Please join us in welcoming Ari Zizzo to our studio to chat with Heart of Indie Radio Co-Host- Emme Lentino

Zizzo, a Manhattan native, wields many labels: Musician. New Yorker. Guitarist. Bassist. Pianist. Transgender. But above all, he’s a self-taught singer-songwriter with a penchant for pop, and has so much to offer to this world. It’s this dynamic combination, these unique puzzle pieces, this gumbo of life experience, heartbreak, and identity, that makes up Ari Zizzo.

Ari hails from the Upper East Side of New York City, where his musical parents—his father, a record producer, and his mother an accomplished songwriter—incubated his early enchantment with music. He started piano at age 4, and by 13, he knew he wanted to be an artist. Ari studied music at SUNY Purchase, where he had an objectively normal college experience—playing sports and joining a fraternity—and moved to LA to set up shop as a songwriter.

Ari’s music is inspired by fierce love, gutting heartbreak, and his own struggle with identity. His greatest strength may be his admirable ability, as an artist, to empathize with and relate to others, no matter how different their experiences might be. “Transitioning for me, when you get down to the nitty gritty stuff, it’s obviously very different than someone just growing up,” Ari says. “But in some ways, it was just me trying to find myself and my identity, and so many young people struggle to deal with that in their own ways.”

The 24-year old is also heavily inspired by his parents, who he cites as his greatest musical influences, alongside Joni Mitchell, Third Eye Blind, CSNY, John Mayer, and The 1975. Right now, he’s gearing up to release brand-new music, which he co-produced in LA with Steve Wilmot (OneRepublic, U2, Ava Max).

“I put my heart and soul into this,” Zizzo says. “I just want to share my story.”