On His Identity Crisis And Music As "A Form Of Therapy"

After migrating from Zimbabwe to Australia in 2005 "to pursue a degree in IT", Melbourne rapper Zii Zii says rediscovering his "love for music" made him decide to "make it a professional hobby". (Don't worry, he completed his course and has a Masters in IT.) After touring as part of a duo for some time, Zii wound up recording his own material solo. When asked to describe his music, Zii shares he is "an eclectic sound that tells the story of a young man fuelled by his faith".

"I started writing it in the middle of an identity crisis and writing my thoughts down helped create space in my head so I could see what was around me."

He's worked with some impressive producers on his latest EP including Byron Hosking, Timothy Coghill (Matt Corby) and Momo from Diafrix, with MarKia "chipping in on one of the songs as a co-producer". "It started off as an outlet to express some issues that were troubling me, then evolved into a complete project," Zii explains of developing material for his Through These Eyes EP. "The common theme is a world view presented from my journey being in Australia as well as how my faith has shaped how I navigate through life," the rapper continues. "It's also a form of therapy for me as I used the music to deal with a few issues." On what inspired him during the making of this EP, Zii offers, "Life. At the time of recording this EP I was still trying to understand myself. I started writing it in the middle of an identity crisis and writing my thoughts down helped create space in my head so I could see what was around me." Rather than aiming for perfection in the studio, Zii tells, "It's all feeling and vibe. I always go for what feels right and how the people working on the songs interact with the music is also an important aspect to the final product."

Road testing some songs before hitting the studio "helped [him] understand what the audience thought" and Zii singles out A Place Called Self, the penultimate EP track, as his favourite. "This track accurately describes my journey and where I'm at," he elaborates. "The creative process was amazing. Timothy Coghill spent a lot of time working with me on articulating the right emotion." This Is Afrika (produced by Momo) is "the newest" track on Through These Eyes, but Zii clarifies, "All the tracks on this EP are older tracks".

On his usual recording technique, Zii reflects, "I know what I want and it takes time to piece it all together. However, when things aren't flowing, he reveals, "I usually just stop and start something else and if that doesn't work I walk away — maybe go watch a movie or do something completely different to what I was trying."

Although Zii intends to "kinda stay true" to the songs from his Through These Eyes EP "for the first few shows while the fans get to know them", he's very much looking forward to experimenting with live versions. "I love living on the edge and squeezing the band's creative juices," he enthuses.