“More than just a birthday show, this night represents a major personal and artistic milestone for me,” says ZuP via phone. “I’ve been playing two headlining shows a year, one in the summer and one in October. I wasn’t sure what to do for my summer show this year, and then, it hit me, I’m about to turn 40! No openers; it’s just us. I am going to make it a big event with a bunch of surprises. They won’t just see a show; they’ll get a whole experience.”
ZuP started gaining traction in the Cleveland music scene back in 2012 with his debut album, Room to Grow, which led to radio play and a performance at Roverfest.
“I’ve been producing music forever, making beats for rappers in Cleveland,” he says. “I decided to start writing my own music again, and I sent a song to [the WMMS morning show] Rover’s Morning Glory. They had a contest to perform at Roverfest, and I ended up making it into the top two. Even though I didn’t win first place, they asked me to perform at Roverfest, and it got me and my music in front of people who could appreciate it. The response to my submission pushed me to make a whole album.”
But everything paused in 2014 after his mother passed away.
“It was a weird time for me, and I stepped away from music, unsure if I’d ever come back,” he says. “I had to reassess a lot of things in my life. Years later, after going through a divorce, I found myself drawn back to what was missing — my music.”
That return led to the release of For Me, which won Best Album of 2023 in Scene’s Best Of issue.
“I thought I would put it out and that would be the end of things, but people really responded to it,” he says. “Since then, I’ve built an incredible live band, performed at festivals across the city, opened for national acts, and sold out every headlining show. ”
Last year, he launched The Ft’d Presentation Podcast, a companion to a year-long project that found him dropping a new song every two months with a different Cleveland artist. One of those tracks, “Phones at the Beach,” with Tobyraps, even inspired locally based Saucy Brew Works to make a custom beer.
“People will promote songs leading up to a release and then stop once it’s released,” he says. “I was wondering what I could do after releasing a song that would be a more interesting way to promote it… so I ended up starting this podcast to deep dive into the songs with the musicians I collaborated with.”
ZuP says he’s working on new material as well, and some of the new stuff might make its way into the 40th Birthday Concert.
“This upcoming show at the Foundry is especially meaningful because it’s the first without one of my best friends and longtime collaborator, Veeno, who passed away in January after an eight-year battle with cancer,” says ZuP. “He was supposed to share the stage with me, and his absence will be deeply felt. After more than a decade in the Cleveland music scene — through its many evolutions — I’ve never felt more connected to the city, the sound, or the community.”
The Foundry show will also feature ZuP’s talented backing band.
“I am a solo artist in the studio, but when I play live, the band brings a whole new feel,” he says. “Chris Marinin from [local hard rock act] the Missing is my bassist, Jack Conrad plays the drums, and Jake Pastor plays guitar. Blending everyone’s unique styles in the live band is my DJ, RC3. It’s a lot of fun.”
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This article appears in Cleveland SCENE 06/19/25 Burger Week.