Zedd facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zedd
Zedd in 2014
Background information
Birth name	Anton Zaslavski
Born	(1989-09-02) 2 September 1989 (age 35) Saratov, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (present-day Russia)
Origin	Kaiserslautern, Germany
Genres	EDM dance-pop
Occupation(s)	Record producer disc jockey
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Interscope Owsla Spinnin' Dim Mak

Anton Zaslavski (Russian: Антон Заславский; born 2 September 1989), known professionally as Zedd, is a German record producer and DJ. He grew up and started his music career in Kaiserslautern, Germany. His stage name, Zedd, comes from the English way of saying the letter "Z", which is the first letter of his last name.

Zedd became very famous with his 2012 song "Clarity" (featuring Foxes). This song reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. "Clarity" was the third song from his first album of the same name (2012). A special version of this album also had the song "Stay the Night" (featuring Hayley Williams), which was a top 20 hit in the US.

His second album, True Colors (2015), included another top 20 hit, "I Want You to Know" (featuring Selena Gomez). In 2017, his song "Stay" (with Alessia Cara) reached number seven on the charts. His 2018 song, "The Middle" (with Maren Morris and Grey) reached number five. Zedd also worked with Ariana Grande on her 2014 song "Break Free", which reached number four. He released his third album, Telos, on August 30, 2024.

Zedd's Early Life and Musical Start

Anton Zaslavski was born on September 2, 1989, in Saratov, Russia. His family moved to Dansenberg, Kaiserslautern, Germany, when he was three years old. Anton comes from a family of musicians. His father, Igor Zaslavski, is a guitarist and teacher, and his mother teaches piano.

Anton started playing the piano when he was four years old and drums at twelve. In 2002, he began playing for a German band called Dioramic. He became interested in making electronic music after hearing the album Cross by the French electronic group Justice.

Zedd's Music Journey Begins

Zedd logo

After leaving his band in 2010, Zedd won two remix contests. His first original song, "The Anthem", quickly became a top 20 hit on the Beatport Electro house chart.

He also created a remix of Skrillex's song "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites". Zedd has made remixes for many famous artists, including Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, the Black-Eyed Peas, Enhypen, Twice, Blackpink, and others. Zedd uses special computer programs and tools like Cubase to create his music.

In 2011, Zedd's remix of Lady Gaga's song "Born This Way" was featured on a special edition of her album. His single "Shave It Up" was released on Owsla records. Zedd later released "Slam the Door" and "Shotgun" before moving to a new label for his first album.

Zedd's Big Hits and Albums

Clarity Album Success (2012-2014)

Porter Robinson, Zedd, and Skrillex performing at SXSW in 2012

Zedd performing in Chicago in 2013

In 2012, Zedd joined Interscope Records. He released his first song with them, "Spectrum", which featured vocals by Matthew Koma. This song quickly reached the top of Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart. He also helped produce and write "Beauty and a Beat" for Justin Bieber's album, Believe.

On October 12, 2012, Zedd released his first studio album, Clarity. The song "Clarity", featuring British singer Foxes, became a huge hit. It reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over 2 million copies. It was also played more than any other song on American radio in September 2013. Zedd ended 2013 with his first world tour, selling out shows across five continents.

Zedd worked with Japanese singer Namie Amuro on her song "Heaven". He also produced songs like "Aura" and "G.U.Y." for Lady Gaga's 2013 album, Artpop. In 2014, he released "Find You" with Matthew Koma and Miriam Bryant, which was part of the soundtrack for the movie Divergent.

On July 3, 2014, Ariana Grande released "Break Free" with Zedd. This song reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.

True Colors and More Hits (2015-2016)

After a six-month break, Zedd announced his second album, True Colors. On February 23, 2015, he released "I Want You to Know" with Selena Gomez. This song was co-written by Zedd and Ryan Tedder. It reached number 1 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Songs chart and number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Zedd released his second single from the album, "Beautiful Now" featuring Jon Bellion, in May 2015. The album True Colors was released two days later. It reached number 1 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart. The third single, "Papercut", featured Troye Sivan. Zedd also performed at major music festivals like Coachella in 2016.

On February 26, 2016, Zedd released "Candyman" with Aloe Blacc. Later that year, singer Hailee Steinfeld and producer duo Grey released "Starving" featuring Zedd, which was a big hit in the US and UK. Zedd also worked with Riot Games for the 2016 League of Legends eSports championship, creating the song "Ignite".

