1- Where did you grow up?
I was born outside of Romford and grew up in Clacton-On-Sea in Essex. I live in Bristol now.
2- What is one of the first songs you remember liking as a kid?
I remember the first 7inch single I bought was 'Ghostbusters' by Ray Parker Jnr. Giving me age away there. 3- What influenced you to get into music?
My dad 100%. I used to watch my dad playing guitar in bands and knew I wanted to do the same. My dad taught me to play guitar at a very young age and we used to jam his favourite songs by 'The Shadows' together.
4- At what age did you start playing/singing?
I played my first gig as a guitarist in a pub in Clacton when I was 14. We weren't even old enough to be there. My main memory of it was that I was terrified from start to finish. 5- If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to yourself after finishing school?
This is a tough one as I tend not to worry about the past as you can't change it. Like many people, I have made a lot of mistakes over the years, but I try and learn from them and grow as a person. Advice I give my own children is to live life to the fullest now and to live in the moment as you only get one shot at this.
6- What are some of your favorite songs at the moment?
'How Soon Is Now' by The Smiths is pretty much the perfect song, it's hard to find any fault with it. I am listening to a lot of L'Avenue and Xennon at the moment. L'Avenue's 'Cherry Crush' is barely out of my Minidisc player over the last few weeks. 7- Do you listen to your own music?
Not really no. I find once you have gone through the writing process, production, mixing and then mastering, I have heard it enough at that point :). Of course, I do listen every now and then.
8- Which musician would you like to collaborate with next?
I would like to collaborate with Nina, and she is probably my favourite Synthwave artist, and I think our styles would work well together. 9- What is one of your favorite memories so far in your music career?
Probably the most memorable was supporting 'The Damned' on one of their tours. An incredible experience, if not a bit scary. In general, the whole experience as 'Zak Vortex' has been amazing. I am so overwhelmed that people listen and buy my music, it really does mean the world to me. When people reach out to me to say they enjoyed one of my songs it makes my day, every time.
10- What advice would you give to someone that is just starting to get into music?
Practice, practice, practice!!! Malcolm Gladwell refers to the “10 000-hour rule,” in his book “Outliers: The Story of Success”. “The key to achieving true expertise in any skill is simply a matter of practicing, albeit in the correct way, for at least 10 000 hours.”
Zak just released a new single on December 10, 2021, called Neon Horizons (feat. Jamie Leeson) by Zak Vortex - DistroKid (click to listen)
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