STEVE MADDEN’S 5TOWNS RECORDS’ DEBUT ARTIST EZI
RELEASES “REDEMPTION” VIDEO VIA REFINERY 29 TODAY
(WATCH HERE)
UPCOMING FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES AT MADE IN AMERICA (9/2) & KAABOO (9/15)
HEADLINE PERFORMANCE ON 9/13 AT FREEHOLD BROOKLYN
DEBUT EP DUE THIS FALL
Photo by: Nikko Lamere
Having recently been revealed as the first signing to shoe designer Steve Madden’s newly launched 5Towns Records—the label founded by Madden and music/marketing veteran Steve Feinberg – EZI dropped the official video for her debut single “REDEMPTION” today, via Refinery 29. Watch HERE.
Co-directed by Antony Langdon (member/vocalist of the band Spacehog) and EZI, as well as conceptualized by both, the video takes the viewer down the rabbit hole into a modern-day, but vacant ‘wonderland.’ “I wanted to create a world that felt like my mind at the time of writing ’Redemption,’ says EZI. “A place that is dark and that often I get lost in. In the video, I’m going on an adventure where I’m both running away and towards something. I’m running from a part of myself or from a state of mind. Ultimately the message of the song is to embrace your vulnerability, because it’s our vulnerability and darkness that allows us see the light and beauty that does exist.” Fans can also get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the video HERE.
EZI will also make her festival debut at Philadelphia’s Made in America festival, this Saturday, 9/2, performing with frequent collaborator, DJ/Producer, Kap Slap, as well as at Kaaboo Festival in San Diego 9/15. EZI will also headline FREEHOLD Brooklyn on 9/13 (8pm Doors/9:30pm Performance. Fans can enter to win a pair of tickets to Made in America (Saturday only) or attend the 9/13 performance in Brooklyn, NY for FREE, by heading over to www.eziofficial.com and signing up for the EZI mailing list.
Upon the audio release and debut of “REDEMPTION,” Nylon Magazine urged listeners to “press play and twirl to your own broken-hearted fantasy” and described it as “playful, sad, and made for warm summer nights.” Listen HERE. Billboard Magazine hailed “the minimalist pop jam stands as a perfect introduction to EZI, who used a low moment last year to empower herself and accept ‘all I’ve got’ as the chorus touts.”
The Long Island, New York native wrote the song in August 2016, during one of the lowest points in her life. On hiatus from Nickelodeon’s The Other Kingdom, which she starred in for its one on-air season, EZI bought a one-way ticket to Los Angeles to focus on her music career for a few months (EZI grew up acting, dancing, and singing). But when she arrived in the City of Angels earlier that summer, she found herself at an unexpected crossroads.
“I’ve always struggled with depression,” EZI says. “I’m a very emotional person. [When I wrote “REDEMPTION”], I was living alone in Hollywood, my schedule was all over the place, I was going through some stuff personally … but more than that, I don’t even know what triggered it—I was honestly so lost, so detached, so removed from myself. Most people actually think [the song] is about a relationship [with another person], but it’s actually about the relationship I have with myself. You wake up loving yourself, you wake up hating yourself, [or] being upset or disappointed.
Fans can expect the debut EP from EZI this coming fall!
ABOUT 5TOWNS RECORDS:
5Towns Records is an American record label based in New York City, founded by shoe designer Steve Madden and his business partner, music industry & branding veteran Steve Feinberg.
Feinberg whose company 8spoke, consults for Madden’s brands on music/culture, has been working with Steve Madden on all brand music endeavors for the last 5 years. With the continuing success and the consistent growth of the Steve Madden Music platform, the two Steve’s decided they wanted to get even closer to the music and the artists… and 5Towns Records was born.
Feinberg’s achievements as a former artist manager, that discovered and managed multi-platinum artist Good Charlotte and worked with a dozen more including, Flight of The Conchords and My Morning Jacket, his work with the major labels, publishers and distribution groups to curate music programs while establishing artist/brand relationships, lead them to create this exciting new venture.
Seeing the industry change incredibly in the past few years, 5Towns considers itself a new label for the new age. Now that brands have become a bigger, more important and more accepted part of the music world, 5TR is in a unique position to help artist be heard AND seen.
Unlike most companies, Steve Madden is not only a brand but a real person, a fan who LOVES music and wants to be an integral part of discovering, working with and developing artists. 5Towns is part of the creation of a whole new version of the industry. While there has been a lot of “artist vs label” sentiment lately, 5TR is uniquely positioned to be artist driven and artist centered. 5TR can alleviate great deal of that skepticism as an independent label with its own funding, but unlike most indie labels out there…they have the ability to utilize the incredible brand association potential (when necessary) to completely separating themselves (when appropriate). 5Towns is in a positively uncommon position. The label will be positioned unique to every artist signed to 5Towns. 5TR seeks to build a stable of artists who are proud of their label. In a cynical time, bookended by tales of corporate overreach, 5TR is a label artists can turn to, knowing their message will be heard and their vision will be supported. 5Towns Records is where passion, hard work, vision, talent, music and ambition meet.
