Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Zero Surico. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Zero thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

FOR3ST HILLS originally started with just my drummer and I. We were in a romantic relationship, which started shortly after our band did. We stayed together for over five years, but at the start of 2024, our relationship came to an end. While this didn’t impact our band initially, as we’re both mature adults who can separate business and personal relationships, things started to become complicated once I moved out of our shared living space. Living in different places made being a band difficult, as my drummer and I struggled to find ways to create content together.
Everything was different. Doing photoshoots, recording music, the idea of playing shows…all of it had to change, because we weren’t accessible to each other anymore. I decided I wasn’t going to let this phase of life take creating music away from me. I had to adapt. So, I took a page out of Trent Reznor’s book and decided to do everything myself – including the drums. It took a lot of trial and error, and I found myself feeling like a musical novice all over again, but that’s how learning new things is meant to feel.
The more I practiced, the more confident I became that I could make this work. While this was an unexpected problem, I wasn’t going to let it be the demise of FOR3ST HILLS. While I respect my drummer’s skill and I hope we can continue to collaborate on other projects in the future, I’m very proud to say I’ve resumed recording and creating music!

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

FOR3ST HILLS is a rock band I created after years of developing my craft in the music industry. With hundreds of thousands of artists out there, it can feel like you’re a small ripple in a big ocean, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. My own hesitation and lack of confidence is what held me back for years. I was so much of a perfectionist that I missed out on many opportunities I would have gained something from, had I just taken the risk.
After years of writing music, trying different projects, and dozens of attempts later, I finally had enough. I wanted to get the message out there; the message I place in all the music I create, which is that you’re never alone. No matter who you are, or what you’ve been through, someone else out there has felt the same way before. So, I started FOR3ST HILLS, and it’s become my life’s work. I’ve been working hard to build my audience, creating all my own content and reaching out to my fans personally. It isn’t easy, but even the hard parts of my job are things I couldn’t live without. The effort is what gives it meaning.
We have a band website (which I designed myself), but our music is also out on all platforms, so feel free to search up FOR3ST HILLS wherever you usually listen to music!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Music saved my life, and that’s something I want to do for other people. Growing up in New York City, somehow in a city filled with people I still always felt alone. It felt like nobody could really understand me, or the pain I felt. Sure, maybe I was an edgy teenager, but what I felt was genuine nonetheless.
I hated feeling alone in my suffering, so much that I turned to bad habits that ended up hurting me more. At my worst, I was desperate to find anything that would give me a reason to stay…and I found music. Music gave me a new purpose, and a determination I’d never been filled with before. From that point onward, I had the drive to learn and create so I could help others realize they’re not alone, and the world is better off with you being here.
We all stumble sometimes, recovery isn’t linear. My mission through FOR3ST HILLS is to show you that there is a place and a purpose for you, and you have the strength to keep going even if it feels like the world is caving in.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

As a people-pleaser and a perfectionist, I had to unlearn the idea that I could create something beyond reproach. Someone will always have something negative to say, even if it’s just one out of a thousand people. Learning to not care about the critique, and to instead focus on making the things I wanted to create has been extremely freeing to my artistry. I used to agonize over peoples’ comments on my songs, how they were mixed, what they asserted my music was supposed to sound like. In obsessing over the hate, I lost sight of the people who loved what I was putting out into the world.
It’s difficult to stop focusing on negativity, it’s almost addicting. Even still, I catch myself droning on about a negative remark, analyzing what I could change. You don’t need everyone’s approval, you only need your own. The right people will find you and stay in your corner.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://for3sthills.com/home
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FOR3STHILLS/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FOR3STHILLS
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/for3sthills
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/for3sthills/drive
• Other: REB3L Nation: https://for3sthills.com/subscribe
  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5U6os1QzFAjL4TgryAm1x5?si=jVeDlCMhTU6yaOaa3u450Q