When you really want something in life, the only thing you can do is go for it – no matter what. You stick with it, overcoming any obstacles or distractions that get in the way. You stick with it, even when it seems like you are better off giving up. For Zach Hood, making music was something that he knew he had to do, so he started posting his songs onto social media. He quickly built a fanbase, racking up over 50M streams from his first six singles. From there, Zach signed a deal with Arista Records and released his debut EP, BLOSSOM, in 2022. The EP showcased relatable storytelling, striking choruses, and enthralling production styles that make Zach an artist to remember.
When you listen to his music, it is clear that Zach made the right choice. He was meant to share his songs with the world, especially those heard on his debut album, Whispering Pines. Released on November 15, Whispering Pines is a project of comfort and heart, taking listeners on a journey full of ups and downs while reminding them that all will work out in the end. We caught up with Zach on release day, where he told us more about the album, from the meaning behind its title to which tracks he is most looking forward to playing live.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and time.
So, your debut album came out today, right?
Yeah, yeah! My debut album. It’s incredible. I don’t know, it still doesn’t feel real because I’ve waited so long for it to come out.
How long did it take for you to put the album together? How long were you waiting for it to come out?
Well, the very last song that we finished was “Hole In My Pocket.” And it wasn’t even supposed to be on the album because we were already done with all the songs. We had the songs picked out; I think it was four new ones and six old ones that were gonna be on it. So, at the very end, I was talking to the label and I was like, ‘Hey I have this idea. Do you think we can make this work?,’ and they were like, ‘Yeah, we think we can do it if you can pull some strings and figure it out.’ So, we recorded it, and we had to mix and master it the next day, so what’s usually a month process we did in three days. It was wild.
But to answer your question, it was like…I feel like I’ve been writing this album my whole life. That’s kind of a weird thing to say, but… The first song we wrote was “I miss missing u,” and I wrote that one July 1, I think. The older ones, like “30” and “how to change a tire” and all that, I feel it’s all very cohesive with the story that I’m trying to tell, ‘cause Whispering Pines is an apartment complex that I grew up in. It was after my parents’ divorce that we moved into there. I was, like, eight years old. And it was…I don’t know, I’ve learned that the harder times bring us closer together, and so in that apartment complex, me and my family got really close together. So, I feel like these songs stem from that, like ‘everything’s gonna be okay,’ kind of thing. All the songs have their own meaning and story behind them, but they’re very cohesive with that meaning behind it. But yeah, I’ve been writing this album for a very long time. I couldn’t put a date on it or anything; it’s been a while.
So, you go into a lot of different themes on the album, but what’s the main message or the main point you would want listeners to take away from it?
Yeah, I kind of already said it, but I would say it’s a place of comfort. You know, when we did move into that apartment complex, it was, like, the hardest time of our lives. I’m an eight-year-old, my brother’s 12, my mom’s now a new single mom trying to figure it out and get a job – we were all so stressed out. I can’t imagine how stressed out my mom was, but you know, I’m a little kid, so I don’t really understand that. But yeah, it was hard, and throughout all of that, we were always smiling and cracking jokes and finding happiness in the little things. It was like, ‘Look, you may have gotten laid off from your job today, but you come back home to your two kids and we’re here. We’re all together. It’s all family. Everything’s gonna be okay.’ So, I feel like Whispering Pines is a place of comfort and a place to feel okay, and you have people there that care about you.
Which songs would you say you’re most excited for the fans to hear?
I mean, obviously all of them, but if I had to choose, “Hole In My Pocket.” It was just so much fun writing it. We wrote it on the way to a Tuscaloosa show in the car, and we had the guitar in the backseat and…I just said out loud, ‘Hole in my pocket, I tend to lose things.’ Have you ever seen the Skittles commercial where they touch something and it just turns to Skittles? It’s kind of like that, but everything I touch. I feel like every relationship I’ve had, it would just come to an end, and I had to think, ‘Am I the problem?’ It seemed like everything wasn’t working out with the relationships that I was having, and so that’s where that song kind of stemmed from. It’s a very sad one, but I’m very, very happy with how it turned out – within the three days that we had to make it.
It did come out very well – it has a big, anthemic feel to it. And I noticed a lot of the other songs have that too, where they just seem like they would be so great in a live setting.
