We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Zaria Joyner. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Zaria below.

Zaria , appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I was a freshman in college when I realized I wanted to start taking music seriously. I had met other students on campus that really inspired me creatively and they were accomplishing a lot with their art. Being around people who were more successful than I was and more skilled in their craft motivated me to see what I could do. I started recording music at a local studio and I haven’t looked back since. I think I was working at Ben & Jerry’s at the time too and I realized I didn’t want to work jobs like that the rest of my life. The more I lived my life as an artist the more I realized music is my true passion.

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

I was drawn to music from a very young age. My first experience with an instrument was with the piano at my church when I was around 8 years old. I really liked the piano so my grandparents bought me a little keyboard from Goodwill and I picked around on it for a while. I remember that they were very surprised I was able to play songs by ear without having any lessons. I think I wanted to take piano lessons at church but I never got around to it because I was very into basketball in my younger years. Even though I wasn’t fully focused on music at the time, music was like an escape for me and I was always listening to it. When I was 15 I went through a huge Metallica phase and my parents bought me my first electric guitar. I was so obsessed with it and I would sit and play in my room every chance I could. From then on I played in band throughout high school and everyone knew me as a guitar player. During my high school years a lot of my peers were actually rapping on Soundcloud. I thought it was amusing and interesting but I also thought I could do it better. As funny as it is, my whole artist career started off from doing diss tracks in high school. It really all evolved from there. I then went on to college and really started coming into my artistry. I had been pushing as a rapper for a few years at that point and had found some relative success. About halfway through college career my social media blossomed as a result of TikTok. One video in particular brought more eyes to my music than ever before. I responded to a comment that said “Name 3 Metallica Songs” with a video of me playing the songs on guitar. The success of that video was something that I never expected, but really pushed me in the direction I was wanting to go. Following that I’ve continued to make music and hone my craft. I made rock music for a while following that video, and I’m now working on a collection of synth wave songs. I want people to see that I am more than a guitar player. I write good songs, and I have a very musical ear. I’m really excited to see what I am capable of with the music I’ve produced.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part of being an artist is being able to express myself by making songs that I love. Songs are such a huge part of my life whether they’re my songs or songs from other artists. I have relied on music to get me through so many hardships in my life. Those hardships helped me realized that what my favorite artists do for me, I can do for other people. I truly feel that what I have to offer the world is my perspective on things and my art. I have always loved helping others so when I hear that someone likes my music or that it has helped them through a difficult time, it is one of the best feelings.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Most people are overly concerned with practicality, realism, time, money, and maybe even other people’s opinions. All of those things can crush your hopes and dreams if you aren’t careful. I get asked questions about how long I’m going to pursue music until I try to get a “real job”, but people fail to realize that I don’t do music for the interest of money or material things, I do it because it makes me happy and it engages and fascinates me like nothing else. I have the faith that all of my music dreams will come true, and I let go of when it will happen. It’s a lifelong commitment that I’ve made to myself and to my craft. Since I already know I’m going to be doing music for the rest of my life, I have less concerns about how it’s all going to come together and when. It’s an exercise in self-belief and trust in myself and the universe.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.zariasmusic.com
• Instagram: @zariasmusic
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3j14ilm5bNT5ulEq2GxCMv?si=qNlwduZ9T8OHekOi8nL-eA

Image Credits
Cory Tarlton