“I speak on human topics,” he said as we sat across from one another in PJ’s New Orleans House of Coffee. Much like the coffee house brand, my guest had Louisiana roots and a Texas home. After hearing his words, I reflected on the phrase “human topics.” Love, doubt, overcoming, heartbreak, empathy; the emotions and experiences faced by each of us at some point in our lived journey. Zackery Joseph Wells strives to pour as much of his lived experience as possible into each of his songs. The listener is met with a torrent of memory, causing them to recollect their own tender moments. Creating since his first words, mimicking his favorite music performances alongside his cousin as a kid, it wasn’t until 2017 that he found his unique sound. After attending a concert by one of his distant mentors, Janet Jackson, and seeing the popstar command her audience with a range that surpassed genre he began to expand his own practice. The rapper evolved into a recording artist. His talent heard not solely in his words or production but the layers beneath these and the passion in which he puts them together. He is one who chooses to learn in the present as preparation for tomorrow, absorbing all musical inspiration in preparation for its divine timing. Being driven by a restlessness regarding his craft, outside his own music he works to help other musicians discover their voice and use it with confidence in their creating process. Z-Wells is someone who lives music, shifting between performing, to production, to writing or recording instead of taking time off. He is an artist with an ear for soulful music and he is working to restore that to all those who listen.