Zedd’s new album is finally here.
Nine years after his last full-length original material project in 2015 The right colorsThe 35-year-old German DJ/producer (real name Anton Zaslavski) released his third album, TelosAugust 30.
The 10-track effort features guest appearances from John Mayer, Muse, Remi Wolf, Bea Miller and more, and its title represents two meanings for the Grammy winner—one is goal fulfillment.
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Zedd ‘Telos’ album cover.
Interscope Records
“Another meaning Telos is ‘the end,’ and I thought for a second that this might be my last piece of music that I’ll ever release,” Zedd tells PEOPLE. Greek expression. “I was really overworked, I was burned out, and musically I felt like I poured my whole soul into this album and I have nothing more to say.”
Although the “Clarity” singer took nearly a decade between albums, he’s been busy in the meantime, touring constantly and scoring several big hits, including “Stay” with Alessia Cara and “The Middle” with Maren Morris and Grey.
When it came to making a new album, Zedd was determined to create a project with a narrative that connects each song and a unique sound that combines orchestral and electronic genres. “I really wanted this album to be perfect and it just required a ton more work,” he says.
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Zedd.
Nick Walker
Fortunately, he’s changed his mind since he finished Telos. “I had a little bit of a week to breathe,” he says. “I’ve already started writing new music, so I’m happy to say it’s not over yet.”
The album was preceded by two singles, “Out of Time” featuring Miller and “Lucky” featuring Wolf — for which Zedd recently teamed up with Intel to create an interactive AI experience that brings Telos cover to life.
After nearly releasing an entire project without a lead track, Zedd realized his fans wanted an early taste and carefully selected both tracks to introduce to the world Telos.
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“‘Out of Time’ sets the mood. It’s the start of the album, and it really has a little bit of everything. It’s got that theatrical part, the drop, really emotional and super strong vocals,” he explains. “I think ‘Lucky’ represents more of the fun, pop side of the album, and everything else on the album lives somewhere between those two worlds.”
Recording the record was a harrowing process for Zedd, but his thoughts on the upcoming release Telos as his career send-off is part of what made the final project so rewarding to share with listeners.
“If you know something is going to be the last thing you do, it better be perfect,” he says. “Part of the perfection I see in this album comes from feeling, ‘This could be like my legacy. I better do exactly what I want to do with this album.'”
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Source: HIS Education