Rapper, but journalist. But author. But educator, more specifically a … yeah, a title won’t cut it here.
As he ramps up into a busy 2025, Zander Tsadwa — stage name Zander, an American — is using every skill he has and developing new ones in order to inform people, connect with people, and be a little more free every day. And there is nothing in his life that makes him feel more free and powerful right now than rapping his off to the beat of his own drum, which is no figure of speech.
As he continues to rack up Spotify playlist rejections and charged comments on his music videos due to his experimental production, Zander continues to carve out a singular sonic space as both a vocalist and producer that is minimal, hot-headed, and loving.
ATC Sound presents highlights from Zander, an American’s January interview with underground hip-hop publication Folded Waffle. Get to know the artist with a summary of essential facts below.
Where Zander, an American Is From
According to the interview, Zander hails from the Twin Cities metro area in Minnesota. More specifically, he is currently based in Minneapolis, MN but grew up in the smaller Saint Paul, Minnesota’s state capital.
Zander’s Musical Mission
Zander, an American distinguishes himself from other artists in many ways. One of the main differentiators is the raw and hyperaware world he builds in his music. He is the opposite of an escapist artist who gives listeners moments of reprieve — he grips your harm and hurls himself and everyone with him through the chaos of the modern world with an unshakeable confidence that something better is on the other side if we try to live better together.
The Story Behind Zander, an American’s Stage Name
Zander always wanted to use his real name in someway (“Zander” being a long-time nickname for Alexander). He felt the format of “Tyler, The Creator” was humble yet singular. Zander, an American reads like an otherwise normal person is being given the chance to speak his piece.
Additionally, Zander wanted the descriptor to best represent everything about his background and current identity as a person. He landed on “an American” because so many of the competing influences in his life wouldn’t even be molded together if he did not live in the United States. He’s also “an” American as opposed to “the” as another level of humility, claiming “I don’t think ‘thee’ American exists.
Zander’s Brief Description Of His Musical Journey To Date
Since 2010, Zander has kept the pen — now the thumbs — moving as a lyricist. He started performing in college around 2015 and released his first song on SoundCloud in 2017. During the pandemic, he started making beats and subsequently releasing music under the name Zander, an American. Five years later, Zander’s writing, beatmaking, and production continue to grow more stark and impactful.
Zander, an American’s Vision For The Impact Of His Music
Ultimately, Zander wants people to fully engage his overarching brand Across The Culture — a hub of pop cultural information, analysis, and creation. Whether it’s through his journalism, thought leadership, or music, Zander hopes the intentionality behind his music brings people together who want to better understand people and live in harmony.
How To Support Zander
Support Zander, an American’s moves in music by following him on your digital streaming platform of choice and subscribing to the ATC Sound YouTube channel, home for visual content of ATC Sound artists like Zander as well as editorial content on the music industry.
In 2018, The HabeshAmericans — the duo of Ahbee C and I, Zander, an American — put out their debut project 13 Months of Sunshine to extremely local fanfare in the Twin Cities, Minnesota area.
That shit was never going to blow up, but there was a lot to be proud of.
The work ethic was admirable — including songwriting sessions over the phone and several flights from Arizona where I lived with my then-girlfriend (now wife) back to Minneapolis to record with Ahbee C. I maxed out my only credit card to get the eight tracks mixed for about $400. But the mic was hot during our sessions (of course we didn’t notice, we could barely get the mic stand balanced), so engineers could only do so much without actually being the ones recording us amateurs.
During this fun and chaotic time, we also achieved what we believe to be a hip-hop first: bundling a book with an album.
While the 13 Months of Sunshine album got an encouraging amount of attention, it wasn’t until years later that our self-published 13MOS book had a couple of random quotes floating around the internet. The book — written to further elaborate on the themes of optimism, self-determination, and growth in the album — managed to resonate with some people despite virtually no copies of the book actually being sold.
Random webpages like this one and this one picked up some of the more digestible quotes and made some feel-good listicle content. Some went even further and made some of those motivational quote visuals like the one below:
This was not the vision, but we’re glad our words mean something to some people. To peep our 13 Months of Sunshine book, read more here.
