Zay9ine is a Jersey-born, Atlanta-based R&B and Hip-Hop artist whose sound is nothing short of addictive and lyrically complex. In the track “Roll On,” off his 2025 album Capital Z, he says, “Told my brothers hold the Clipse but don’t show no Malice,” which is a shout-out to his Hip-Hop inspiration and a subtle showcase of how his pen writes: sophisticated and definitely going over most people’s heads.
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I met Zay9ine on the 27th of December 2025 at a friend's pre-birthday shindig. I only knew a single person there, and I kind of sat with the shyness that comes with meeting new people for a little while before I caught the vibe. There's nothing that gets me more excited than a space where people know exactly what to do with a Spotify queue. Now, in true artist fashion, one of Zay9ine’s tracks landed on the playlist, and that sparked my curiosity. He didn’t know it then, but I’m assuming he knows it now: he gained not only a friend but a lifelong fan. I mean, there's a reason why he’s our first feature.
Over the next few weeks, I truly got to immerse myself in his artistry, and the most notable experience for me was attending his Capital Z listening party in January. As someone who had been yearning to be a part of a creative community, this night was all I needed and more. Whilst getting ready to chat with him for Aruwaa, I knew I had to take us back to that night.
My experience at the listening party was a two-way street. As an audience member, I was just happy to be there. The musicality of it all was so exciting, and I couldn’t help but sing along to what I’d caught on to. As an artist and community builder, I was in awe of the people you had around you, from the artists on the line-up to the owners of the venue and the audience members. There was no doubt that everyone cared about the show as much as you did. That mutualistic environment is always so enthralling for me, and I’m curious as to what it was like for you, being on the other side of it all and bringing that night to fruition.
The listening party was extremely refuelling for my drive to keep making music. I only had about two to three weeks to prepare for it in terms of promoting it and getting the word out there, and the space was not necessarily catered towards live performances, so we had to figure out how to curate it in order to get the most optimal results. Despite all that, I am so grateful that the owners were gracious enough to let me use the space. They support me in ways that are ridiculous. There was so much love in the room. My closest friends, my siblings, and people who I did not expect to show up came through. It was extremely surreal, and I honestly didn’t think I could pull off something like that until I was in it, especially because it was my first full set.
Honestly, the feeling you get from putting on a successful show and having people sing along to your music is unmatched, and you definitely deserved that outcome. Have you been able to do more full sets since, and did the experience feel the same or better?
Yes, last month. It felt different in the sense that I was going into it more seasoned and confident. The things that I learned from the listening party definitely prepared me to give a much better performance.
Have you performed with a full live band, and are you looking to have one for your next full set?
In 2022, some of my friends and I went up to Indiana and were fortunate enough to do a YouTube Live performance with a full live band. I was not a polished artist, but we spent the nights rehearsing and preparing, which was a great yet humbling experience. The musicality aspect was irreplaceable. I would love to spin back to it, sit down and rehearse, and put on a full show where we all know the music and are in sync. When you have a band, each member has people who support them individually, and if we collectively share space, I think it's a great way to collaborate. It’s a very pure way of performing.
You are part of a collective called OvaYaHead. Tell me a little about y’all.
OvaYaHead is Nel’s baby (Nel is an Atlanta based artist and a member of OvaYaHead). It was born from us wanting something to call ourselves since we collaborate so much and have been doing so for the longest. It’s a double entendre: the sky is over your head; the sky is the limit. The other side of it speaks to our lyrical abilities, and one thing about being a great lyricist is writing stuff that goes over people’s heads. Your bars need to go over people’s heads.
What does a healthy creative community ecosystem mean to you, and how important is it for you to be a part of one?
It means a lot to me because I was born into one, and every last one of my siblings was, too. I grew up with Nel, and I've been doing this music thing with the closest people I have. The community is synonymous with the progression of the music. It’s optimum support. I believe in what they do, and they believe in what I do. There's always strength in numbers, and with this, everybody grows.
During a conversation we had not too long ago, you mentioned to me that a friend once told you that you convey more emotion when you perform R&B as opposed to rap music. How did you get into making both?
I started making music in general because I had a friend during my freshman year who had a makeshift studio set up at his father’s house, and a group of us would go over and make music for fun. I ended up getting into rap, which was not necessarily the main genre I listened to, but it was fun to do and resonated with me at the time. Eventually, I decided that if I was going to do it for real, I needed to shape it into a sound that I would listen to if I were the listener instead of the artist. That's what got me into creating the music that I make now: lyrical rap, R&B, and fusing the two.
Do you prefer one over the other, and what feeds either portrayal of your music?
Honestly, I’m both. I don’t think I’ll ever box myself into a category. I could even pop out with a pop song one of these days. Life circumstances and emotional aspects feed my lyrics; the genre just comes about randomly. I’m from New Jersey, got raised in Metro Atlanta, I could do sounds from either palace or both, I could make a pop ballad and still be as good.I love the RnB stuff that I do but currently the pen is leaking rap music and I’m not trying to control it.
I love that, and I’m not gonna sit here and pretend that I wouldn’t love to bear witness to your pop era. It would be a cool way to diversify your repertoire and probably take your musical journey to new horizons. But while we're still within this current journey, in what ways do you feel as though your human experience has been reshaped thus far?
It’s exposed me to great connections and has been a great form of self-expression and release. It’s changed how I see the world, and I’ve learnt that people can show up for you in ways you least expect. That’s given me the chance to see the world a little differently and more positively.
Being a creative in Atlanta must be such an enthralling experience. What has it been like for you?
It's honestly ups and downs. I’ve had to look at it from two perspectives to find the best of what it has to offer. ATL is both opportunistic and oversaturated. They feed into each other. There's always gonna be opportunities to show yourself, but there's also gonna be a million and one people who want the same opportunity, and they may not all be good either. It’s a cycle, and sometimes the opportunities may be predatory in the sense that they’re trying to gain something from the artist and their networks and are not always honest about it. For example, you have to bring a certain number of people, each paying a certain amount of money, in order to perform. Sometimes, if you don't have people to pop out for you like that, then you’ve lost the opportunity to show yourself.
Oh yes, I’ve seen that…
Sometimes it might be good, but with opportunities like that, it’s less likely that the place is somewhere people go because talent is gonna be there. It’s more of a showcase that brings in money. Opportunities that lean more towards actually finding and building talent won't look like that.
Sometimes we have to go through that to understand the industry a little, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily right. ATL is full of dreamers but there has to be better ways to make dreams come true
I know you're just about to go to the studio, before I let you go. How do you get yourself prepared for a session?
I generally go to the studio with a beat and a written song so that I can fully maximise every minute I’m in there. Studio time ain’t cheap in Atlanta because everyone wants studio time. High demand, high price. Depending on the intricacy of what I’m trying to put together It might take me less or more time in the Studio but I try my best to do at least two songs in an hour
Efficient, I respect it. Thank you so much for chatting with me. It’s only fair that I end this with one of your most recent tracks.