In September of last year, fans gathered at CineStudios Chicago to witness the premiere of Umraan Syed’s Z E N I T H. Z E N I T H is a 45-minute visual album that tracks a character named Spaceman, who is navigating love and loss in the midst of widespread crises. Ultimately, Spaceman seeks a utopian destination called Z E N I T H, and the journey he takes represents a more personal journey of self-actualization. The visuals enhance the experimental and progressive hip-hop music heard throughout, with Syed finding a cool balance between the mundane and the supernatural. The visual album is now available on YouTube, bringing in a slew of newcomers to the Z E N I T H world. Overall, the visual album has surpassed 11K views since its release.
The Chicago-based director and musician recently sat down with media strategist Rose “Photobombshell” Mercado and fellow film director Enas Syed for a special companion podcast episode to the album. This episode is fittingly called Z E N I T H the podcast with Umraan and Enas Syed and Rose Mercado and can be found online under UMRAAN CHRONICLES EPISODE 38. In the episode, the three touch on the creative process, emotional depth, and real-world inspiration behind the project. From the concepts and symbolism to the intersection of music and storytelling to the challenges and breakthroughs of the project, the episode packs in so many details and topics. In the end, listeners will feel better connected to the visual album as a whole.
Umraan Syed is known for his metaphoric and introspective writing style. He draws from personal experience, private reflection, and broad environmental influences to create a unique sound that defies conventional standards. This sound was first introduced to audiences through Bismillah in 2018, followed by House in the Vines in 2021. With Z E N I T H, Syed is boldly embracing an elevated sound and style, as the album is his first fully conceptual project. It expertly merges music, film, and storytelling into a fully immersive experience that makes it more of a riveting journey than an album.
You can watch Z E N I T H here.
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