All of that being said, there was some magic captured in that project. Some genuinely engaging melodies, a snapshot of a great friendship, and an interesting theme pulling from our shared Habesha culture (primarily Tegaru and Amhara people) and young adult experiences in the United States.
What “13 Months of Sunshine” Means To Us And Habesha People
“13 Months of Sunshine” was the official slogan of Ethiopia’s national tourism efforts from 1961 until 2016 when the Ethiopian Tourism Organization (ETO) introduced the current slogan “Land of Origins.” Ethiopia went through a lot in the lifespan of this slogan, including revolution, Eritrean secession, and a number of self-inflicted humanitarian crises such as the famine that inspired the anthem “We Are The World.”
The iconic 1965 image of a Beni Amer boy who became the face of Ethiopia’s “13 Months of Sunshine” slogan
The 13 months are in reference to the Ethiopian calendar, a unique feature of Habesha culture with twelve 30-day months and one five-day month. It is similar to but distinct from more common Christian calendars such as the Gregorian and Julian, representing the self-determination of Habesha people.
The custom calendar format is paired with the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian belief that the birth of Jesus Christ happened around 7-8 B.C. instead of, well…1? This means as of this piece’s publication, Ethiopia considers itself to be in the year 2017.
There is a fierce pride and optimism about Habesha people. Consciously or not, it defined me and Abeye’s friendship and guided us in the songwriting process for the 13 Months album.
We have complicated dynamics back home, but Abeye and I have overwhelmingly experienced love and camaraderie among fellow Ethiopians and Eritreans in the diaspora. We root for Abel, Alexander Isak, Nipsey Hussle, Rubi Rose, Berhana, Master Tesfatsion, and all of our brothers and sisters doing their best to be their unique selves while repping us all.
Almost seven years later with Aminé dropping his much bigger 13 Months of Sunshine project, enjoy this quick Q & A between Abeye and I in celebration of our own art and anticipation for our distant cousin’s latest work.
Our Favorite Tracks on 13 Months of Sunshine (HabeshAmericans version)
Zander’s Pick
“Sunset” with “Say So” a close second.
Ahbee C’s Pick
Honestly it’s a three-way tie between “Island”, “Say So”, and “Get Up”.
Favorite HabeshAmericans Song Ever
Ahbee C’s Pick
“HabeshAmerican” – an unmixed-unmastered single we dropped. It didn’t make it onto 13 Months of Sunshine but it felt like the perfect introductory track for Zander and me.
Zander’s Pick
“Sustenance (Kool-Aid)” off of Blended Buna. It’s immediately enjoyable and it is one of the only songs of ours I don’t find myself criticizing when I revisit it.
Cover art for The HabeshAmericans’ Blended Buna EP (2019). Click here to listen.
Our Favorite Vocal Parts From Each Other on our 13 Months of Sunshine
Ahbee C’s Favorite Lines From Zander
Our last song, “Sunset”, on the album felt like our own artistic coming of age story and Zander perfectly embodied it in the first few seconds of the song:
“I aint did enough, but I aint gettin upset /
Get a lil better everyday, and everyday got a sunset”
Appreciate the daily small wins in whatever you’re working to accomplish!
Zander’s Favorite Lines From Ahbee C
“‘Cause the hoes know it’s me *sparkle emoji*” Abeye has always had crazy on-mic rizz.
Favorite Moment/Story From 13 Months of Sunshine Sessions
Zander’s Pick
The A-Mill Artist Loft studio was never not a good time. Shoutout to Johnny for the access and early support. We were very excited after Abeye recorded the hook for “Island.” I also have video of us playing back “Sustenance” after it was recorded.
My favorite moment though? The day-long recording session with peak-dreadhead Abeye and a 1.5L chardonnay bottle. Nothing went wrong that day. It felt like an uninterrupted livestream, we spent so much time but it went kinda fast because it was so fun.
Ahbee C’s Pick
Bro this is my fav story too LOL so can we put it for both of us? I would also add how I loved when we had group recording sessions where the guys were with us in the studio sometimes. Felt fun and collaborative.
“Gotta have chains, gotta have wine.” – Ahbee C (2018)
Our Favorite Habesha Foods
Zander’s Pick
I have a special place in my heart for “dabo fir fir” — a fir fir variation my parents made with Country Hearth 12-grain bread slices. More traditionally, keye wut, direk tibs, ga’at (or ginfo for the Amharic speakers). Gomen is a great side.
