hello. my name is yadzi.

pronunciation: yädzē (yaad-zee)

etymology: a play on the word “yad” which means “hand” in hebrew.

For the past 4 years, I’ve gone by the moniker ‘handsome grandson’ as a music artist. During that time I made a whole lot of songs, but only released a handful of them. I wanted to release more, but I found myself clinging to my favorite songs tighter than the rest, unwilling to even finish them. It felt like I needed to get better at my craft before I could really show people who I am as an artist. So I kept my precious song-babies away from the light for years.

But over the course of the last year or so, I’ve slowly but surely been changing my mindset; I’ve come to accept that my songs don’t need to sound like they were recorded in a million dollar studio, because they weren’t. I’ve also realized that by pushing off releasing my best work, I’m allowing the fear of rejection (namely in the form of poor streaming performance) to win out over the experience of sharing my art and stories with people who might resonate with them on a deep level.

My experience with Songcamp was instrumental in this mindset shift. The relationships that I’ve been fortunate enough to form and foster in that community are incredibly valuable to me as an artist, but more importantly as a human. I’ve felt free to be my most authentic self with my Songcamp homies, and I believe that’s truly the greatest gift you can give/receive. And by being my most authentic self so often in that space, I’ve been feeling increasingly comfortable pouring my whole self into my art.

I’ve decided to change my artist name to more clearly reflect who I am as an artist. I spend most of my life in my head, absorbing, processing, thinking. But when I’m at my most creative, when I sink into a flow-state, my sense of “thought” is transferred to my hands. This is my most precious state of being that I’ve experienced, and it’s why I’m so obsessed with music-making as an art form. It feels like a direct expression from my hands into sound. The name yadzi serves as a mantra for me in my creative practice; it reminds me to surrender to my hands and let them do the creating. It reminds me to let go.

It’s time for me to let go of the songs I’ve been holding onto so tightly. And by doing so it genuinely and profoundly feels like the beginning of a new chapter in my artist journey; a personal evolution. I’ll be honest - I’m nervous. But I’ve never felt more ready.

On Monday, September 26, 2022 I’ll be launching a crowdfund-oriented NFT collection to support the release of my debut EP. Collectors will have the opportunity to participate in multiple creative projects associated with the release of my EP. More details coming Monday, but please allow the hype to begin overtaking your body + being immediately.

In the meantime, I invite you to celebrate with me by minting this inaugural yadzi: ORIGIN NFT for free (just gas fees)!

see you here next week.

much love

yadzi