In our interview with Zight, the Hong Kong-based producer recounts the creation of his motivational track and music video for ‘Everybody Keep Running’, his recent releases, and playing as a cold-blooded (virtual) assassin in his spare time.
Since his breakout single ‘Fly Away’ in January, Zight returned with an uplifting EDM track near September with ‘Everybody Keep Running’, a positive-laden track that teaches listeners to keep trying in the face adversity.
Also read: Zight shares motivational single ‘Everybody Keep Running’
Featuring the vocals of Peter Forest, Zight has recruited South African runner Sibusiso ‘Sibu’ Madikizela to star in the single’s music video.
We caught up with the Hong Kong producer for his thoughts on the release as well as what’s been up to as of late.
AsiaLive365: Hey Zight, this is Nicky from AsiaLive365. How has this year been?
Zight: It was a really productive year. I’ve had my 2 shots of COVID vaccines which is important, guys!
Anyway, after releasing ‘Fly Away’ with Disney singer Sonna Rele, I started working on a few projects at the same time. One is a pop song with British-Bulgarian singer Oliviya Nicole, and a house track with American singer Adam Christopher. One word: productive.
AL365: Congratulations on your latest track and music video for ‘Everybody Keep Running’. How do you feel about the release so far?
Zight: Since the release date, I’ve gotten so, so much positive feedback on SoundCloud and YouTube. Honestly, it was beyond my expectations. Thanks to everyone who left their thoughts.
No matter if you think it’s an inspiring track, or just some cliche bullshit, let me know your opinions.
AL365: Where does this song rank among your productions?
Zight: I’d say its #3, bronze medal. This year I kept learning new tricks and methods to enhance my production skills, so I’m pretty confident that the two upcoming singles are even better embodiments of my concepts than this one.
AL365: The uplifting song was written with the Olympics in mind?
Zight: No, I came up with the ideas for ‘Everybody Keep Running’ in autumn of last year, when I was running 3 miles a day. I saw some YouTube videos where they said it’s good for the blood flow in your brain. I composed and wrote the whole song not in front of my DAW (digital audio workstation), but on the sidewalk and running tracks.
Actually, I pretended my heartbeats were the drum kit, one and two and one and two, BPM 130. The melodies and lyrics just started flowing out of my head.
AL365: The song does inspire you to keep running. Were you going through challenges this year?
Zight: I wouldn’t say they were challenges. As a new musician, I started to collaborate with different singers and other producers, and I also a few short film directors. It was a pretty fascinating process solving problems, working with different people all over the world.
AL365: Peter Forest brought the song to life with his singing talent. How did you meet him and what was the moment you knew he had to be in it?
Zight: Oh, you have to listen to Peter’s YouTube cover of Sia’s ‘Chandelier’. Yeah, I know you’re thinking “keep running” and dancing like a doll in an empty house are two hella different things. But honestly, that was the instinctive moment when I knew Peter was the right singer for this song.
AL365: The music video features athlete Sibusiso Madikizela running across the province of West Cape. How did you meet him for the creation of this short film?
Zight: That day I was browsing videos on the internet, just aimlessly, looking for ideas for the music video. And then I remember I saw a video of a man running on the highway in a safari park. A sportswear advertisement maybe. It was epic. So I searched for the athlete’s name and came up with his Facebook page.
After a few days, I politely asked Sibusiso, “Can you be the runner in my music video?” A few hours later he answered “Yes.” A big yes. He’s a super friendly and humble person. It was a huge pleasure that he joined the video for ‘Everybody Keep Running’ and I just want to say thank you to him again and again.
AL365: Who would you say are your biggest inspirations?
Zight: I was influenced by tons of music producers, like Martin Garrix, Alan Walker, Kygo, Zedd. There is no “biggest” for me, because every one of them nurtured different sides and aspects of my music.
AL365: What do you do when you aren’t producing music?
Zight: I’m a cold-blooded assassin. Kidding. I’ve been addicted to a video game called Hitman recently. So yeah, besides running 3 miles a day, I’m killing targets all over the world. Cold-blooded.