Ahbee C’s Pick
Easy. Kitfo. It’s top 2 and not 2!
Favorite Habesha Artist?
Zander’s Pick
I listen to The Weeknd more consistently than any other Habesha artist and have admired his trajectory. He gets my vote, hard not to stick with someone you supported before you even know what they looked like! That being said, two of my favorite songs by Habesha artists are “Atse Yohannes” by Tamrat Amare and “Mela Beyign” by Temesgen Gebregziabher for very different reasons.
“Atse Yohannes” has really beautiful krar work and retells crucial history about one of our most important leaders (whom the song is named after). Hearing the krar makes me emotional, it gives me the clearest feeling of connection to my family tree.
“Mela Beyign” is very fun to dance to and the eskista choreo is next level. I’m still looking for opportunities to work eskista into my music videos and I regularly envision some of the moves in “Mela.”
Ahbee C’s Pick
For me, can’t go wrong with Teddy Afro and The Weeknd.
I have core memories growing up when my mom would play Teddy’s music on car rides or at the crib on Saturday mornings.
The Weeknd has the craziest artist arc that i’ve ever seen. From an anonymous identity to a global superstar. I love how he takes on a new persona for each album and to this day he has some of the most classic R&B mixtapes
Favorite Aminé Songs To Date?
Ahbee C’s Picks
Might sound cliche but definitely “Caroline”! Love how catchy the song is and how simple the music video is. It’s really just homies hanging out on some regular shit having a good time. And more than all that, this was the first commercially successful Habesha hip hop song I believe, so the song feels more impactful.
Zander’s Picks
“Sundays” was an early favorite. Good For You is basically the sound of our 13 Months of Sunshine, about half the album is specifically Aminé type beats. I also really like his collaborations with Injury Reserve, particularly “Campfire” and “Fetus.”
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New music from The HabeshAmericans?! We’ll let you know. In the meantime, pre-order Aminé’s 13 Months of Sunshine here and stream The HabeshAmericans 13MOS and Blended Buna via your platform of choice.
the illusion of the music industry’s doors being wide open due to streaming collapses under the weight of the Big 3 labels’ continued dominance of the market
How is Universal Music Group (UMG), the largest music company in the world today, connected to notorious conqueror Napoleon Bonaparte?
Well, Bonaparte had a nephew named Napoleon III. Napoleon III was France’s first president, second emperor, and last monarch. Early in his term as Emperor of the French, he used his power to order the creation of a company called Compagnie Générale des Eaux (CGE) — General Water Company in English. CGE became one of Europe’s largest suppliers of public water, responsible for city water in Lyon, Paris, and Nantes, and later expanding into other major European cities like Venice and Istanbul.
From the time of Napoleon III’s imperial decree (1853) to about 1980, all CGE did was water. 1980 marked the arrival of Guy Dejouany as President/CEO of CGE. Under his leadership, CGE was pushed rapidly into other fields including civil engineering, construction, waste management, heating, health, and communications. By the mid 1990s, CGE had stakes in over 2,200 companies. Finally, in 1998, the no-longer-a-water-company global conglomerate changed its name to Vivendi.
As part of its expansion into entertainment, Vivendi kicked off the 2000s with some era-defining purchases. They made waves in broadcasting with a $9 billion acquisition of premium French television channel Canal+. Their move into music was even bigger: the $34 billion acquisition of Seagram — producers of everyone’s favorite pine tree-flavored gin — which came with, among other assets, the newly-formed UMG.
Vivendi was the majority or sole owner of UMG during the following historical checkpoints in music business: peak CD revenue, the advent of Napster and digital downloads, the introduction of streaming, and the highest annual revenues in US music industry history.
New World, Old Rules: Vivendi and UMG Thrive In Oligopoly
This is old money. Taking nothing away from the business acumen of its leaders in the late 1900s, name another utility company that has grown to air PSG matches and make money off of Taylor Swift. National government investment plus a list of aristocratic families (including the Rothschilds) offering their support nearly guarantees a high level of initial success and plenty of room to grow.
