FNGR FOOD

Like the colorful visible spectrum of light that is made up of various frequencies and energy, which also seems to appears on a lot of his cover art, Shanzyan Faraizi is a well-versed, and full-ranged music artist who has boundless talent that seems to stretch on for miles in every direction. Faraizi is one of the four crew members of CRTFD; a close group of friends made of artists who are producing their own creative content here in Texas. Shanzyan writes and produces his own original music that exudes self-confidence, and tells coming-of-age stories about the exciting Bengali artist based in Austin, Texas.

Shanzyan just released a brand new single titled ‘Unknow’; a synthy lo-fi production that grows into an infectious and futuristic dance-track. In the song Shanzyan sings about keeping a clear mind while focusing on himself to best avoid any negativity to creep in with all the noise going on around him. I had the pleasure of briefly being able to speak with Shanzyan about his new track, as well as pick his brain about the passion behind his music, his favorite foods, and what to expect from him in the future.

FF: It’s so exciting to get new music from you in 2020! Is there an album to be expected in the near future?

SF: Definitely. I took a step back these last couple of months because I wanted to refine my sound and message. I’ve been deep in my songwriting and production bags, and am just working on ideas all of the time. But I also realized, even as a fan of myself, I personally want to hear what a project from me sounds like.

FF: Tell us a little bit about the track ‘Unknow’!

SF: To me, the song is finding your way out of dark thoughts. I was humming a melody while playing the keys and when I listened back to it, I heard the “I can’t unknow” part. That line by itself just says a lot to me on its own. When I started adding drums, I had two parts: one slow and one fast. I liked the way they both sounded so I tried to find a way for the beat to grow into itself in the span of like 3 minutes.

FF: You do all your own production. That’s awesome. How long have you been producing music?

SF: I got started producing around 8th grade; I was like 11 or 12. I Probably wasn’t making anything good until the following year. I used to sell beats online, and that was definitely a good hustle, but I always had a vision for making records with artists, so I started recruiting people around me in high school.

FF: You’re also a member of CRTFD. Can you give us some details on how the group was formed? Do you all have anything special planned coming up?

SF: CRTFD started in Lancaster, CA. It was a group of my closest friends and we all connected through music. I was a producer for all the other members but eventually I started rapping with them too. Fast forward to now, the original group kind of grew apart. A lot of us moved, but it’s always gonna be a family thing. There’s a natural synergy with us. Between me, Ash-Mar, Jessie, and Danny, we all just have fun and enjoy the process of creating whatever’s in our heads. All of us have seeds planted for what’s coming next.

FF: What drives you to write? What’s the meaning behind your music?

SF: It’s honestly just all I know. I didn’t have a good childhood by any means. Music kept me from being in a worse place right now. So, it’s a way for me to keep myself sane. Anything I write is just a look inwards. I learned a lot from my favorite artists with hearing their viewpoints on life. For me, I’m just trying to understand myself given the shit I’ve been through, and I’m just sharing that for the next person.

FF: Considering we’ve all been stuck inside due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, what’s been your go-to “quarantine” snack or meal?

SF: Flamin’ Hot Lays. Nothing beats it.

FF: What’s your favorite thing to eat? Do you have a favorite recipe you can share with us?

SF: I don’t know what I’d do without Japanese food. Sushi, ramen, curry, I love it all. Japanese curry is one of my favorite dishes to make at home. It’s so easy to make and they even sell the curry boxes at HEB. Get whatever protein you like, throw in some carrots, potatoes, maybe onion and mushrooms, add the curry and you’re done in like 10 minutes. It never gets old. I’m about to have some right now actually.

FF: Anything else you want to say to our readers?

SF: If you’re a fan, thank you for riding and staying patient with me. I can’t wait to share everything I’ve been working on. And if you’re not, we’ll see how you feel in a couple of months.

Stream ‘Unknow’ here. You can also check out more of Shanzyan’s work by clicking his artist photo below: