A blend of hip-hop, alt rock, and jazz fusion that uplifts and inspires

You’ve got to hurt to heal. Through painfully honest self-reflection, Nadim Azzam addresses depression, addiction, and the dysfunctional realities of our times with his songs rooted in hope and connectivity. A singer, rapper, and songwriter who makes his own beats and plays multiple instruments on his tracks, Nadim has spent years evolving to where his music is today.

A symbiosis of programmed drums and organic live instruments creates a warm, sometimes surreal sonic environment. Smooth keys, angular guitars, and lush synth pads swim alongside melodic vocal hooks and bars that waste no time getting straight to the heart of things. The energy is chill, friendly and open-hearted, but the songs open up from this unassuming approach into statements of vulnerability and bracing honesty. Nothing is hidden, and nothing is off-limits. Graceful vocals and smiling lyrical flows reveal a personal truth that’s sometimes almost hard to look at but always comes from a search for real understanding.

Making songs for the deep-thinkers, the over-drinkers, and other sensitive souls, Nadim faces his own struggles head-on in hopes of offering some sense of solace to anyone else walking similar valleys of their own. These songs seek to remind that there’s more to life, and that the pain any given individual feels can be transformed from a solitary torment into a vessel of connection.

Opener Mark Zhu (pronounced “Joo”) addresses relationships, mental health, and identity with his songs rooted in healing and emotional vulnerability. A Chinese American singer-songwriter, music producer, mix engineer, pianist, and designer from Ann Arbor, Mark is making waves at the University of Michigan. There, he studies computer engineering by day and plays shows by night, building his career as an aspiring recording and touring artist. As an award-winning pianist who has performed at Carnegie Hall three times, Mark leverages his classical training to drive his production skills, blending genres to create piano-driven ballads, synth-driven R&B, and fearless pop anthems.