Yeah, we just got to play “Hole In My Pocket” for the first time two days ago in Chicago. And it felt so good. It was incredible.
Are there any that you haven’t played live yet that you’re really looking forward to?
I haven’t played “Happy Ever After” live yet. I haven’t played “Sleepwalking” live yet. I think just those two, just the collabs. But hopefully, we can make that happen. And if we can get one of the collabs to come out on stage or something in the future, that would be amazing. That would be sick.
I was also gonna ask – because you do have those two collabs on the album, but who are some other artists on your bucket list that you would want to collab with?
I would say Julia Michaels? Insane. Her voice is just out of this world. Chelsea Cutler – fantastic. Yeah, I would say those two right now. Noah Kahan – that would be sick. Maybe one day. We’ll see.
Speaking of Noah Kahan, I’ve kind of noticed your sound has sort of evolved from indie pop to more of that folksy kind of sound. What inspired the change?
Yeah, I made a song called “Isabelle,” I made “13 Missed Calls,” like all those were kind of pop-punk and just pop, I guess. But you know, I feel like all artists – they start somewhere. I’m so grateful for all those songs, I love those songs, and I still love to perform them. But, I feel like all artists start somewhere, and that was just where I ended up starting. And I really enjoyed making that kind of music, but as I was in L.A., you know, I was missing the south. I moved to L.A. when I was 18, so moving away from everything that you know…I just felt like I was missing something. And I feel like this is the kind of music that I’m really meant to make, and I enjoy writing this music so much. I enjoy performing it. I don’t know, I just feel like it’s easy-going for me. I don’t want to say ‘effortless’ ‘cause that’s kind of cocky, but in a way, it just comes to me differently than other music does, you know? It just feels right.
So, your video for “Sleepwalking” with Sasha Alex Sloan just came out, and it plays on that folksy feel. Was it in an abandoned barn that you were shooting in?
Yes, and oh my god, it was so cold. It was in a barn in Tennessee, like right outside of Nashville – like, 40 minutes outside of it. But yeah, that shoot was so much fun, other than the cold. Me and Sasha were there, and in the middle of shots, we would get in her car and turn on the heater because it was freezing. And then, the shots with the golden light that you see sometimes throughout the video, it’s upstairs in the barn. But it’s so sketch because the people renovated it to make it to where people could come and shoot videos or do whatever, but there’s like two-by-fours on the ground, and they’re squeaky, and so in one of the shots, I’m walking around and I step on one. It sounded like it was about to break, so I was kind of freaking out, but that shoot was so much fun. Sasha was a trooper. It was so cold, I felt so bad. But yeah, we made it happen. I love that video. That might be one of my favorite music videos I’ve ever done, honestly.
Do you have any other videos that you’re going to release for the album?
As of right now, no. We did lyric videos, like little visualizers for some of them. I would love to, though, I would love to.
Were there any songs that didn’t get onto this album that you’re saving for a future project?
Yes, there’s definitely songs that didn’t make the album that will come out. But they’ll probably be singles in the future. But yeah, it was really, really hard to narrow it down. And obviously, I tease stuff on TikTok and everything, so that plays a big part in it. Some of these I’ve never teased, but I have a gut feeling about a few of them, so I think I’m gonna release them.
I guess that goes along with my last question that I have, which is how does 2025 look for you?
Yeah, I don’t know. I just wanna be very happy with where I’m at, and so far so good with 2024, you know? I just want to write stuff that’s honest and truthful for me because as long as I do that for myself, then other people can connect with that. So that’s the biggest thing for me in 2025 is writing music that is authentic and not just trying to make a hit, because I definitely fell victim to that. And I want to go on tour more. I want to see everybody. This headline tour that I’m on right now, just being able to see everybody in person and see their faces and see people screaming, crying, dancing… It’s like, I can only see so much through a phone, so being able to be on stage and look at you and you’re singing a song back to me – it’s a different type of feeling. But yeah, just happiness, making music that’s truthful, and just having a good time. And seeing my family a little bit more. I would love to visit home a lot more.
That’s pretty much everything I had, is there anything else you wanted to share?
I think I’m good. Oh, I have a show in New York on the 22nd. You can get tickets here.
You can listen to Whispering Pines on platforms like Spotify, SoundCloud, and Apple Music.
Keep up with Zach Hood: Instagram // TikTok // YouTube // Linkfire
