We were lucky to catch up with Zak Khan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Zak thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I experienced a lot of growth as a musician and producer once I started collaborating with people that I felt connected to outside music and to this day that is a big consideration for whether or not I will work on a project. When you believe in a project or a client, the process can feel like a dance and less like gritty work. I also prioritize meaningful projects because I want the people that I’m working with to feel valued and heard. If feel my heart isn’t fully invested I often will try to help a client find a better fit for them. It’s really all about alignment for me at the end of the day. When people who are aligned collaborate the energy is exponentially more fruitful and fulfilling. There is no need to force it when you can flow.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

About me: My name is Zak Khan and I am a music producer, writer and composer. I was born in Pakistan and grew up Saudi Arabia. I spend a lot my middle and high school years playing guitar and got into production my senior year after a friend showed me that you could record a whole on your computer. I started producing music for artists when I moved to Minneapolis for college. Upon moving to Minneapolis, I met artists who were talented, down to earth and down to experiment with music. It was so refreshing and exciting that I pretty much spent all my time in college having people over at my studio dorm to record. It was during that period old that I formed a lot of foundational relationships and learned how to produce/write/record and mix music.

What services I offer and what problems I solve:
I craft complete songs with artists all the way from writing the initial song, to arranging out parts, playing in or recording all the instruments and vocals. Experimentation is a big part of the process and I encourage the artists I work with to try approaches that they are unfamiliar with and push them out of their comfort zone. My goal always is to provide artists with a final product that they are proud of and that best showcases their talent and creativity.

What sets me apart:
I have a wide array of influences and have met people from many different walks of life. When it comes to producing music this has helped me be able to really get to know the people I’m working with both creatively and personally. I am not intimidated by trying things that are unfamiliar to me. If someone walked in the door and said “I wanna make a mariachi song”, I would not be phased. I love reworking my process and I try to make each session unique and specific to my clients. It keeps me on my toes and makes it feel fun and new every time I work.

What I am proud of:
I am proud that I have put in enough reps in my life to the point where I feel like there’s no project/work that I can’t take on. My practice requires a lot of learning on the job and I look back at earlier points in my life and can see/feel how much progress I have made with my ability to produce music. I think my 12-year-old self would be super psyched at where I’m at right now in my life.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I had to unlearn is that there are “right” ways to do things. When I was younger I felt like there were lots of “rules” that I believed in because people around me and the internet made it seem like there were specific approaches and processes that I had to use/embody in order to learn guitar for example or mix a song etc. Later in life after meeting other artists and much trial and error, I realized that there are an infinite number of ways to do everything and no method is better or worse than the other and no approach is “wrong”. This lesson was especially meaningful because it liberated me from a lot of patterns and scripts that were imposed on me and I found a sense of relief, power, and abundance in the possibilities. There is no right or wrong when it comes to process, but every process has its unique outcomes. Don’t knock it till you try it!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I have always looked up to Bruce Lee for both his discipline and his way of thinking/conceptualizing the world. There’s a book of his called Artist Of Life that I hold very dear to my heart. It is essentially a collection of Lee’s personal essays, poetry, and journals that cover many different topics but are centered around spirituality, practice, meaning, and consciousness. It helped dig me out of a hole a few years ago when I was experiencing depression and intense imposter syndrome in my life. Reading Artist of Life helped me understand and acknowledge that being an artist isn’t just a role or practice, it is a way of being in this world. There was also a lot of emphasis on practice, and discipline in the book which at the time helped me focus on crafting routines for myself that would help serve my creative practices and increase my productivity.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrkhanfident/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrkhanfident

Image Credits
Photos 1 and 3 taken by Rhianna Hajduch Photos 2 and 4 taken by Amaya Pena Photo 5 taken by Mike Mansion