Virginia-based musician and producer Zach Benson has been making a name for himself in the pop scene since 2017. His hard-hitting, synth-heavy production style paired with his introspective, confessional lyricism has gained the attention of fans across the globe.

Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Zach surrounded himself with music from a young age. Between piano and drum lessons, school choirs, musical theater, and a healthy obsession with acts like Green Day and Fall Out Boy, Zach said that he “knew [he] needed to be part of the music world.” At age 13, Zach started playing drums for local pop punk & indie groups. By the time he graduated from high school, he had played over 100 live shows across the east coast.

Zach left behind his drums to study public relations at James Madison University, but “never got rid of the itch to create music.” He began teaching himself music production in order to pass the time in between classes. He started out by creating mash-ups in Garageband, and then became interested in songwriting, drawing major inspiration from acts like The 1975, Jack Garratt, and twenty one pilots.

Soon enough, Zach had his first collection of songs which were released in an EP called Pretty in May 2017. Listeners took interest in his indie-pop style production, especially the slow jam “Kissing as the Cars Pass By,” which now has over 1.5 million streams across platforms.

He continued writing more music over the summer, releasing his second EP, Humidity, in September 2017. Track one on the project, “Jaws,” gained traction after being featured on Ash Hardell’s YouTube channel, exposing the song to their 650k subscribers. His single “Best Friend’s Basement” was released in November 2017, and has remained a fan favorite at live performances ever since.

2018 saw the release of Prom, Zach’s third EP. With a strong, crisp sound combining 80s pop tropes with his signature confessional lyrics, Zach found much success with lead single “Running Back.” Songs from Prom were featured on Spotify’s Fresh Finds: Pop, Spotify’s Gemini, Spotify’s Discover Weekly, and Sofar Sound’s Now Playing, as well as in various publications such as The Permanent Rain Press, The Music Elk, JMU’s The Breeze, and QT Music Blog. His first east coast tour in support of Prom took place in June of 2018, bringing Zach’s music to New York City, Boston, Connecticut, Virginia and DC.

Zach quickly became known for his high-energy performances, as well as his pride in his identity as a queer person. Notable performances include Charlottesville Pride, Shenandoah Valley Pride, Rockville Pride, Sofar Sounds Philly & Long Island, and various appearances at Rockwood Music Hall, Jammin Java and Songbyrd Music Hall. To date, Zach has logged over 85 live performances across eight states.

“The live show is me at my happiest. These songs were all contained in my bedroom for months and months, and seeing people dance, sing, and smile along reassures me that I’m doing what I’m meant to be doing,” said Benson.

Throughout 2018 and 2019, Zach continued touring and releasing music, including four singles — the nostalgic and sentimental “Sunset,” break-up sing-along anthem “Deflated,” sensual banger “kitchen,” and bass-pounding “everything reminds me of u.” These tracks found success online, including Spotify editorial playlist spots for all four tracks, as well as “everything reminds me of u” reaching 100,000 streams on Spotify.

During 2019’s pride month, Zach orchestrated and released "Power the the Queer Kids", a charity compilation album made up of eight LGBTQ+ artists covering songs relating to their queer identities. “There were so many important songs that made me feel less alone while I was figuring myself out, and I know so many other queer people have had the same experience with music. I wanted to pay tribute to these songs and hopefully inspire LGBTQ+ youth along the way to be proud of every aspect of themselves,” said Benson. The album raised hundreds of dollars for The Trevor Project, and is the first of a collection that would be released annually. Vols. 2 and 3 have since been released, and feature cover songs from 15 other LGBTQ+ musicians.

In October 2019, Zach relocated to New York City to continue his musical passions. Zach offered his writing, production, and mixing skills to a variety of independent musicians, including Peter Jessy, Cory Stewart, Jackfruit, Shiffley, and more. Tracks that Zach has helped produced have been given love by Billboard, Spotify, and other publications.

In 2020, Zach released an EP of remixes and reimagined versions of tracks titled “revisited.” The EP featured collaborations with Peter Jessy, Macaulay Sulkin and Brian Sauerwald. The EP was followed-up by two high-energy singles — the hyperpop love song “new years eve” and feel-good bop “mischief!”, which features fellow indie pop artist Gregory Dillon.

Zach's debut album, “hopeless, romantic.”, was released later that year on October 16, 2020. 'hopeless, romantic.' is a tale of falling out of love and then falling back in love again. The eight track project is his most vulnerable release to date and perfectly encompasses the artist's essence.

2021 saw Zach lending his production/mixing skills to a variety of LGBTQ+ musicians across the globe, as well as featuring on E. Alvin’s fiery cover of “BLUE”, released in Feb. 2021. His new string of releases are inspired by high school nostalgia and collaboration with old & new friends — the first single of the new era, “ihatehimtoo”, is now available to stream. Zach is going into 2022 ready to tour the US and further solidify his status as a queer pop mainstay.

Zach hopes to inspire audiences of all identities to live authentically and love unconditionally. With over 85 live performances, nearly 2 million streams across platforms, and new music on the way, Zach is taking over the pop scene. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.