Who Is He
Anton Zaslavski (born September 2, 1989), better known by his stage name Zedd, is a Russian-German record producer, DJ, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. His stage name is derived from the first letter of his surname. He primarily produces and performs electro house music, but has diversified his genre and musical style, drawing influences from progressive house, dubstep, and classical music. Zedd grew up and began his career in Kaiserslautern, Germany.
Zedd's best-known productions to date are the songs "Stay" with Alessia Cara and "Clarity" featuring Foxes, both reaching the Top 10 respectively in two separate occasions which were in the 7th and 8th position on the Billboard Hot 100. Also as a featured artist, he managed to get into the 4th position with his collaboration with Ariana Grande called "Break Free". Zedd won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording at the 56th Grammy Awards for "Clarity”. In March 2018, Billboard named Zedd as number seven on their 2018 ranking of dance musicians titled Billboard Dance 100.
Zedd, American singer Maren Morris, and American musical duo Grey collaborated together to write and record "The Middle" – a song that reached the top ten of the charts in the US, the UK, and several other countries. Zedd said in a press release that they "worked really hard on this record to get it just right". He also opened up about the opportunity to work with both collaborators, stating that working with Morris was "super fun because she is clearly an amazing singer and very talented musician", and that he loves working with Grey because they strive to "make the best music possible". Morris added: "Zedd was so great to work with and so easy-going, it felt like we'd been working together for years. The sound is reflective of my many influences as an artist – a little bit country, little pop, little R&B, relatable, emotional and catchy as hell. There are no limits with this song and I can't wait to see how the fans react." She revealed in a statement that she recorded her vocal for the song with Zedd in Nashville "several weeks ago" before the song's release. Grey admitted that they faced a few obstacles during production, but they "kept fighting for it" because the song was special.
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