within most families, people tend to project their lack of knowledge / insecurities onto creatives, which leads to relationship issues & emotional trauma most times. It would benefit both creatives/non-creatives to seek to have more conversations to enlighten in an transparent way about what comes not only from the emotions within creativity, but also understanding that it only thrives off the duality between creatives actually being in a healthy place to create, while non-creatives are able to support without negative projections.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Impact. I’ve had moments where friends of mine danced to a record of mine at their wedding, down to recently hearing about someone I served in the military with telling me how my music got them through tough mental health situations while being deployed in dangerous situations in Afghanistan. Making an impact in others lives via something that began as emotions into ideas is truly priceless.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @toddzackjr
• Facebook: facebook.com/toddzackjr
• Twitter: @toddzackjr
• Other: Todd Zack Jr. on all digital streaming platforms for my music.

Image Credits
Photos by LoveImages Photography, Curtis Whitman, Jori Halpern, & Jontee Samuels