Premiere: East Atlanta Musician Andy Zone Six Signals Go with “Green Flags”

Arts

Oct 26

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As a Libra sun who intuitively felt a call towards balance before even understanding it, Andy Zone Six has always been attune to the nuances of his inner and outer worlds. “Being able to flex with the ebb and flow of our minds is the first step to moving through life with grace,” the East Atlanta artist tells WUSSY. “I have days I long to be surrounded by energy and laughter, contrasted by days where I don't even speak. Each provides something necessary.”

"Green Flags" is a cooling call to equilibrium, tipping the scale with charm for an uncertain romantic narrative. The lyrical lush ushers in a calm with hopes for a favorable outcome, met with an attitude of smooth assurance amid Andy Z6’s superb chill beats and new R&B style. Writing “Green Flags” was additionally an important stepping stone in Andy’s journey towards surrender. “I had to accept that I've not made it easy for people to connect with me in the past (and present) by not making myself available,” he explains. “This song doesn't apologize for it; it just helps put things into perspective.”

The single is a fresh flora grown from a strange time-frame, a new work during the harrowing 2020 pandemic. Along with the majority of other performers in the States, Andy’s work has been affected, but isolation has also had some perks: “To be honest, it helped me to focus a bit more. Without social gatherings lined up, I was left to my own devices. I immediately knew I had to make use of the time that we had. Luckily, when I'm left with my thoughts I have an outlet, and I can create music myself. I know that many people don't have that opportunity to record since studios were closed, so I pushed myself to work even harder as an act of gratitude.”

Making a ritual with his distanced schedule, certain calendar days set aside for work and writing, phone on DND, still saw drawbacks. “A major part of my day to day was bumping shoulders at events, which came to a halt, but that wasn't nearly the most difficult blow to take,” Andy Z6 reveals. “I'm a very affectionate person and for most of 2020, hugs were completely taboo. In the beginning of the year, a majority of the music I wrote centered around lack of interaction and a lot of ‘you're so far away’ songs. I had to get them out in order to go deeper.

Part of Andy’s activity has been the continuance of connection through social media platforms. His recent live set was presented by Bask New York for their new Atlanta series included an endearing and candid conversation with Juliette Melody. Audiences received a sneak peak of “Green Flags” during the virtual performance along with another unreleased track, “A for Effort”.

Naturally, the upcoming album, due in 2021, contains Andy Z6’s corral of introspection, a key theme for his trajectory overall, but amplified. “I put focus on my journey in life and how it relates to and impacts those around me. There's songs about how it feels when I never answer the phone or texts. One about what it's like to date a badass romantic,” mused the ATLien artist. “I experimented a lot with live instrumentation and collaboration. The energy is very empowering because it's written solely and unapologetically from my perspective as a queer, black artist navigating an industry and even more-so a society that claws at my feet.”

In the emergence of COVID-19 and the brighter ignition of the ongoing BLM Movement, the world outside of the self continues to reckon with a deep rift of imbalance. Andy Z6 emphasizes the need to uplift Black womxn specifically: “Across the board, Black womxn in all sectors of society are being denied existence and economic autonomy. They are the most disenfranchised among us, therefore, they need the most support.” As we shift towards an uncertain future in an intense volatile time for this country and the world, Andy Z6 has continued with his intentions to nurture what keeps him going, channeling unease into his creative gift that is songwriting and storytelling. In this process, Andy Zone Six peels back layers and layers to his vulnerable self and discovers a root to his truth, imbuing his songs with a life-sustaining sensuality that keeps giving.

Follow Andy Z6 on Spotify, YouTube and Instagram. Read our previous interview for the single, “SAFE”.