In 2021, Vivendi decided to let UMG loose as an indepenent and publicly-traded company. Vivendi distributed most of its shares in UMG to Vivendi shareholders, and UMG’s strong opening on the stock market saw many shareholders win big. Lucian Grainge, UMG CEO, has received 450 million euros in shares since the UMG spinoff from Vivendi including a $100 million stock and options award that many shareholders voted against. UMG artists did not get much of anything from all of this activity.
Now, in a rush to appease various stakeholders by ensuring the company grows, UMG is aggressively seeking to buy publishing rights to the catalogs of legendary artists and swallowing up independent music labels who threaten their market share. This is good business for UMG, but the illusion of the music industry’s doors being wide open due to streaming collapses under the weight of the Big 3 labels’ continued dominance of the market.
Eighty-four percent of music revenue in the US last year was earned by UMG (38.61 percent), Sony (27.38 percent), and Warner (18.39 percent). Almost 60 percent of UMG is owned by three groups — the Bolloré family (28 percent), Chinese holding company Tencent (20 percent), and the Pershing Holding Company (10 percent).
Why Should Music Listeners Care About Vivendi and UMG?
The people with the most power over the production of music treat it like nothing more than one of their thousands of other investments.
Like politics, television, mobile phone service, food, and more, you really only have a handful of choices when it comes to who provides you with music. There’s just too much shit happening in the world for people to be passive about what’s being placed in front of them.
An oligopoly in music means a lot of things for the quality of music and the listener experience. Since UMG’s chief responsibility is to its shareholders, the drive for profitability restricts art. We miss out on greater variety in production style, vocal style, lyrical content, artist branding, and an artist’s freedom to speak on their own behalf.
When is the last time you heard a song that wasn’t in 4/4 time?
What percentage of songs that enter the Billboard Hot 100 are not built on common chord progressions or recognizable samples?
For all the brilliant songwriting in today’s pop music, how often are we hearing songs that help us connect to the real world instead of disappear inside one person’s drama or escapist fantasies? “Rich Men North of Richmond” went viral because its candor, urgency, and concern with society shocked people out of a stupor.
We, the people, should be learning about each other better than Machine Learning (ML) or Large Language Models. Through the currency of attention, divesting from enormous music media platforms and putting a little more toward independent blogs and curators creates higher quality and more decentralized information on good music and artists. Better music coverage means an easier time finding gems in the vast amounts of quality music available in the streaming era.
UMG, Sony, and Warner do not have to disappear in order for people to gain some sense of freedom from how the Big 3 labels have programmed us to experience music.
Skipping one Live Nation-promoted concert to go see a local artist at a bar is an act of freedom. Seeking out one artist a month with under 10,000 monthly listeners on Spotify is an act of freedom. Toying around with your own music is an act of freedom that helps you respect what it takes for any artist in this world to make something meaningful.
How Do We Connect With Music Outside Of The Major Label System?
There must be better ways people can engage with music and the brilliant artists that make it. There have to be more ways music can generate social and economic good in a community.
We can’t begin to wonder how until humble listeners realize they are an active part of the music industry. Big labels are making moves across the African continent, for instance, because lovers of genres such as afrobeats and amapiano are putting the music on the map by themselves. Indonesians, Malaysians, and other Southeast Asian music listeners are highly active online and sometimes provide greater support to an upstart foreign artist than the artist receives in their home country.
Despite all the artists still chasing after a record deal, major labels are the ones that have to chase after artists and their listeners. Why else would they poke around in “underdeveloped” countries or eat up independent labels instead of competing in good faith? Given freedom of choice, it’s hard to believe 80 percent of money spent on music would go to three companies. Given freedom of choice, it’s hard to believe people would spend hundreds of dollars on nosebleed seats just to say they went to a certain show.
Ultimately, music cannot be controlled. Asking questions about how Vivendi, UMG, and similar entities do their best to control music is not meant to help a new group take their spot. Instead, we ask questions about the current music industry to find ways to create more opportunities for people to be fulfilled by making, sharing, and listening to music.
For the video version of this article, visit the ATC Sound YouTube channel below. If you’d like to help us help independent artists through quality journalism and more, consider supporting ATC Sound via Patreon
Editor Zander Tsadwa in “Vivendi History and Why Indie Music Matters” (ATC Sound/YouTube)
