BAZZI

Grasping smoked-out sensual R&B and widescreen pop sensibilities inside of an eighties-inspired high-fashion fever dream, Michigan-born and Los Angeles-based singer, producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Bazzi wants to take you on a trip.

“There’s a genuine feeling in my music,” he exclaims. “It’s a mix of everything I grew up on—from rock to pop. You hear the guitars and real drum sounds with modern day elements and weird samples. It’s odd and different. It’s got a swag and flow, but you’re in this fantasy world at the same time.”

Long before unlocking that place, he took the first step on his musical journey back in Kenton, MI. Born to a Lebanese immigrant father and American mother, he shares stories of dressing up as Elvis to perform in front of the neighbors and dancing to Ricky Martin across the living room with a comb doubling for a microphone. Returning from a trip to Lebanon, Dad brought home an Oud, and a four-year-old Bazzi immediately took to the instrument. By the age of six, he picked up a traditional acoustic.

Fascinated by music, the budding talent devoted his high school years to uploading tracks online as he obsessed over diverse influences ranging from Justin Timberlake and Bryson Tiller to Duran Duran and Guns N’ Roses. During senior year, he and pops moved to L.A. so Bazzi could properly pursue a career in music. While finishing high school on the West Coast, he constantly wrote and produced, creating his own soundscapes by hand on guitar, piano, and drums.

At this point, a distinct vision began to unfold in tandem with a personal revelation “Finding my sound went exactly parallel with me knowing myself better,” he admits. “The deeper I got into understanding myself and learning to love myself, the more I was able to hone into the sound. I’ve always felt like authenticity speaks so loud when you actually have a voice. We’re raised in an insecure society. I think people mistake confidence for being conceited. I embraced who I am rather than wishing I was someone different. The music grew as a result.”

He independently released “Alone” on Soundcloud in 2017. Organically, the song generated over 1 million Spotify streams within a few months’ time and peaked in the Top 10 of the US Viral Chart. Next up, Bazzi unveiled “Beautiful.” After teasing a 30-second clip of the melody on Twitter, the snippet received 3,000 retweets encouraging him to finish the entire tune.

With lush instrumentation, expansive production, and a heavenly hypnotic hook, the track became 3x RIAA Certified Platinum and hit #7 at Pop Radio.

“It was just a vibe,” he reveals. “I was inspired by the ‘Beautiful angel’ line. I just laid the chords down and freestyled the melody. You should feel like you’re in a dream when listening.”

It was his following release, “Mine,” that quickly solidified him as one of 2018’s breakthrough artists. Over a sultry and simmering beat punctuated by the magical pluck of a heart and video game warbles, he croons intoxicating lines like, “You so fucking precious when you smile.” 

“We were hanging in the pool at my friend’s house,” he states. “I went in the kitchen to grab a water, and ‘Mine’ literally hit me. I rocked that beat with my boys Rice N Peas and went for it.”

Following incredible editorial support from Apple Music, the track hit #1 on their Pop Streaming chart and soon-after climbed to #1 on Shazam’s Global Top 100 and both Spotify’s US Viral 50 and Global Viral 50 charts. “Mine” marked Bazzi’s debut on the Billboard Hot 100 along with both Top 40 and Rhythmic radio, eventually hitting #1 at Pop Radio and becoming 4x RIAA Certified Platinum.

Of his RIAA Certified Platinum debut album COSMIC, Bazzi describes the project as “honesty.” “It’s truthful, every single song is an extension of me and a truthful piece of inspiration from my past or something I’m currently going through.”

Bazzi released his mixtape “Soul Searching” in 2019, which has nearly 1 billion streams and debuted Top 20 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. It includes RIAA Certified Gold hits “I.F.L.Y.” and “Paradise.” The latter track was featured in the Warner Bros. film The Sun Is Also A Star.  

Hailed by Rolling Stone as an “Artist You Need To Know,” Bazzi completed his headline THE COSMIC TOUR in 2018, had a special guest role on Camila Cabello’s sold out “Never Be The Same” North American tour, was support on the European leg of Justin Timberlake’s blockbuster “Man Of The Woods Tour,” and performed at a number of iHeartRadio Jingle Ball shows. Bazzi is also an in-demand TV performer, with a dozen high profile live performances throughout 2018 and 2019, including NBC’s TODAY, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards, 2019 MTV Movie & TV Awards, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and two visits to the nationally syndicated Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Ultimately, Bazzi is well on his way, and he’s inviting everyone along for the ride. “I hope people listen to my music and leave with that good energy,” he leaves off. “The goal is for them to feel sexy and confident as they blare it with their windows down. It’s like a trip.”