Landyn Zane is a prolific singer songwriter with an interesting twist on releasing his latest album. You can access Died on the Vine now. The new single Strange Love is releasing April 17.
Please tell us about yourself and music.
I was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and for as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a writer and entertainer. I felt incredibly isolated and lost for the majority of my adolescence, and coped by writing stories, creating characters, and dreaming wild fantasies in my head of a completely different life. When I was in high school, I discovered songwriting. Before then, I wanted to be a screenwriter and film director, but I learned movies took forever to make, and I had to give up control over my vision. I realized that music wasn’t like that at all. I could sit and write a song in minutes and then make the beat on my laptop all by myself, in complete control. After that, I became obsessed with music. Around that time, I discovered Elton John and Billy Joel, and found that the “high” of writing a song was far better than anything I’d ever felt writing short stories and scripts. When I graduated high school, I moved to Texas and kept working on music in my free time when I went to college. I learned more about production, music theory, and taught myself the instruments and music fundamentals I heard on the records I loved. Eventually, in May of 2022, I released my first single, a cover of Elton John’s song “Harmony,” and six weeks later put out my first EP, “Atlas I.” In the four years since, I’ve put out three more EPs and numerous other standalone singles, totaling over 35 original songs, all made entirely by me. In that time, I’ve learned to blend Billy Joel’s songwriting, Prince’s synthpop and funk, and the theatrics of David Bowie, all filtered through my idol of all idols, Elton John. My goal as a pop artist is to bring back the daring experimentation, theatrics, and fun of those I idolize from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, which I think so much of modern pop (particularly male pop) is missing. I want to do all that while raising awareness for mental health and building a community of fans that wants to put more love into the world.
You have created so much since launching in 2022. Are you disciplined about working on songs or do they come to you without prompting?
This is a hard question for me because the moment they started teaching me letters and sentences in kindergarten, I’ve loved writing. By the time I was a teenager, I’d already spent well over 10,000 hours writing, and now at 23, it’s become a part of my everyday life. Most days I sit down and write something, and when I really have something to say and write about, it usually flows out of me. When I’m finishing songs, I pore over every word, syllable, and emotion being reflected in the lyric. That’s the editor in me. But I’ve tried to train the writer in me to be open at all times, able to take in inspiration and ideas from everyone and everything. It’s taken me almost two decades to learn to do that, and I’m still far from where I want to be as a writer.
Died on the Vine is a single from your upcoming 5th EP. I love the movie-inspired release plan, can you tell us more about it?
The initial idea for the movie-inspired rollout for “Died on the Vine”, and my new single “Strange Love,” releasing April 17th, came from the question I ask myself often: How can I push myself even further than before and become an even better creative? I don’t have a huge marketing budget, so I decided to design individual movie posters for each song on my next EP myself. It really took hold when I designed the ticket stub postcards. I hand-numbered and signed them all, sending over 500 of them to my fans across the globe for Died on the Vine’s release, and am sending even more of them for Strange Love’s release. Though my budget is incredibly limited, I want my fans to be able to feel like there’s a world they can step into when they listen to my music, and the posters and postcards are the perfect way to do that. Selfishly, I love that I get to create these fake movie posters and taglines for each song. Before I found songwriting and music, my original plan was to become a screenwriter and director, so it feels full circle that I get to design these even though I’m in music now.
You are involved in every aspect of your career (singing, writing, producing, mastering, etc.). How did you first get interested in music? And when did you decide to be all in for music as a career?
My interest in music, beyond writing itself, started when I was in high school. I saw La La Land, my favorite movie of all time, and simultaneously, I got into Elton John, my favorite artist of all time. The convergence of those two things started an obsession with music that has taken over my life, unlike anything before. But the moment I decided to go all in for music as a career was at the end of 2023. I had moved back to Iowa in the summer and felt completely lost. I enrolled in the University of Iowa to get my degree in psychology and started delivering pizzas at a part-time job, but I was miserable. Things felt more hopeless than at any other point in my life. I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to get the life I wanted from where I was at. Then, primarily as a joke, I started throwing around the idea of dropping everything and moving to LA to pursue music. About 6 months later, in January of 2024, I packed everything I owned into my car, had about two grand in my pocket, and was on my way to Los Angeles. I’d love to say that’s when things changed for me, but the truth is, the hardest part had only just begun. I ran out of money within weeks, and went without food for months. I’d eat once every day or two, splitting a single box of mac and cheese across multiple days. I did that for months, and slowly but surely, things began to change. I still had no money, but I started to see the light, and my dedication to chasing my dreams showed me how much I was willing to go through for it. That’s when I knew I’d let nothing stop me from becoming a pop star. Now, I’m entering the biggest phase of my career yet, starting with the release of my 5th EP.
Do you have any shows coming up in Minnesota? How can folks follow you?
I don’t currently have shows coming up in Minnesota, but folks can follow me on Instagram (@landynz4ne), TikTok (@landyn.zane), and YouTube (@landynzane), to keep up with everything I’m doing, including when I inevitably play in Minnesota. Plus, they can catch up on the 35+ songs I’ve released over the past four years on Spotify, Apple Music, and all other streaming services. Also, my new single “Strange Love” will be out April 17th, and if they’re interested in getting one of the signed postcards from me for the single’s release, they can DM “STRANGE” on Instagram or TikTok, and I’ll send them one!
Mostly Minnesota 