Zahir (he/him) is a Washington, D.C.-born artist, director, and musician. Growing up playing piano, trumpet, and multiple percussion instruments, he developed an early affinity for music before beginning his career as a visual director. His early work includes commercials for Ray-Ban, his musical short film Unusual, and his first international campaign with LIDS and rapper IDK.
Since then, he has met and learned from major influences such as IDK, Joey Bada$$, Saba, and Baby Keem, among others, many of whom have since become active collaborators in his creative world. His debut single, Unusual (2023), was featured on COLORS' Weekly Releases and praised by EARTHGANG, while its accompanying visual earned co-signs from MAVI, monte booker, and others. His debut album, What If the Blind Woman Saved Him (2025), has accumulated over 2.3 million Spotify streams and received recognition from Billboard and Black Enterprise.
Now, Zahir returns with Happy Weight, a deeply personal sophomore album blending alternative rap, soft yacht rock, and heartbreak. Arriving in January 2027, the project marks his most ambitious work to date and his first fully realized artistic statement.
Q1How do you keep the artist in you nourished between projects?
I think the biggest thing I've learned about keeping the artist in me nourished is going back out to live. Exploring, traveling, meeting people. Giving myself time away from purposefully making things just to experience what life has to offer. Between my first album in 2025 and my upcoming sophomore release in 2027, I did so much living. Journaling, writing new words, reading new books, watching new films, touching grass. Crying, laughing, loving, losing. Having that oasis of expression that is simply living nourishes my inner artist so much. By the time I'm ready to speak, I'm fresh, I'm full, and I'm fully present.
Q2What's one place outside of music that consistently inspires the way you create?
Outside of music, I love film and architecture. Those two worlds consistently inspire my music and coexist within my artistic universe. They influence how I see things, how I tell stories, how I put clothes together, and how I build worlds for my music to live in. I genuinely study these subjects, read about them, and go down rabbit holes exploring my favorite artists within both disciplines. They shape everything I make.
Having that oasis of expression that is simply living nourishes my inner artist so much.
Q3Where does surprise still exist in your practice?
There are so many ways to answer this. Broadly speaking, there's always surprise in each new year of life. As a recently turned 24-year-old, I'm literally feeling my brain adapt, evolve, and mature every day. I feel differently about things just a few weeks later than I did before. My emotions are coalescing, it's becoming easier to make decisions, and my opinions about childhood traditions I once held dear are evolving as I become my own adult. It's enlightening—and definitely surprising. More specifically, having funding and backing for my upcoming release has brought an entirely new set of surprises. It's great to have a marketing budget for a video, but it also means more people, more moving parts, more opinions, and more continuity to build as a team. Leading this journey has challenged me in ways I never expected, and I've genuinely enjoyed learning through it. Surprises are always a pleasure to experience.
Q4In the spirit of community and discovery, is there anyone whose work you'd like to nominate for Field Notes?
I have a few nominees. In the film space, Sundiata Enuke is my director across all of the visuals for my upcoming album, Happy Weight, and she's absolutely incredible. I'm so excited for her to get her flowers. In the music space, I'd vouch for an artist named Cozy. He makes such soft, heartwarming music, but beyond that, he's a deeply thoughtful person who's also a lover of film and an accomplished photographer. The way he connects with people is inspiring every time I come across him.
Follow the Journey
Zahir is documenting the road to Happy Weight from start to finish. Join the journey below for behind-the-scenes updates, new music, films, and everything leading up to album release day.
Newsletter:https://mailchi.mp/zaverbs/welcome-to-happyweight-usa
Photos courtesy of Shaughn Cooper, with additional images courtesy of Zahir.
