One-on-One with Trans Artist and Mashville Member Ari Zizzo

Earlier this year, pop collective Mashville released their debut single and video “Rise Up,” a dance anthem embodying their mission to create positive social change through music. One of the group’s members, trans artist Ari Zizzo, recently dropped a remix of the track.

The official music video for “Rise Up” features a strong narrative dealing with Zizzo’s identity and sense of self. His music is inspired by fierce love and gutting heartbreak, and his greatest strength is his admirable ability, as an artist, to empathize with and relate to others, no matter how different their experiences might be. He’s a self-taught singer-songwriter with a penchant for pop and has so much to offer to this world.

In addition to Zizzo, the Mashville collective includes rising singers Jada Arnell, Caleb Minter, Nova Chez, and Sian Michelle. Each member brings a powerful voice and unique musical perspective to the group.

Zizzo took some time to talk more about “Rise Up,” Mashville, and his artistry with OFM.

Can you begin by telling us more about the remix of Mashville’s debut single “Rise Up?”

Mashville, as a whole, is very much centered around promoting positivity, and I think “Rise Up” felt like the most appropriate initial anthem to put out. It’s all about rising above adversity or challenges that we might face in our lives and always feeling like we’re up to the challenge of rising up to those things. I recently did a TikTok called “My Rise Up Moment” and talked about a moment in my life where I felt like I had to rise above something.

It was very interesting to think about because I’ve experienced so many different things in my life, and it was nice to be able to look back and reflect on all the times I thought that I wouldn’t be able to get through something but was able to in the end. I think the song also reminds us that we’re always going to be faced with difficult situations, but at the same time, we will always have that power to rise above whatever comes our way.

The original track came out two months ago. What inspired you to do a remix?

That’s a good question. Marc Benjamin, the guy who started Mashville, this is his baby, and I cannot tell you how much I love this man. He’s been an unbelievable support for me and an incredible friend. He fell in love with stuff that I’ve produced in the past. I’m a huge, huge EDM fan, and when we were in the beginning phases of going through auditions and getting to know each other, he sent me a song that was incomplete and was like, “Hey, feel free to do your thing with this.” When I listened to it, I immediately heard a progressive house sound, so I decided to produce an entire remix of that song.

He and Val, one of the other producers, were blown away by it, and I think when “Rise Up” came out, they remembered what I did with the other song and were like, “Do you want to take a crack at doing a remix for this? I jumped on the chance, and I made that remix in like one day (laughs). I had that little inspiration bug, and it just came right out of me. It was so much fun to make. So, I definitely believe my previous work led to me having this opportunity.

How did you initially get involved with Mashville, and can you talk more about the group’s mission to emphasize social change activism and positive messaging?

At the beginning of the year, I was introduced to an awesome woman named Noreen, and she hosts these events in LA called Pop Hangs. Every month, she and two other women, one of them is named Audrey, who is involved with Mashville, they basically invite a handful of young singer-songwriters, artists, producers, and even managers to come and hang out in their backyard to network and socialize. They set up a pair of speakers, and people are welcome to play bits of their music for everybody. So, it’s a chance for everyone to hear what they’re working on and vibe.

I’ve made some amazing connections through there, and Noreen messaged me one day saying Audrey was working on a brand-new project called Mashville, and she was interested in interviewing and potentially auditioning me. We had a great initial interview, and then I auditioned for them over Zoom. I am a recovering alcoholic and addict, so I played a country song I wrote about my struggle with drinking and watching my friends relapse called “The Bottom Ain’t Deep Enough.” I’m probably going to put that out either with Mashville or on my own next year. That’s pretty much how it started.

When I was asked to join, I wanted to make it a point to say that I wanted to be involved with the writing of a lot of these songs. That has now become a much bigger focus in Mashville that we’re working on. Getting myself and other artists to write these songs, because I think it’ll really lift the project and give us a chance to express ourselves and have a voice. We’ve each dealt with some very challenging things in our lives, and through music and this platform, it’ll be a great chance for people to be able to hear stuff that’s relatable, and hopefully helpful.

What issues do you hope to touch on more?

