With new singles consistently streaming on the radio and a full performance schedule, it’s hard to believe it’s been seven years since Redwood City native and singer-songwriter Andy Zamenes — better known as Andy Z — put out an album.
Zamenes released his eighth album, “My Voice,” on Aug. 29, his first since 2018, the same year his son Gio was born. The responsibilities that come with becoming a dad and the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the delay, he said.
“Being able to release a full-length album, being able to get national coverage again, is very fulfilling,” said Zamenes, a Sequoia High School graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in music from San Francisco State University. “It’s a really good combination of all of the styles I’ve done over the last two decades. Somehow it all flowed together really well. I couldn’t be happier with the results.”
Past projects have included audio stories, folk songs, themed albums (Halloween songs, for example) and covers of classics such as “This Land is Your Land” and “The Hokey Pokey.” His music has been showcased on the Today Show, and he has won awards from Parents’ Choice, Disney Family’s iParenting Media and more.
The “My Voice” album includes a few songs he’d already written, along with some he’d written bits and pieces of before finishing them, and songs he’d never gotten a chance to record.
“They all came really quickly,” he said.
Two songs off of the 16-track album are specifically about Gio. Zamenes wrote “Song For My Baby” and “It’s Not Your Fault” for him. The latter is a response to the bullying his son experienced at school. He hopes the song resonates with other families dealing with bullying and that they take home the message that they shouldn’t blame themselves.
“Flutter Flutter, Butterfly”, about monarch butterfly migration, is one of Zamenes’ favorite tracks off the album. He had Andrés Salguero and Christina Sanabria of the Grammy Award-winning band 123Andrés translate the song into Spanish (“Mariposa Vuela”) and perform it on the album as well.
“It was extra special that they would find the time when they’re in the middle of being on the road,” Zamenes said. “It’s really a beautiful one, and it really just fell into place very quickly for me at the beginning of the year.”
Zamenes has released a music video for one song on the album called “Spider On The Floor.” He’d like to make music videos, with animations, for “Down By The Bay” and “Buzzabee.” He works with animator James Coffey of Blue Vision Music and Baine Secuya of Happy Man Creative.
Zamenes takes an active role in producing his own music, in part, because of skills he learned in a past career in tech. He was laid off from his job in tech in 2001 during the dot-com bust. With a month’s worth of severance, he decided to jump into making music full time rather than as a side gig.
“Knowing the ins and outs of computer software helped me get established in the business aspect (of making music),” he said. He knows how to use music recording software, and how to repair and reconfigure tech from his days working in information technology.
Zamenes advises aspiring musicians to follow their passion. He notes there is a fine line between being hypercritical of yourself and being realistic.
“Take constructive criticism without going to ‘Oh my God, I really stink’ or ‘Why even bother?’ or ‘These people don’t know what they’re talking about, I’m great,’” he said. “If it is the strongest force in your life, follow it with all your heart and do what you can to muffle the voices who say that being a musician is a tough life and you don’t make much money. If it’s really your passion, and you have some talent there, you can’t help but keep doing it.”
Zamenes is already working on his next album, which he plans to release in early 2027.
Find Andy Z’s upcoming showtimes at andyz.com/shows. The digital album “My Voice” is available for $10 on bandcamp at andyz.bandcamp.com/album/my-voice.
