Born in 1996, New Jersey native Jeremy Zucker had designs on becoming a doctor, until he realized he didn’t need a medical degree to mend broken hearts and soothe wounded souls. While studying molecular biology in the mid-2010s at Colorado College, Zucker formed the 3OAK label/collective with fellow musician friends Benjamin O. and Daniel James to release a series of DIY EPs that fused chilled tropical pop hooks with home-brewed hip-hop beats. As Zucker began to attract a sizable following on SoundCloud (leading to a deal with Republic Records), he reached out to another like-minded producer who had also found success on the platform, blackbear. Their subsequent collaboration, 2017’s “Talk Is Overrated,” heralded Zucker’s transformation from online sensation to IRL star, showcasing his increased prowess at folding aching emo-rap confessionals into atmospheric productions built from minimalist click beats and indie guitar textures. But a pair of 2018 hits—“all the kids are depressed” and “comethru”—saw Zucker drifting away from hip-hop to embrace his true calling as a sad-boy troubadour for the extremely online age. “We’re so obsessed with our phones,” Zucker tells Apple Music. “Everybody’s lonely at this point, and [‘comethru’] is really just vocalizing that in a way that makes you feel like you’re not alone in being lonely.” Global success has seemingly only intensified Zucker’s desire for intimate connection: His 2020 full-length debut, love is not dying, further entrenched a fondness for sweet, soulful serenades and laidback indie-pop affirmations that are geared as much to the campfire as the club.