Zachary Knowles

Photographed by Phillip Winham & Phoenix Johnson

"Learning and trying new things when other things don’t work is a part of the process of growing, and that’s really important to focus on for me when it comes to having a healthy relationship with social media." - Zachary Knowles

Known for his sobering lyrical style, Zachary Knowles has been crafting music since a very early age. With a steady output of music over the last four years, gaining tens of thousands of streams on SoundCloud to now having 1,040,991 monthly listeners on Spotify he has been honing his craft and steadily creating a buzz that can no longer be ignored. The follow-up to 2018's EP, Magnolia -- as well as the follow-up to his debut album, "tendency to be a loner" (2021) "GOALIE" is the first full body of work released since and finds Knowles at his most open and honest. In our exclusive interview with Zachary he states, “GOALIE” basically symbolizes how I tend to block myself out. It’s specifically about time periods in my life where I noticed I wasn’t doing the best emotionally and was shutting out my emotions and sort of fighting with myself."

The album features a more dynamic sonic exploration, with crisp production on standout tracks such as “Somewhere In Texas,” “Never Enough” and “Crush.” Featured in ISS 13 we spoke with the singer/songwriter about his new EP, social media and more.

Zachary Knowles photographed Phoenix Johnson

From uploading songs on SoundCloud, to landing in the top 20 of Spotify’s New Music Friday Playlist. How has this journey been for you so far, are you still having a "this can't be happening" moment?

There will be random times where it’ll hit me and I’ll really think about how crazy it is, yeah. It’s wild to think about where I started and how cool of a journey I’ve had. It has been an awesome ride with highs and lows, but I’m still loving every bit of it.

The album is titled "Goalie", what's the significance behind the title?

I could go on for a while about it, but super summed up “Goalie” basically symbolizes how I tend to block myself out. It’s specifically about time periods in my life where I noticed I wasn’t doing the best emotionally and was shutting out my emotions and sort of fighting with myself. “Goalie” just felt like a cool word to describe who I was when I was at my most unhealthy state of mind.

Zachary Knowles photographed Phoenix Johnson

We've all had that 'Wrong Side' moment in our lives. Social media at times can take a toll on our mental health. How do you keep a positive mindset while still having an engaging social media presence? How do you get through bad days?

It’s important to remember that not every marketing technique or idea will work. Learning and trying new things when other things don’t work is a part of the process of growing, and that’s really important to focus on for me when it comes to having a healthy relationship with social media. I also think it’s important to realize that social media isn’t real life. It’s bits and pieces of reality all put in one place. It’s really fun, but at the same time if we focus on it too much and what other people have going on I think it can take away from enjoying reality around us. In the past I’ve let social media lead to a lot of comparisons, which stole joy away from life and making music, so for me personally I just remind myself to not measure my worth based on it. It’s a delicate balance, because sharing on social media is a really fun thing and an awesome way to connect with others. But if it becomes a source of worth or measure of success, I think that’s when it gets scary.

You're pretty active on TikTok and YouTube - would you say those are your favorite platforms at the moment? And why?

I’d say those are my favorites to use for promoting my music for sure. I think Youtube is fun for sharing music videos and I’d like to get more into it with casual content. TikTok is so high energy and anything could happen, so it’s a fun place to just try new ideas and throw stuff out there.

We're sure your fans have their favorites from the LP. What song from the album do you play the most?

I’m definitely on a “NEVER ENOUGH” and “JUST STAY FOR ONCE” kick right now. “SOMEWHERE IN TEXAS” is steadily making its way into my top rotation though.

'Crush' is definitely on repeat for us! You met your crush/now wife, in the 6th grade, was she the inspiration for that song, and will we be getting a 'Crush' video?

She was 100% the inspo for it, yeah. I’m not sure about a video, but I do plan on dropping an acoustic version of it here pretty soon which will be sweet.

Who would you love to have a private jam session with?

Probably Poo Bear. Dudes insanely talented.

Recently, you shared a goal achievement on TikTok, receiving your first Time Square Billboard, congrats! Do you find that writing down your goals helps you to achieve them?

I think it’s great to have a plan, but it’s all about how you approach it that determines whether or not you’ll meet those goals. Life changes too, so personally I love to set goals realizing that along the way I may need to do some adjusting.

What's next for Zachary Knowles? You've over 50 million global streams, any plans for tours overseas next year?

I plan on dropping a lot more music. I think next up are a bunch of singles because I really just want to pump music out there. Shows are something I for sure want to get into more, and I’d love to figure out an overseas tour - that would rock.

Connect with Zachary Knowles

Instagram: @zacharyknowles

Stream and Purchase

Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

Purchase

Zachary Knowles photographed by Phillip Winham

You're a Texas boy at heart, how was life growing up in the big state and how did that influence your decision to pursue a career in music?

Growing up in Texas was awesome. My town was pretty small and really chill, so when I started doing music everyone was super encouraging and told me to keep going. I think because it’s such a relaxing place it gave me the opportunity to take the time to learn more about music and what it could look like, rather than if it was this crazy high energy place. It has definitely had an effect on how my music has sounded and what I choose to write about.

Three years ago you uploaded "Slow Down My Thoughts [Acoustic]" still a fan favorite, what was it like sharing your music with the world for the first time?

It was unbelievably fun. At the time I was making that round of music, I was pursuing a business degree and was traveling back and forth to my friends house about an hour away a couple times a week in order to make music. I didn’t really know I would wind up pursuing music at the time, so there was this sort of innocence to it that felt fun and new. It’s a rush putting something so personal out there for everyone to hear. It can be scary or intimidating but it’s also very surreal in a great way.

Zachary Knowles photographed Phoenix Johnson

There's a real transitional feel you get when listening to the project, which you can feel from the first track "Somewhere In Texas". You spoke on a journey of rediscovery while recording this album. Can you tell us more about what this process was like for you?

I wrote the project after taking a little time off to reflect on who I am and what I wanted for my music. I’ve always wanted to be authentic and write from a place of sincerity, and this project became a way for me to process a lot of what I’d been through emotionally years and months prior. My goal was to be honest and have fun, because I felt like letting loose and just having fun with it was something I lost sight of for a tiny bit. That’s why this project felt like more of a rediscovery journey for me.

"Somewhere In Texas" is such a great song why did you decided to open the album with this track?

Honestly, I thought the way the guitar leads in made for a really cool intro and established the sort of vibe that would follow with the rest of the project. Choosing the order takes a while, but that one just stood out to me for some reason as my top pick for the opener. The sentiment of the song also establishes a really cool direction for where the rest of the project will go, so it just felt right.

Zachary Knowles photographed Phoenix Johnson