Grammy-winning artist Zedd sounds the alarm on the modern music industry. He finds it “depressing” to see talented musicians forced to chase viral trends on platforms like TikTok instead of focusing on their craft. In response, he champions a return to artistry, a philosophy embodied in his ambitious 2024 album, Telos.
The Algorithm Problem
Zedd’s main issue is with a music culture that values metrics over music. He finds it heartbreaking to see “amazing musicians that spend their day recording Tik Toks,” feeling they are “so much better than chasing an algorithm.” While he sympathizes with the financial pressure artists face, he believes the system is fundamentally flawed. He argues this “regression to the mean” forces everyone to make music that pleases the algorithm, stifling originality and turning art into disposable content. 1
Telos: The Artistic Answer
Zedd’s album Telos was his direct rebellion against this trend. “I’m going to make a record for myself,” he declared. “It’s not going to be for the streams. It’s most certainly not going to be for the algorithms.” Inspired by classic albums, Telos was designed as a cohesive journey to be heard from start to finish, using connected song structures and complex arrangements—a stark contrast to the playlist-like nature of many modern albums. The intense process led to burnout, reinforcing his belief that health had to come before work, but he remained incredibly proud of the final piece. 2
Art, Emotion, and Connection
Zedd’s creative philosophy is simple: emotion comes first. He starts by improvising on a piano until he plays something that makes him “feel something,” and then builds the song from that emotional core. He wants to create music that is an experience in itself, not just background noise for a video. The ultimate fulfillment of this process is the live show, which he describes as a “spiritual experience” where a crowd of strangers connects and moves “in unison,” creating a powerful, shared human moment that algorithms can’t replicate. 3
The Fan Debate
Zedd’s artistic journey sparks a lively debate among his fans. As he shifted towards mainstream pop with massive hits like “The Middle,” some of his early followers accused him of “selling out.” Conversely, when he released his deeply artistic album Telos, the reaction was split. Many hailed it as a brilliant return to form, while others found it “pretentious.” This highlights a key paradox: the commercial success that some fans criticized was what gave him the freedom to create the art that other fans celebrated.
The Artist’s Dilemma
Zedd’s story captures the core conflict for artists today: the battle between deep artistry and shallow metrics. He is both a critic of the system and one of its most successful products. Through it all, his message remains clear, offering a guiding principle for other creators: “Being different and being yourself still prevails, and is the most important thing in making any sort of art.”
- https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/10/22/zedd-feature-science-center-clarity-telos/ ↩︎
- https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-zedd ↩︎
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XZ5iFqpNUA ↩︎
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- It's a valid point. the pressure on artists to go viral on TikTok must be intense, especially for up-and-comers. But i wonder if completely ignoring the app is realistic in today's music industry? "Telos" sounds like an intresting project tho.
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