EDITOR’S NOTE: Zee Machine was scheduled to headline Gulfcoast Pride on Oct. 19, however due to Hurricane Milton, the event was canceled. Our original interview runs below. (Photo by Trevor Paul)
The LA-based Zee Machine — a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter who offers “infections hooks, soaring vocals, cutting lyrics and empowering live sets” — bills himself not just as the “best singer in the entire history of the world,” but also “the biggest exaggerator.”
Even so, it’s his honesty that’s made waves as of late. The openly LGBTQ+ independent artist released his 7-track EP “Can I Be Honest..?” to widespread support in July, calling the experience “a game changer.”
“It’s been incredible, especially compared to the first time I dropped a body of work rather than a single, which is what I’ve been doing for the past five years,” Zee says. “This time I was Top 10 on the iTunes Pop charts, Top 40 overall, and there’s been an onslaught of love that’s been truly overwhelming in the best possible way.”
That and other work has amassed millions of streams across various platforms, hype that helped sell out his international “Tears & Gears” tour with Bentley Robles. He says seeing fans connect with his work has been affirming.
“People have said they felt very seen by it, and everyone has been choosing different favorite songs, which have been pretty evenly divided across the track list,” Zee explains. “It’s wonderful to see how many people have been connecting with it on a personal level … at the end of the day, that’s what I really want. I love making music and performing music, but the real validation comes from seeing the way people connect with it in their heart.”
Sarasota last had the chance to do that in June 2023. That’s when the artist performed at Project Pride’s annual Grand Carnival.
Now he’s coming back to headline the inaugural Gulfcoast Pride Oct. 19. He’ll close the main stage entertainment from 8-9 p.m. (Editor’s Note: The event was canceled due to Hurricane Milton.)
“You just don’t get any better energy from a crowd than you do at festivals and events like these,” Zee says. “People show up because they want to celebrate and just be completely unbridled and open and who they are. I feel like that is the best kind of crowd you can be playing to.
“Even if they don’t even know you, they are giving you back so much good energy,” he adds. “It’s a really nice exchange of love and music.”
Watermark caught up with Zee Machine ahead of the performance to talk his Pride performance, new EP and more.
WATERMARK: What drew you to music and the entertainment industry?
Zee Machine: There’s a little bit of a difference between being in the entertainment industry and wanting to make music. (Laughs.) Just to put it plain and simple, music was the only thing that, growing up, I felt like I just had a knack for intuitively. I kind of seemed to be better at it than the kids around me. But it was also the thing that brought me a very unfiltered joy without expectation. Then when I started to play shows with bands and things like that, it was just the happiness that brought sharing that with people. And as time went on and I went to school, and the stuff I started to write was connecting with people. That’s really what kicked it off.
The entertainment industry isn’t really the sole focus, but I have really liked the aspect of it that’s allowed me to connect with more and more people as time has gone on. Especially these last couple years, and this past tour and the album that just came out, which has been really a game changer. Being able to see how it’s impacting people and meeting them face to face has been very moving and fulfilling.
How do you view the state of the music industry and where do you find yourself in it?
It’s a little all over the place. I think it is maybe the best time to be an independent artist, because we have so many resources at our disposal to be able to do this ourselves. Also, the way record labels work now is that finding new talent is a little bit of thing in the past. Right now, you sort of have to establish your brand first before they want to take a risk on you.
I’m not saying that like I don’t want to be signed — if that opportunity comes around at some point when I need it, and when I feel like I have enough momentum and leverage going for me — I will absolutely go for it. But I’m really enjoying being independent the way I am, because I can kind of just do whatever I want, in a way … I enjoy having essentially 100% full ownership of everything I do, and creative direction. I’ve found that doing whatever I do authentically seems to have done me pretty well. I’m going to keep doing that because it’s fun and people seem to like it.
What’s your writing process like?
It’s funny, because I honestly feel like I’ve been in a bit of a rut for the last few months because I put so much into this EP that I wasn’t focusing a whole lot on writing new things. But I am starting to see some cracks in that dam starting to form and I think new stuff is going to be flowing soon.
I’ll have something I really want to write about, and I’ll hear a vibe just in my mind forming around that. It almost kind of feels like I’m hearing a song in a dream, where it’s not fully formed, like it’s a little off in the distance. So I’ll record a little bit of it into a voice memo or something on my phone, and I’ll do my best to try to bring that to life. Then I get to a place where I can bring it to life in a tangible form.
I’ve not been known to be the fastest writer, and that’s okay … that’s not really how my ideas flow. I’m slow and steady. I guess I tend to create my the demos of the song on at home, usually on my own.
I have been trying to work with some other co-writers now, just to kind of try some new things lately, but I’m pretty good at creating the initial demo on my own, on my computer. Then I have a few producers that I work with who are brilliant engineers and very good at bringing the track to life in a more polished way. We’ll create it from there and build it up — and when I get stuck, they help me break through things.
What are your thoughts on music’s LGBTQ+ representation? Have you faced any challenges?
If I’m being honest, I don’t know that I’ve faced a lot of challenges directly. I don’t think there’s anything I’m doing right now with my music that would be different if I were straight. I think we’re kind of in the best time we’ve ever been to be a queer artist … just in terms of queer music, we’ve got Troye [Sivan] and Charli [XCX] on the biggest tour of the country. Not to say that Charli is queer, but let’s be real, who’s given her a career?
We’ve also got Chappell Roan being the talk of the town; there’s more presence in the charts openly than there’s been in the past. A lot of Prides are also focusing on hiring more queer artists, which is nice.
What is it you like about performing at Prides? You’ll be headlining Gulfcoast Pride this month.
I’m very, very, very excited to be there. You don’t get any better energy from a crowd than you do at festivals and events like that. People show up because they want to celebrate and just be completely unbridled and open and who they are. I feel like that is the best kind of crowd you can be playing to.
Even if they don’t even know you, they are giving you back so much good energy and then you give it back to them, and they give it right back. It’s a really nice exchange of love and music, even if that sounds corny. They are the most fun shows to play.
This will be your second time in Sarasota. What takeaways do you have from your last experience?
They treated us like superstars and I really I had the absolute best time there. I’m really glad we could make it work again. You know, people talk shit about Florida but I’ve only had good experiences there. I feel as though the people I meet there do not represent the culture and the policies that I feel the rest of the country seems to have an impression about them, and I love that because I think that’s something we can take away from a lot of parts of the country. I really, really had an amazing time there, and I can’t wait to be back. We’ve got a lot of new stuff cooking for you.
What can people expect from your show?
For Pride shows, I usually tend to keep it pretty high energy. I feel like people aren’t really coming to Pride to cry. Like for shows on tour, I start high energy and give a little bit of an emotional moment. But I try to keep Pride a celebration and I think in the past, people appreciate that.
I’m going to be playing some of the stuff from the new EP that I haven’t had a chance to play because it came out after the tour ended, and then I also have something brand new that no one’s heard that I think I want to debut there, so we’ll see!
Zee Machine’s EP and more are available now wherever music is streamed or sold. For more information, visit Linktr.ee/ZeeMachineMusic.
