Meet ZenZag | Neo Soul/ Reggae Fusion

We had the good fortune of connecting with ZenZag and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi ZenZag, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
ZenZag started as a husband and wife duo, we used music as a way to connect with one another and to connect with ourselves. We started writing songs together and once we got going the music started to flow. Organically over the course of a few months we had formed a full six piece band. With every new member, the sound shifted and transformed to what it is now. ZenZag is a collaboration of musicians all with one common goal, and that is to bring a peaceful change in direction to the people. We are focused on writing music that has a message and using our platform to bring awareness to the issues of today.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Our music is a reflection of the connection that we have as a band. We all have embraced each other as not only friends, but family and that foundation of love shines through in our sound. We all come from such different backgrounds and our music is a product of where we’ve been and what we’ve been through. It speaks to who we are and what we believe in. The meaning of our name ZenZag is “A peaceful change in direction” and we embody that in the moves that we make.

We are looking forward to the many connections we will make along the way, the friends we will meet and all the future endeavors. If there’s one thing I know to be true, it is that music will take you there. Music has the ability to take you to places in the world and within yourself that you may not have otherwise visited. We are manifesting our first tour in 2023 and are delighted to be working on our first album. The life of a musician isn’t always an easy one but the experiences always outweigh the challenges and the lessons are invaluable. We are a new band and our story is still being written but we are so far loving this first chapter, and are eager for what’s to come.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
San Diego is a city filled with culture and subculture within that. Having half our band be born and raised in San Diego we have a unique privilege in this city. We have watched it grow and change over time and all still love it just the same. To be a tourist in San Diego is quite the adventure.

We would start our trip with a visit to Barrio Logan. The Barrio is a community filled with strong roots and respect to the Chicano culture. Breakfast at El Carrito and coffee at Por Vida is a must. You would be silly to not stop at Salud for tacos and absolutely crazy to not visit some of the many small businesses such as Santa Aroma and San Diego Vintage Company.
Next we would go west and watch the sunset at Sunset cliffs in Ocean Beach. OB is a community none like any other. The cliffs are a locals pride and joy, a beautiful place to gather inspiration, play music, and connect with friends. As night falls we would make our way to Newport Avenue and visit some of San Diego’s iconic live music joints, such as Winston’s Beach Club and The Holding Company. Winston’s has a special place in the community as a space where many artists have gotten their start, and their support for live music is like no other.
A visit to San Diego wouldn’t be complete without a day at the beach. We have many beautiful beaches to choose from and each beach town has its own vibe and flow to it.
We are spoiled with musical opportunities and culture in San Diego. There are many different “scenes” within the city. You can see live music seven days a week. Monday you can see jazz at Prohibition in The Gaslamp. Reggae Tuesdays at The Holding Company, Roots and culture at Winston’s on a Wednesday. You can experience true Latin music on Thursday with legend Bill Caballero. Hype up the weekend vibes with a proper concert at the Belly Up Tavern. Immerse yourself in the San Diego Symphony at our Rady Shell in Jacobs Park on a Saturday, and cap off your weekend with some local metal music at Brick by Brick.
Having our very own percussion player be an Italian native, a visit to Little Italy is on the list as well. With its hip restaurants and vibrant breweries there is no shortage of a good time.
We are lucky to call this city home and we watch with hopeful eyes as the city progresses. We take our sense of community seriously and through that we fostered many beautiful friendships and connections and that love will carry us through.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We are heavily influenced by artists such as Erykah Badu, Bill Withers, Steel Pulse, Poncho Sanchez, System Of A Down, Vinnie Colauita, and of course Bob Marley. Our deep love and respect for Reggae music shines through in our sound. Reggae music is about the struggle of the people and shining light on the injustices of the world. We embody that message in everything that we do and that’s why we chose to put together a charity event for our debut as a band. We wanted to start our journey with our best foot forward. We chose to give all proceeds of our show to a local nonprofit organization called Banding Together. Banding Together brings music to people with special needs. Our lead singer has a brother with Down Syndrome who is a big inspiration in her life, it only made sense to a shine light on their organization and do our part to keep the music flowing for all. The San Diego music scene is a strong community of talented artists all pursuing their goal of bringing music to the people and supporting one another.

Instagram: @zenzagofficial

Youtube: @zenzagofficial

Other: You can find us on TikTok @zenzagband

Image Credits
James Davis