Daily Inspiration: Meet Ziggy Sixx

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ziggy Sixx.

Hi Ziggy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When I was in middle school, I was a huge Ed Sheeran fan, I decided that I wanted to learn to play guitar like him. I was lucky enough to find a teacher who incorporated songwriting and voice into my guitar lessons, and as soon as I wrote my first song, I was hooked. That summer, I actually saw Ed Sheeran in San Francisco. He stood on stage in front of 60,000 people, alone, with nothing more than a guitar and a loop pedal, performing songs that he wrote. He was completely amazing and it honestly changed my life. I knew in that moment that I wanted to do the same thing and I’ve been working toward it ever since. I moved to Los Angeles in 2019 and immediately began playing iconic venues such as Whisky A GoGo and Canyon Club and was busking in Burbank and Hollywood. I met my first producer, the talented Ethan Ziemba, at my first gig in West Hollywood and we started working together immediately to create my first EP, KARMA. We just hit it off and were a great creative team!

I’ll never forget that experience of driving down Melrose at 14, with my first recorded song, Take It Easy, playing on the stereo. We had the windows down and it was a warm LA night, and it was my song that was playing! It was a surreal moment and something you really can’t experience anywhere but in LA. I love this town so much. Now, 3 years later, I used my pandemic downtime to become an Ableton Certified Producer and am now writing and co-producing my music. My latest releases, Unholy War, Nightmare, and My LXVER are a reflection of the direction I’m moving in, combining modern synths and techniques with classic rock influences and live instruments.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
My biggest obstacle was the pandemic. I was playing at some pretty iconic venues at 14 and working on my first EP and then, nothing. Everything stopped. I couldn’t perform, I couldn’t work with a producer and I didn’t have much to write about as I didn’t have any new experiences. I couldn’t visit with friends in person for an entire year. All I saw was my family. That was an incredibly difficult time, creatively, as well as in general. Depression began to set in and I lost hope there for a while. My savior was the Ableton production class. I got to be with people (most of the time) and was able to put that downtime to good use, learning to produce my own music. So I guess you could say that music got me through the pandemic. Music was my medicine.

As an independent artist, my biggest challenge is exposure. This music business, while fun, is pretty challenging with 100K songs uploaded daily! It’s hard to get in front of people and have your music heard just because of the sheer volume of songs and artists out there. And they’re good! I think if you love what you do, though, it’s a lot easier to meet your goals. It’s passion that drives me and passion that pushes me to keep trying to get better at what I do. If you’re reading this, I’d love it if you check out my music and follow me! I’m on all streaming platforms, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. I’m always looking for bookings, collaborations, and interesting projects. Hit me up! DM or email me.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a recording artist, songwriter, Ableton producer, and performer. I play guitar and bass on my tracks as well. I would say I’m most known for my powerful vocals and retro fusion style, mixing synths and modern techniques with classic rock influences and using real instruments in my recordings. I’m most proud to be one of the world’s youngest Ableton Certified Producers and to be amongst the 2% of producers who are female.

The thing that sets me apart from others is probably my passion for music and my love of all things vintage. I’m constantly listening to and studying music artists from the past and combining those classic rock elements with modern techniques, trying to improve all aspects of my work. I’ll never stop learning because I love what I do. Vintage fashion is also a passion. Most of my wardrobe is from the 60s and 70s and you will always find me wearing boots. My favorite boots are a vintage pair from the 1960s that were made by Anello & Davide, the boot maker that made boots for the Beatles. I found them in the back of a vintage shop in Monterey, along with an orange velvet bolero that was worn by a musician in the 1940s! That was a great day!

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My message that I want to convey with my music and my platform is to encourage people to stand up for themselves and believe in themselves, even when others are working against you. Stand strong against those negative forces and stay focused on being the person you want to be. The you that makes you happy.

I also want to encourage more women to get involved in the music industry, especially production. I was only 15 when I attended that six months Ableton production school and I sat in a room full of 30+ years old men doing the same thing. I learned that I could do anything I put my mind to, even if I felt out of place, but I also learned that women are very underrepresented in the music industry! Only 2% of all music producers in the world are women. I was pretty shocked when I learned that. As part of my platform, I hope to encourage more women, especially young women, to become music producers and expand our presence in the market. Becoming a producer has helped me in so many ways. I’m a better composer, songwriter, guitarist, and music artist. I know the limits of what can be done, but more importantly, I know the possibilities of what can be done. I can get the song I hear in my head out onto a track. I’m able to be in a room with a producer and hold my own, and not only understand what’s going on but be an integral part of it. I really hope for more women to be able to do that and take more control over what’s produced and put on the market. Thanks for getting to know me! Give me a listen, a look and a follow! Happy Holidays! XOXO

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/ziggysixx
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ziggysixxofficial/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsfd_EKuFBQM9nrMq5D-E8w
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ziggysixx , https://open.spotify.com/artist/5eospvEYsSN6QX1cR4WQJp?si=qhB7AlvkQqSZjGlVLRAW_g

Image Credits
Donna Wood, Mathias Fau