FSN ZAE: SELF-BELIEF & SOUND

Turning Life Into Sound

INTERVIEW BY: EMILY ARAUZA

AUGUST 17th, 2025

FSN Zae is 20 years old and already moving like someone who’s been creating his whole life. What started as poems for his mom and raps scribbled in a notebook turned into late-night recordings and a sound that’s all his own. Music isn’t just his outlet—it’s the way he thinks. His signature “Nahfr” isn’t just a tag, it’s a promise: this is the real thing. Zae keeps his circle small, building with people who get his vision, whether it’s longtime friend FSN Chris or producers overseas. For him, creativity is more than music—it’s a way to stay sharp, stay human, and stay ahead.

FSN Zae: “What’s up, how are you doing? I'm FSN Zae. I'm a 20 year old artist hailing from Greenspoint, Houston, Tx! I do a lot of things throughout life tryna expand my horizons but my favorite has to be creating music. That’s where I find myself to be most creative and being creative allows me to be more creative in my day to day life and activities.”

Emily Arauza: “Appreciate you sharing that Zae. It sounds like music isn’t just something you make but something that spills over into how you live. You mentioned it sparks creativity in your day-to-day life too. What’s an example of that? Like how has making music changed the way you move or think outside of the studio?”

FZ: “You know when it comes to that I’ve came to an epiphany that in this day in and age people are becoming less and less creative and I think that’s crazy because I believe that creativity is what makes us human. So doing the music gives me a sort of swag and confidence that can reflect how I handle things in real life. It allows me to be able to think outside the box than what’s already provided to me because it’s just the way my brain works. Some people call it critical thinking. Yes it is critical but you have to be able to have that creative thought process to make it over the average and complete unprecedented decisions. Without creativeness everything would be so simple and dull and to me that’s a dystopian reality.”

EA: “I like the way you put that. The way you’re talking about creativity feels bigger than just music, like it shapes how you see life. How does that mindset show up in the music you make? Does it influence the kind of sound you chase or the genres you connect with most?”

FZ: “Yeah most definitely to be real I’ve more than likely always been the odd one out, that doesn’t mean I don’t share other similarities but I have some personal qualities that not many people can relate to and I correlate that with my music as well staying true to myself and my unique lifestyle and taste in music.”

EA: “Staying true to yourself always comes through in the music. What parts of your lifestyle or taste do you feel shine the most in your sound? Like what makes someone hear a track and know right away ‘yeah that’s Zae’?”

FZ: “Right off the bat it’s that “Nahfr” that you’ll hear in my songs that I’ve been saying since I’ve first began my career, really way before then. But when I started the music I’ve adopted that as my catchphrase or slogan whatever you wanna call it. Like yeah it’s slang my people nem say but to me it’s what my music is based around like you feel me Nahfr. I break down the word and apply it to my music like “nah this ain’t no BS, this the real deal”. And also like this is really my taste in music that I can make likable to other people. They know what’s going around in my sector and they know how unique and authentic what I got going is.”

EA: “I hear how Nahfr ties your taste and lifestyle together. When did it click that music was your path and not just something you do? Was it a song, a show, or a studio night that made it obvious?”

FZ: “In life you gotta make decisions that can affect your life in a positive or negative way. And I found myself gaining so much pleasantness from putting my emotions and creativity into music. I found so much pleasantness performing and transitioning certain emotions to people who related. That’s probably one of the best decisions I could’ve made my whole life that added happiness and pleasantries to me.”

EA: “Turning your emotions into music and connecting with people is powerful. When did it all start for you? How old were you when you realized music could be that for you, and how old are you now? Who or what has really been your muse through it all?”

FZ: “Man I’ve been rapping since I was 8 years old and I’ve always kept that feeling familiar to me through the years. Writing poems for my mama and writing raps in a notebook since I was a kid. However, in middle school 8th grade with my long time friend FSN Chris I first started recording. We did a school project for some kind of technology class and the teacher let us use a sound recorder. We recorded vocals there, and I mixed it with a beat on GarageBand bandlab that wasn't even that popping yet for real. Still then that same feeling remained working together on the music; it was deeper than just the song. Our chemistry was fantastic and it’s been like that since then. I’m 20 years old now and that feeling I get when I complete a creative project the way I wanted nothing can compare to it.”

EA: “Starting that young and keeping that feeling all the way through now is truly beyond impressive. That chemistry with FSN Chris sounds like it shaped a lot of your early creativity. How has that early start and those collaborations influenced the music you make now? Do you still find that same magic when working with others or is it different as you’ve grown?”

FZ:” I mean yeah I like to keep almost everything in my circle because I know how far my voice reaches and how far theirs reaches. And I’m not too interested in doing collabs with people that don’t match my frequency because the art might be a little off. But having my people around for the world to hear is perfect and it pays off more to me. Don’t get me wrong I definitely love to collaborate with like minded artists as well but it’s nothing like that connection I get with my family. We call it solid telepathy, you know me and bro we synonyms, feel me one and the same. I’ve also come to gain more family like associates as well, such as Fecitoth man we've been locked in for a couple years and he’s from all the way in Hungary! And that’s the thing it’s not solely about where you’re from and how you came up but just how you can connect with one another and how strong it truly is. I love finding connections that really suit me cause it can be rare for sure.”

EA: “I get it. Keeping your circle tight with people who really match your energy makes total sense. That solid telepathy you’re talking about with your people, especially with Chris and Fecitoth, sounds really rare. How do those connections influence the music you’re putting out now? Do they shape the vibe, the lyrics, or even the way you approach recording?”

FZ: “Nah fasho they match my swag and can help critique my music. I like when my vision comes to reality and best way to do that is keeping those relationships around that match up to me. Doing work with a lot of people Chris, BabyJoe, Fecitoth, Juu. Whoever it is, if we can connect good then a hit is quick to follow after our work. That’s why I don’t really switch producers or feature it just turns out that some people I don’t really click with enough to prioritize our work.”

EA: “Okay, I feel that. It makes sense why you’d keep people around who really match you. I’m curious though, who’s your biggest inspiration, like who really drives your music or your creative side?”

FZ: “If I’m being honest it was really myself who inspires me the most because I’m the one that gathers all these different experiences and emotions and I receive the most pleasure from it. Yeah my friends and family inspired and motivated for sure. They always appreciated and supported me.”

EA: “I’m the same exact way, so I understand. Sounds like you really trust your own vision which I love self-assuredness. So thinking long-term, what do you want to be like at the end of the day, or 20 years from now? And how do you want to use the influence you’ve built to make that happen?”

FZ: “I really just want to be blessed enough to use my creativity to elevate everyday and get better at something.” 

EA: “Last question, if you could give one piece of advice to people watching or listening, what would it be?”

FZ: “Always stay true to yourself but give yourself room to elevate. Because to elevate yourself you’ll have to go through changes to adapt to different situations, and that is what’s gonna allow you to elevate to the position in life you really desire. And stay creative. It impacts your life in many positive ways Nahfr.”