Today we’d like to introduce you to Jayden Thomas.
Hi Jayden, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My name is Jayden Thomas, I’m 25 years old and I was born and raised in Palm Springs, California by my mom Amy, my dad Charles, and my younger sister Kiley.
My mom’s side of the family has always lived super close, so I spent a ton of time growing up at my grandparents’ house with Gammy (Judy) and Papa (Martin). Most days after school, I was at their place. My grandpa had a huge influence on me. He toured with The Beatles back in the day as part of a band called The Applejacks, and while I didn’t understand how big of a deal that was as a kid, I definitely felt his love for music. One thing he would always say, and still does is that my favorite genre of music should always be “good music” He even tried teaching me guitar when I was around 8, but I had zero patience back then. Still, I think that spark stuck with me.
Growing up in the home of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, music and creativity always felt like a major part of our community. I was 12 years old when my dad introduced me to Skrillex and I completely fell in love with dance music. At the time, it was dubstep (like most of us back then), and I dove headfirst into the scene. I was that kid staying up late watching Ultra and EDC livestreams, just obsessed.
That next summer, I downloaded Fruity Loops before it was “FL Studio”, but there were no tutorials back then and I had 0 clue what I was doing. Looking back, I wish I had stuck with it. But a year later, when I was 14, I went to my first day of Coachella. (totally sober I might add) just a wide-eyed kid soaking it all in, and something clicked in me that day. I knew I needed more of that feeling.
Fast forward to my first year at CSUN, my friend and I split a DDJ-SX2 we found on Facebook Marketplace. Half the buttons didn’t work, but I didn’t care I was hooked. We taught ourselves to DJ, spending hours every day mixing. But I still had this itch to make my own music. So I downloaded FL Studio again, and this time there were way more resources to actually learn.
Around that time, I met Matin, who became one of my best friends and eventually the other half of our artist project, Zitzat.
Shortly after that COVID hit and everything paused. I moved back home and found myself questioning what I really wanted to do. I was still in school, but it wasn’t fulfilling me the same way music was. After talking to a few mentors, I realized I was spreading myself too thin and that I needed to go all in on what I truly cared about. I gave school one more shot, moved back to LA hoping things would go back to normal, and after one final semester I made the decision to focus fully on music.
From that point on, Matin and I spent all our time learning, producing, and building together. We were lucky to connect with amazing collectives early on like Tikis Music, Inertia Presents, and You Are The Moment. All of which gave us opportunities to play around LA and SoCal. Those experiences gave us so much insight and real-world experience that you can only get by actually being in the scene.
As for our music, we’ve put out a few things on Spotify and SoundCloud, but for the last couple of years we’ve really focused on finding our lane and sharpening our sound. I’ve been lucky to learn from great programs like Cosmic Academy, and we’re constantly learning from quality YouTube and TikTok tutorials
We’ve got a ton of music we’re sitting on. People always tell us we “just need to start releasing,” and they’re probably right. But I think that music just means so much to us personally that we really want to be proud of what we put out. It’s definitely a double-edged sword, but we feel like we’re finally ready to get things rolling and honestly the timing couldn’t feel more right. Earlier this year I found out my girlfriend and I are expecting our first child which has been an even greater motivator. It’s pushed me to level up in every way and lock in even harder on building a future through music not just for myself, but for my family and everyone that’s believed in us so far
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of my biggest struggles early on was definitely dealing with the internal conflict around school. In High school I got what I’d like to think were pretty great grades, and graduating college always seemed like something I had to do more so than something I wanted to do. At the time, I was majoring in marine biology, something completely unrelated to music, and there was always this pressure to “do the responsible thing.” But deep down, I knew where my passion really was.
For a long time, I was stuck trying to balance both. Giving school just enough to stay afloat while giving music enough to feel fulfilled. Eventually, I realized I couldn’t keep splitting my energy. Deciding to fully commit to music was scary, and I felt like I was letting so many people who had helped me get to where I was down. But I knew this was the right thing for me to do, and I have no regrets to this day
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m 1/2 of the DJ/Producer duo “zitzat”. We specialize in dance music, but more specifically house music; blending influences from tech house, minimal, and deep house. What we’re most proud of is our ability to connect with a crowd beyond just playing popular tracks. We focus heavily on curation, energy, and creating moments that we hope people remember after our set is over.
We hope what will set us apart is that we’re not trying to chase trends. we’re trying to build something with real intention that means something to the both of us. We care deeply about sound design, storytelling, and building a brand that feels authentic to who we are. Whether it’s our visuals, our sets, or our unreleased tracks, we want every piece of what we put out to feel like us and we hope people will feel that
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
There are a few people who’ve played a huge role in helping me get to where I am today. First, my girlfriend Stevie. She’s been my biggest supporter through everything. She pushes me to be better, believes in me when I doubt myself, and constantly inspires me to stay focused and dream bigger. Her encouragement and support means the world, and I honestly don’t know where I’d be without it.
My family also deserves a ton of credit. They’ve supported me in every chapter, even when the path I chose wasn’t the most traditional. Whether it was music, school, or just figuring things out, they’ve always stood by me. And I have to thank both my grandpa and my dad specifically for introducing me to my love for music and helping ignite the passion that still drives me today.
And of course, I couldn’t do any of this without Matin. my best friend and the other half of zitzat. We’ve built everything together from the ground up. I still remember when we first started working on music. we’d sit in my room for hours bouncing between FL Studio and YouTube tutorials, trying to figure out how the hell people made their kicks hit so hard. We had no clue what we were doing but we were obsessed. That same energy still drives us today. We’ve grown as artists, learned from each other, and stuck together through every up and down. I truly wouldn’t want to build this with anyone else
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Personal : https://www.instagram.com/itsjaydentho?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr zitzat: https://www.instagram.com/zitzatsounds/profilecard/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/TsXnT3jx7FLC5v53Hx
Image Credits
Matt Nelson
Calvin Hite
Shane Jacobs
