Fazi, aka FVZ, is a house and pop artist, DJ & Producer of Persian descent based in Toronto, Canada.
Born in Iran, Fazi was raised in a musical family. His mother sang, his brother played violin, his sister played piano and his father offered general support when needed — meanwhile, as a toddler, he would bang empty buckets like drums. Recognizing his interest in music, his parents signed him up for Tombak (Persian drum) classes and eventually, he began performing at family parties with his siblings.
Getting to know FVZ
- What was the last TV series you watched on TV?
Game of Thrones. When it comes to series, I usually wait for all of the seasons to be available before binge-watching them.
- Tell us what your ideal partner might look like if you could order one from ‘Partners R Us’.
I want a partner that is driven, has the work ethic and determination towards their own career and life goals, also aiming to be in the top 10 in their field of work. Preferably not in the music industry since I’m a really big advocate for work-life balance and if my partner and I both work in the music industry well be talking music even in our free time. Lastly, they would ideally be outgoing and have a similar social etiquette to mine.
- If you could learn any language fluently, what would it be?
It would definitely be Spanish and French. I want to be a global artist; I want to be influencing as many people as I can. With that said, I love traveling around the world and being able to communicate with different cultures, being fluent in these two languages will allow me to expand my audience around the world.
- Do you shout out the answers at the TV whilst watching quiz shows?
I do for a family feud. I love to put myself in the competitor’s shoes and see if I would’ve guessed the right answer won the game.
- If you were talking to a younger version of you, what advice would you give yourself?
Start reading the book called “everything you need to know about the music business” by Donald S. Passman and start learning how to effectively network with people. I know that you are working hard in school and busy DJing at private events, keep up the hard work and continue to develop the work ethic needed to become a world-famous artist/producer.
- What first got you into music?
Well, I was born into a music loving family. My mom had a passion for singing, and she made sure that all of her kids learned at least 1 instrument at a young age. My sister chose piano, my brother violine and I chose Tombak (a Persian drum) to play. For most family parties our family would practice and perform singalong songs and entertain the guests. That’s how I was introduced to music as a kid. Thanks, mom!
- How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
I see it as a double-edged sword. Let’s start with benefits. The Internet has made information more accessible to artists making it easier to access educational content and to learn from the mistakes of previous generation artists. It also has allowed artists to be able to learn all the skills necessary to manage their music as a business, artists can now learn how to go about marketing their music all the way to how to collect their royalties for their songs.
With that said, let’s look at some of the disadvantages too. The Internet has lowered the entry barriers to the music industry. Anyone with internet and a laptop can now create a song and use a distributor to have it on Spotify and Apple Music, which resulted in saturating the market which has caused the industry to be highly competitive and unpredictable.
However, I would generally say the internet has improved the music industry. It has helped the industry grow and has introduced different revenue sources such as streaming which in 2019 accounted for 80% of the industry revenues according to Deloitte Insights (Link).
- In your opinion, how do artists in this industry stay on top of the game when faced with so much competition? What’s the secret to making yourself noticed?
You have to focus on strengths, do what you can yourself and outsource or collaborate on things that others are better at. Develop a strong work ethic to push during hard times and to help you become a successful but also a consistent artist. Reflect on yourself and shed light on what makes you unique, what would anyone listen to you? Is it your music? Your music videos? Your shows? Or all of the above that makes you different from other artists in your genre. Think of yourself and your brand as a business, what do want the people to think of when they hear your name? How do you go about creating that brand perception? Once you have figured all of the topics above, you would have a strong brand that attracts fans who will get noticed.
- What is the best advice you’ve been given?
Be in control of the finances and business side of your music career. There are far too many horror stories of artists going bankrupt and not knowing what is happening on the businesses side of their brand. I’m not saying you need to be an expert in accounting or finance but know enough so that when you decide to hire an accountant or a business manager you can oversee their work.
- How would you describe your music?
Upbeat, happy, designed to make you forget your problems. Pop enough to be played on the radio and house/dance enough to be able to play at music festivals. I collaborate on every song and bring different influences globally.
