I’ve always had a passion for music since a young age coming from a musical household i grew up around live bands and hip hop beats i started out wanting to be a guitarist and took to that from a young age then in later years i put the guitar down and found that my heart was really set on being a vocalist/songwriter
Through my teens all i had was tunnel vision to blend my love of edgy alternative singing with rapping and soon found my sound and style honing my craft at Hotmoney Studios that earned me the respect of my peers
Whilst at Hot Money Studios i got the bug for producing and engineering this is when I’d take all that i had learned in previous years and combine that to become a one stop shop for production songwriting and music videos that was quickly picked up independent labels that would put my music and productions in front of the likes of RCA, Sony, Universal and many other major record labels
When did you realise you had an interest in audio engineering?
Audio engineering became a sort of obsession of mine after my time at Hot Money Studios, I was fascinated by the recording process and invested in my own home recording setup where I’d spend hours fine tuning and tweaking my own and friends vocals eventually i got so good at it my friends didn’t want to record anywhere else and some I even trained up to do their own productions at home i believe being self sufficient is key is a music artist
How does being a musician compare with being and engineer and working on other people’s music?
I get enjoyment out of both sides creating your own music has no limitations or boundaries but if you work with the right artists that trust you to help bring their visions to life it can be so fulfilling in the same way the only obstacle you have to overcome transitioning from artist to engineer is to not complete the whole picture for the artists that you work with by yourself you just give them the pieces and let them put the puzzle together then all you gotta do is make it sound good for them
What are some of your favourite tools and equipment to use to make music?
I have always been heavy into vocal manipulation plugins and using my voice as an instrument the first time I pitched shifted my voice up, added some reverb, autotune and distortion then started making guitar solos with my voice there was no turning back at that point.
Favourite equipment of recent is the apollo x6 from universal audio in my studio that is linked up to the Avalon 737 and Neumann u87 condenser microphone
When did you start working at Hot Money Studios and what is your experience so far?
I started working at Hot Money Studios officially in 2021 although my relationship with the studio has spanned over 10 years i love working there and express my gratitude almost every week it’s the only job I’ve turned up early for and left hours after i should’ve gone home already to be honest i don’t even like saying it’s work or a job they’re horrible ways to describe a studio like Hot Money Studios it’s just a place i meet with other artist everyday to make them feel good about what they’re making and so far I’d say everyone who’s walked through that door has left feeling positive since I’ve been there and even before that
Do you still have aspirations to be an artist?
Definitely i don’t think I’ve ever stopped being an artist even as an engineer my artist seeps through in suggestions i don’t think that will ever leave all of my own music is now packaged under the name Escape The Box which was for a long time under the umbrella of Ziey Kizzy i had the bands logo tattooed on my left arm before it was even formed officially so i think it’s fait was already sealed a long time before i met the rest of them
Top 3 favourite bands of all time?
It’s hard to say favourite because i don’t want to devalue the other music i love by creating a list but if i could bend the words slightly and say who’s been very influential for me growing up
Linkin Park
Sum41
Rage against the machine
Top 3 favourite artists of all time?
My top 3 artists again difficult but i can say that out of my alt rock vibes i found that listening to RnB really helped me to become a better Songwriter i used to count the words in Ne-Yo’s verses and that helped me figure out some kind of maths in music and those patterns helped me to structure songs in my early teens Drake also heavily influenced my early music jon bellion was also a massive influence on the production side of things
What does the future hold for Ziey?
The future for ziey has been and always will be music in some way shape or form and to be honest i never see that changing unless future Ziey has other plans but present Ziey believes it’s music
Any advice for new engineers and artists coming up?
My advice is trust your ears for the engineers and don’t trust every word those bedroom producers tell you on youtube get yourself down to Hot Money Studios I’ll give you a crash course and save you years of heartache and self-doubt
And my message for the artists make sure whoever you deal with has your best interests at heart keep a watchful eye and stay true to yourself and self sufficiency is key don’t give up
How can you be followed?
I can be followed through my social networks below: