The Middle

1 Song, 3 Minutes

EDITORS’ NOTES

One of country’s brightest stars dives headfirst into synth-pop.

EDITORS’ NOTES

One of country’s brightest stars dives headfirst into synth-pop.

	TITLE		TIME
	The Middle		3:04

About Zedd

Born Anton Zaslavski in southwest Germany, Grammy-winning electronic producer Zedd broke onto the European dance scene in 2010 with a remix of Skrillex's "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites." Though known for his glitch, pulsing production, Zedd's musical journey began in the acoustic realm. Raised in a musical family, the future producer cut his teeth on the piano at four years old and eventually moved on to drums and played in a rock band before being drawn into the digital world in 2009. Zedd built a name for himself with his remixes of artists like Lady Gaga, B.o.B, and Armand Van Helden while also releasing his own singles and EPs.

In late 2012, the young producer delivered his first full-length, the club-worthy Clarity, whose lead single, "Spectrum," shot to the top of the U.S. dance chart. One of the follow-ups, "Stay the Night," featuring Hayley Williams, reached number two on the British pop charts. The title track, featuring British pop singer Foxes on vocals, won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording in 2014. That same year, Zedd scored another hit with Ariana Grande's track "Break Free."

In 2015 he released his sophomore LP, True Colors, which presented more diversity with genres like rock and rap as influences. The collection featured Selena Gomez, Troye Sivan, and Logic among its guests, and topped the Billboard dance/electronic chart. An international tour in support of the album followed. In 2017, he issued the single "Stay," featuring Canadian singer Alessia Cara on vocals. The following year, he paired with country sensation Maren Morris for the single "The Middle," which topped Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. ~ Gregory Heaney & Neil Z. Yeung