I want to touch on various issues. I would like to write a lot about being trans and queer, what it’s been like, and what it’s like now. I also want to talk about addiction. It’s still such a taboo and misunderstood subject, and I think so many young people face and deal with it, even if they don’t realize it.

“Rise Up” features a very strong narrative dealing with your identity and sense of self. How meaningful was that for you?

Very. I think it’s a great first representation of what we’re about. Production-wise, it’s a catchy, fun tune, but its message is very much about loving yourself. I’ve struggled with that my entire life, and I think we all have in our own ways. The most complicated relationship I’ve ever had is the one I have with myself, and it has changed so much throughout my life. It’s been incredibly confusing, hard, and amazing at the same time. I think listening to “Rise Up” kind of gives you this sense of power, especially on days where you don’t feel connected to yourself, you don’t feel like you love yourself, or you’re going through something that you don’t think you can get through.

Have you always had a passion for music, singing, and songwriting?

I’ve been a singer-songwriter pretty much my entire life. Both my parents are songwriters, and my dad is a record producer. My mom is also a vocal coach. They’ve always been incredibly supportive of me, and I am beyond grateful for that. When I was a little kid, like 3 or 4 years old, I began teaching myself things, so music has been a massive piece of who I am. I came out as transgender when I was 14, and music played a huge, huge role in getting me through a lot of those difficult times when I was young and didn’t know how to process what was going on inside of me.

Writing songs gave me the opportunity to have a voice that I felt I couldn’t have just by speaking to people, and I was able to really put into words what it felt like to feel completely trapped inside myself and terrified of what people would think of me. This was in 2010, so I didn’t really know the language to use to describe myself. I thought I was just this crazy, weird mistake, but thankfully, my mom came around and my dad was supportive. I think a lot of that came from the fact that I was willing to be open and vulnerable about what I was going through and who I was, and a lot of that came through my music.

What do you ultimately hope listeners take away from your music?

I want people to feel seen and heard. That they’re not alone and they don’t have to do anything in their life alone. I remember being a kid and hearing the song “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls, and the chorus: “And I don’t want the world to see me, cause I don’t think that they’d understand. When everything’s made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am.” I was like, that’s me! That song has nothing to do about being trans, but it could be! With my songs, I try to come from a personal place where I know what I want the song to mean to me, but I want it to have a general message that someone can take and apply to their own situation.

I want them to feel like they exist and know that they’re going to be OK, or at least know that they aren’t alone in the world. Feeling alone in anything you’re going through is the scariest and most awful thing. No one deserves to feel that way, and I want to put out songs that are relatable to people, no matter what they’re going through. Songs that resonate with them and make them feel something. Whether it be getting in their feels and thinking about the hard shit, or something that elevates them and makes them feel motivated, captivated, and excited. Kind of like what “Rise Up” does.

I just want to help people. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do in my life. I felt very alone going through my transition, and I was pretty much the only trans person I knew for years. I got through it, and I think I turned out OK (laughs). I honestly wouldn’t wish half of the things that I went through on my worst enemy. If I can prevent people from feeling the way I did inside my own skin through a song, then I think I’m doing my job here on this earth, and that’s all I want to do. I’ve always wanted to be a voice for any community and help people get in touch with themselves through my music.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?

I have a single coming out that I co-produced with this awesome guy named Billy Garrity called “Get Better.” It’s a breakup song. I went through a very, very hard breakup this year with my girlfriend of almost five years. She really hurt me, so I wrote a song about it. It’s a classic pop breakup jam, but I’m really, really excited about it. People that I’ve played it for love it.

Then I have a couple other singles lined up that I’m excited about as well. All stuff that I’ve produced, written, and performed myself, and I also have a 12-song dance EDM album that I’m going to be releasing on Spotify very soon. I’m excited to put that out because it shows another side to me that I’m very passionate about, which is my love of dance music. So, a lot of stuff in the works!

Stay up-to-date and connect with Zizzo by following him on Instagram, TikTok, and Spotify @arizizzo, or visit his official website, arizizzo.com. Connect with Mashville on Instagram, TikTok, and Spotfiy @mashvilleusa, or visit mashvilleusa.com.

Photos courtesy of social media