Zul is alive, and here he shall find his home! Why not just roll everything under davidvstewart.com or the David V. Stewart brand? Several reasons:
- The Market. Most other artists in the ambient, electronic, and eclectic genres employ a recognizable pseudonym rather than using their given name. David Stewart is also, historically, the second most common first and last name combination throughout American history (behind, I believe, John Smith). That’s not great for brand recognition. “Zul” is short, sweet, memorable, and a bit mysterious. I want to tap into audience expectations as well, and the name “Zul” will fit the current album as well as next year’s album, which will focus on atmospheric and ambient metal, set against acoustic beauty.
- Expansive Opportunity. With “Zul” I can perform with as many musicians as I want. Indeed, I already have a guest musician on the first album. I can take this music out live and still have it be branded correctly, or I can build a whole band of like-minded friends and Zul will still fit. For the next album I do plan on having more people on the album, and I’d rather have them be part of something rather than “working for me,” as it is.
The first Zul album will be entitled Memories Adrift, and it will be released in late 2017.