Recent Collaborations and Singles (2017-2023)

Zedd performing at the 2017 VELD Music Festival

In 2017, Zedd organized a benefit concert to support the American Civil Liberties Union. Many artists like Daya, Halsey, and Skrillex performed. On February 23, 2017, Zedd released "Stay" with Alessia Cara, which became a top hit. He then released "Get Low" with Liam Payne in July 2017.

On January 23, 2018, Zedd released "The Middle" with Maren Morris and Grey. This song reached number 1 on the Billboard Pop Songs radio chart and number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Billboard magazine named Zedd as one of the top dance musicians in 2018.

Zedd created a song called "One Strange Rock" for the National Geographic documentary series of the same name. In July 2018, he released "Happy Now" with Elley Duhé. He also remixed Shawn Mendes' song "Lost in Japan" in September 2018. They performed this song together at the American Music Awards and the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

In 2019, Zedd released "365" with Katy Perry. He performed at Coachella, bringing out Katy Perry, Alessia Cara, and Maren Morris. Katy Perry's song "Never Really Over" also featured Zedd as a producer and songwriter. In September 2019, Zedd released "Good Thing" with Kehlani.

In October 2019, Zedd mentioned that he was banned from performing live in China due to liking a tweet related to a TV show that had been banned there. However, his music is still available in the country.

In 2020, Zedd released "Funny" with Jasmine Thompson and "Inside Out" with Griff. In 2021, Zedd started a music residency at the Zouk nightclub in Las Vegas. He also collaborated with the game Valorant to create special weapon skins with unique sound effects. In 2022, Zedd released "You've Got to Let Go If You Want to Be Free" with the electronic duo Disclosure. He also became a "Global Brand Ambassador" for the computer company HyperX.

Telos Album and Recent Projects (2024-Present)

Nine years after True Colors, Zedd announced his third album, Telos, which came out on August 30, 2024. He also announced the Telos Tour to go with the album. The first song from the album was "Out of Time", featuring Bea Miller.

In September 2024, Zedd performed "No Gravity" with Bava (musician) in Los Angeles. Zedd also worked with Japanese artists for the anime series Dragon Ball Daima. He composed the opening theme song, "Jaka Jaan", and performs the ending theme, "Nakama", with Japanese-American singer Ai.

Zedd's Personal Life

Zedd is a big fan of the German football club 1. FC Kaiserslautern. He can speak Russian, German, and English, and knows some basic French.

Zedd's Music Albums

• Clarity (2012)
• True Colors (2015)
• Telos (2024)

Awards and Nominations

American Music Awards

APRA Music Awards

Billboard Music Awards

DJ Awards

Grammy Awards

iHeartRadio Music Awards

iHeartRadio Titanium Awards

iHeartRadio Titanium Awards are given when a song reaches 1 Billion plays on iHeartRadio Stations.

MTV Europe Music Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

Much Music Video Awards

Radio Disney Music Awards

Teen Choice Awards

Zedd's Tours and Concerts

Headlining Tours

• Moment of Clarity Tour (2013)
• True Colors Tour (2015)
• Echo Tour (2017–2018)
• Orbit Tour (2019)
• Palm Tree Festival Hawaii (2024)
• Telos Tour (2024)

Las Vegas Residency

• Hakkasan Nightclub in Las Vegas (2017-2021)
• OMNIA Nightclub in Las Vegas (2017–2021)
• Wet Republic in Las Vegas (2017–2021)
• Zouk Nightclub in Las Vegas (2021–Present)

Supporting Tours

• Meowingtons Hax Tour (Deadmau5, 2011)
• Born This Way Ball (Lady Gaga, 2012, Asia Leg)
• Witness: The Tour (Katy Perry, 2018, Brisbane, Sydney, and Auckland)

Guest Appearances

• Linkin Park and Friends – Celebrate Life in Honor of Chester Bennington (2017) – played drums on "Crawling"

Images for kids

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  Porter Robinson, Zedd, and Skrillex performing at SXSW on 16 March 2012

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  Zedd at 2013 Moment of Clarity World Tour at the Aragon, Chicago

See also

In Spanish: Zedd para niños