A Chat with Robbie Z (06.04.24)
Hailing from Bulgaria but now residing in London, Robbie Z is a singer-songwriter with some badass rapping skills. Inspired by life in its totality, the 21-year-old musician explores the struggles and obstacles we face with cathartic melodies. We speak with Robbie Z about his album Dear Diary, ideal weekends, future plans and more.
OSR: What drew you to music? What made you decide to become a musician?
Robbie Z: I’ve always been around music my whole life, purely out of my own interest, I’ve always watched music videos, saw concerts, and have always idolized different artists. I went to choir, and when I was 15 I decided to start writing my own music after covering songs for years. I started and never stopped. But my main inspiration at the beginning of that was Iggy Azalea. I saw her rapping, something I thought was strictly for men from the US, and thought “Hmm.. if she can do that I can and WILL do it too” and this is how it started.
OSR: What can you tell us about your new EP Dear Diary?
Robbie Z: Dear Diary is something special to me because it allowed me to grow musically and get closer to the artist I want to be. It’s a very specific project, its irony and satire mixed with serious topics isn’t something for everyone. But whoever gets it gets it. Sonically it’s inspired by early 2000s Disney channel sounds and early 2010s pop rap, which is what I grew up listening to. It deals with topics about growing up and the struggles that come with that, following your dreams etc. Stuff we all deal with but it’s my own take on it. My own point of view and advice to myself.
OSR: What do you hope people take from Dear Diary and your music in general?
Robbie Z: They’ll take from it what they will. But if I could choose, I’d want them to get inspired to do their own thing, the way they want to do it, whatever it may be. I hope they see themselves in the lyrics and feel understood.
OSR: Did you face any challenges when creating Dear Diary and what were they?
Robbie Z: The process was filled with amazing moments and it flowed pretty easily. Of course, there were some challenges and struggles along the way, or might I say, just a struggle to make decisions. I’m really indecisive and also am really specific about how I want things to be in the end, so making sure I made the right decisions was probably one of the biggest challenges.
OSR: If you could change anything about Dear Diary, what would it be?
Robbie Z: There are always little imperfections that could be better and we artists don’t ever feel like a project is ready to see the light of day. Besides little things that probably only I notice, there isn’t anything major.
OSR: If you had to introduce a new listener (hopefully a future fan) to your music, which song would you recommend and why?
Robbie Z: I’d recommend ‘5 Dollars & A Dream’ because it’s the song I’m most proud of probably as a final product, it represents me very well as an artist. It has a melodic chorus, rap verses, harmonies, the beat sounds nostalgic. It’s everything I wanted it to be. But also, it’s really special to me, close to my heart, honest and one of my most vulnerable songs thus far.
OSR: What makes you unique as an artist?
Robbie Z: What makes me unique as an artist is my artistry. It’s not something you can fully explain with words, but I don’t follow trends. I have my own vision which for sure has its inspirations, but it’s mine. This comes out in my lyrics, visuals, melodies, and everything I do. My ability to connect with a crowd in real life. This makes the artist in me special and unique.
OSR: Random questions: Describe your ideal weekend.
Robbie Z: My ideal weekend… hmm, it’d be a 3-day weekend with my best friends, going on a road trip somewhere far, to be honest. Cooking, joking around, playing games? Doing something spontaneous like that. Just being together.
OSR: What can we expect from you in the future?
Robbie Z: I have so much in store. So much new music, new sounds, new performances and just more of me.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Robbie Z: If you’re reading this right now, I want to thank you personally for taking the time to read through and understand me as an artist. It means the most to me. Thank you! Let me know what you think of my music!!
Many thanks to Robbie Z for speaking with us! For more from Robbie Z, check out his Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
