Anton Zaslavski, best known by his stage name “Zedd,” is a Russian–German record producer, DJ, and multi-instrument performer. His strong electronic music is his most well-known genre. Both of his parents were musicians and taught him classical music so that he may follow in their footsteps. However, the French electronic duo ‘Justice’ had a big influence on him, and he honed his skills by remixing other artists on ‘Cubase.’ His debut track, ‘Spectrum,’ which was published through ‘Interscope Records,’ went to number one on the ‘Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs’ chart, instantly making him a celebrity. His debut studio album, ‘Clarity,’ was released shortly after. The song ‘Clarity’ reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to sell over two million copies, making it the most-played song on American radio at the time. ‘True Colors,’ his second studio album, will be released soon. He released his single ‘I Want You to Know’ with Selena Gomez in February 2015, which was nominated for the ‘Teen Choice Awards’ for ‘Choice Party Song.’ He was dating the vocalist at the time the song was written. Zedd is currently single after they choose to split ways. He’s also a Grammy winner for ‘Best Dance Recording.’ His admirers are eagerly anticipating his upcoming release.
Childhood and Adolescence
Anton Zaslavski was born to Jewish parents in Saratov Oblast, Russia, on September 2, 1989. When he was four years old, his family relocated to Germany. He was reared with his two brothers, Arkadi and Daniel, in Kaiserslautern. Igor Zaslavski, his father, is a schoolteacher and guitarist, and Marina Vladimirovna, his mother, is a piano instructor.
When he was four years old, his mother taught him how to play the piano. By the age of 12, he had mastered classical music and the drums. He started his career as a drummer with the metal fusion band ‘Dioramic’ in 2002. ‘Lifeforce Records’ had signed the band to a contract. He began focusing on the metallic heavy electronic genre after being influenced by the French electronic duo ‘Justice.’
During his career, Zaslavski went by the stage name “Zedd” and wrote songs for the band “Dioramic.” He was a member of the team until 2010. In 2010, he created a name for himself by winning two ‘Beatport’ remix competitions. ‘The Anthem,’ his first original release, charted in the top 20 on the ‘Beatport Electro’ charts.
He quit ‘Dioramic’ to pursue his own remixing on ‘Cubase.’ On the special edition of Lady Gaga’s studio album, his 2011 remix of the song “Born This Way” was included alongside the original version.
Zedd’s debut single, ‘Spectrum,’ was released by ‘Interscope Records’ in 2012. The song peaked at number one on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Songs list. The song ‘Beauty and a Beat,’ which was produced for Justin Bieber’s third studio album, ‘Believe,’ came next.
In October 2012, he released his own debut studio album, ‘Clarity,’ which featured the single ‘Spectrum’ as its lead single. The third single from the album, ‘Clarity,’ was released in February 2013. In September 2013, the song was in the top ten on the ‘Billboard Hot 100,’ selling over two million downloads and becoming the most-played song on American radio. It was given the “platinum” designation. Soon after, Zedd embarked on his first globe tour, which took him to all five continents.
After that, he produced the track ‘Heaven’ for Namie Amuro’s album ‘Feel.’ He also released the tune “Stay the Night,” which featured Hayley Williams and reached number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified “platinum.”
In July 2014, his song ‘Break Free,’ which he co-wrote with singer Ariana Grande, achieved #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the ‘Hot Dance/Electronic Songs’ list. In the same year, it was nominated for a ‘Teen Choice Award’ in the ‘Break-Up Song’ category.
‘True Colors,’ his second studio album, was released in 2015. In the same year, he released the single ‘I Want You to Know,’ which he co-wrote with Selena Gomez. The song was nominated for a ‘Teen Choice Award’ in the ‘Party Song’ category and charted at number 17 on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’.
His album debuted at number one on the Billboard Dance Electronic Albums chart, establishing him as one of the year’s most successful musicians. In 2015, he stole the hearts of his fans by performing live at the ‘CMT Music Awards’ ceremony. In that same year, he also performed at the ‘Counter Point Music and Arts Festival’ and the ‘Spring Awakening Festival.’
From August to November 2015, he went on his second world tour, which took him around Europe, Asia, and North America. He also arranged a performance in protest to President Donald Trump’s executive order barring people from seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States.
In 2016, he collaborated with Aloe Blacc on the tune “Candyman.” In the same year, his collaboration with Hailee Steinfeld, ‘Starving,’ reached number five on the UK Singles list. He also released a remix of DJ Snake and Justin Bieber’s hit single “Let Me Love You.” He collaborated with ‘Riot Games’ on the song ‘Ignite’ for the e-sports competition ‘League of Legends.’
His next project was a song he wrote with Alessia Cara called “Stay,” which peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2017. In July 2017, he released his single ‘Get Low,’ which he co-wrote with Liam Payne.
In January 2018, his current single, ‘The Middle,’ featuring Maren Morris and ‘Grey,’ hit number one on the ‘Billboard Pop Songs’ radio chart and number five on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ list. In April 2018, he also released a video for the ‘National Geographic’ miniseries of the same name, titled ‘One Strange Rock.’
Major Projects of Zedd
Zedd has released two studio albums, one compilation album, ten music videos, seven EPs, 26 singles, and 27 remixes, as well as 10 music videos, seven EPs, and 26 singles.
‘Clarity’ (2012) and ‘True Colors’ (2013) are his two studio albums (2015).
The ‘Moment of Clarity World Tour’ (2013), the ‘True Colors Tour’ (2015), and the ‘Echo Tour’ (2017–2018) are only a few of his tours.
Achievements & Awards
In 2012, he won the ‘International Dance Music Awards’ for ‘Best Breakthrough Artist’ (Solo).
In 2014, the single ‘Clarity’ received a Grammy for ‘Best Dance Recording,’ while the album of the same name received the ‘European Border Breakers Award: Germany.’
At the ‘ASCAP Awards,’ his songs ‘Clarity,’ ‘Stay the Night,’ and ‘Break Free’ were named ‘Most Performed Song.’
At the 2015 ‘Teen Choice Awards,’ the song ‘I Want You to Know’ was named ‘Choice Theme Song.’
At the 2016 ‘Billboard Music Awards,’ the album ‘True Colors’ won ‘Top Dance/Electronic Album.’
The song ‘Stay’ won the 2017 MTV Clubland Award and the 2018 ‘iHeartRadio Music Awards’ for ‘Dance Song of the Year.’
Personal Experiences of Zedd
When they released the single “I Want You to Know” in 2015, Zedd was dating superstar singer Selena Gomez. They did, however, break up afterwards. Actors Nina Dobrev and Bryana Holly are said to have dated Zedd. He is now single, according to social media.
Estimated Net Worth
Zedd has a net worth of $50 million.
Trivia
Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock appeared in a film about Zedd’s world tour that was uploaded on ‘YouTube’ in 2014. He writes the majority of his compositions on the piano and uses the ‘Cubase’ suite of music production applications and plug-ins, such as the ‘Sylenth1,’ ‘Nexus,’ ‘SynthMaster 2.6,’ and ‘Omnisphere’ synthesizers, to create his music.