the story
Zachary Aaron Klein, also known by his initials, ZAK, is an RnB/ Urban Pop Artist from the San Francisco Bay Area. He was born on May 2nd, 1994 in New York and Grew up in Menlo Park, California.
early years
On May 2nd 1994, Zak was born in New York City. The medical term “congenital complex syndactyly” was never something his parents never thought of or even thought of, but on the day Zak was born, it was hard to miss. Zak’s fingers were webbed together on his right hand, and it would require 3 surgeries to allow his hand to operate functionally, before leaving him with just 3 fingers. The incident inspired his former stage name “Proph3cY”.
“I used to jam out with my brother on the ukulele. This is long before I picked up guitar. In middle school, I was in the band for a little bit and I started to play the trumpet because I loved jazz and it was easy for my hand as well, but luckily from a young age I found I could always strum strings too. That definitely made me feel more capable. I think proving to yourself that you can use your body well, and doing things you thought your couldn’t is extremely important- disability or not. Playing guitar, football, kayaking, basketball- it doesn’t matter, just prove to yourself that you’re more than capable. To anyone out there with any kind of disability, you have to prove to yourself that you’re a capable human being. If not with your body, then with your mind and spirit”
High School- Present
At 15, Klein’s older brother showed him various different House Artists that eventually inspired him to produce his own music, starting off with Mashups and EDM. These productions quickly evolved into hip-hop once he discovered his true love for writing lyrics. That same year he placed Top 5 as a finalist in the Great American Song Competition for his song “3 Digits”, discussing his hand from the moment he was born, and how it’s impacted his ability to face certain realities growing up as a child. The competition featured over 10,000 entries from amateur songwriters around the world. He placed finals once again the following year for his hit song titled “The Interview.”
Realizing his passion for MC’ing and producing Hip Hop instrumentals, he continued producing his own music in his dorm room closet. After finishing his freshman year at Chico State, Klein spent the 2013 summer in Los Angeles where he assembled the rest of his first all Hip- Hop compilation titled “9 Months,” a 12-song mix tape discussing college experiences, emerging self- identity, and life endeavors. He would eventually return to LA in 2016, where he currently lives now.
Heavily influenced by artists such as Amy Winehouse, Allen Stone, J.Cole, Jon Mayer, Andre 3000, Biggie, Anderson .Paak, etc., Zak has combined many different styles and attributes to create his own unique sound.
“Life is no better than the quality of person you allow yourself to become. I’m grateful to see who I’ve become. It requires relentlessly pushing forward to love yourself “.
