WATCH: ZADA Shares Video for “Atlantic Times”

Debut album from Canadian artist out February 2024

August 24, 2023August 24, 2023 Ron Hart 0 Comments 2023, Brian West, British Columbia, Canada, Chin Injeti, Drake, Eminem, Maroon 5, Nelly Furtatdo, R&B, Sia, ZADA

Fresh from her star-making performance at this year’s Honey Jam in Toronto, Canadian R&B singer ZADA continues her ascent with the release of her latest single “Atlantic Times.”

The song is the first official taste for the Ethiopia-born artist’s forthcoming debut album scheduled for release in February 2024. With its shuffling beats, the song is a perfect showcase for the tonality of ZADA’s silky voice, which extends a wisdom beyond her 20 years on Earth. The Grammy Award-winning Chin Injeti (Eminem, Drake) and the Juno Award-winning Brian West (Sia, Maroon 5, Nelly Furtatdo), are in the producers’ seat for “Atlantic Times.” The two have been staples among ZADA’s collaborators since she connected with them through Vancouver’s Hipposonic Recording Studio in 2020. For the tune, Injeti and West crafted the percussion utilizing kitchen utensils to create the beat that buoys lyrics which came to ZADA one morning while surfing.

“I remember watching the water lap over my surfboard and it made me think of the push and pull of relationships,” the 20-year-old explains. “I went into the session with that as my inspiration. I wanted to capture the essence of the feeling you get when you meet someone, catch a spark, but you go your separate ways, then wonder if it’s a lost connection, or if those seconds could be recreated one day.”

Adding more context to the tune is the video for “Atlantic Times,” which Rock & Roll Globe is honored to premiere today on the site.

“I remember thinking….Sailing? What about sailing? Of course I know nothing about the sport but It’s been a habit of mine to try new things while I’m on set, haha,” ZADA reveals about the impetus for the video. “I reached out to Blake Jorgenson and Leo Hoorn to brainstorm on new creative ideas at a local coffee shop in Creekside, Whistler. For ‘Atlantic Times,’ we wanted to lighten up the narrative and feature tones of comedy, while juxtaposing it with these surreal dreamy backdrops. The message we wanted to send out at the end was to honour the power of real human connection – ‘throw away the phone, the paper and pen, come talk!’ It turned out that we’d all at some point struggled with communication between friendships and relationships – because of that we could pull creative from each other – it was super collaborative!

I’ve never worked with so many extras before – they were all incredible – I loved watching the energy they each brought on set! I sailed all into the night, in the height of summer, with my favourite film crew – I think I was either smiling or in stitches laughing!”

Fans of Erykah Badu and FKA Twigs alike will definitely want to check out ZADA, who will be coming to the States to perform at the Mondo.NYC Music Conference in October.

In the meantime, check out the video for “Atlantic Times” below.