Some fans might remember the 23-year-old independent musician Zach Taylor, based out of Fort Wayne, under the artist’s name of Zachary Ochsner. The artist’s music is a mixture of contemporary, alternative, singer/songwriter, and pop. He’s written music for about 10 years now and recorded and released music for about the past four years.
I talked to Zach about his name change, weight loss, and new self-titled four-song EP.
Why did you change your artist’s name?
I was thinking of ways I could connect with my listeners better and a way that I could market my music more memorably. I was praying and changing my artist’s name kept popping into my mind. I brushed off the thought until my brother Sam, who is also my drummer, said “Hey Zach, Moriah (my sister) and I were talking, and we think it would be a good idea for you to rebrand under a new name. How about 'Zachary Taylor’?”
I told him that I had already been thinking about a new name, so this seemed like confirmation. I decided to go with Zach instead of Zachary as you all can see, but the reason for the name change was pretty much because Ochsner is such a weird last name. It’s hard to pronounce for people and hard for them to spell.
I had four siblings go through school before me and the teachers still couldn’t remember how to spell our last names even when I was in their grade. That’s five years for them to figure it out and they never did so it’s best not to try and promote music with a name like that.
What are you passionate about your listeners hearing through your music?
The most important thing that I am passionate about for my listeners to hear in my music is honesty. I want to be real. I want to be an artist whom my listeners can relate with and feel that they’re having a conversation with. I get tired of hearing music and artists that I feel are releasing music to make a quick buck. Music is a powerful thing and the more real and vulnerable you are, the more people can connect with it.
Tell us about a few of the songs from your self-titled EP.
So, my EP is a four-song release. There was only one single off the project and that was “My Everything.” This was the first song of mine to be pitched to the radio and it has had great responses from listeners. I don’t know if I have ever loved a song of mine more than this one. It’s a song to remind myself and tell the world that they can throw money, fame, and popularity toward me, but it means nothing because my music is for Jesus. He is my everything and this is for His kingdom, not mine.
Another song that I love from the new EP is “Hard Times (Keep on Living).” This isn’t a typical Christian song like most of my music. It’s a song I wrote for suicide prevention and one that I hope anybody who listens to it can relate to. We all go through tough times in our lives, and I know that sometimes people want to give up and even contemplate ending their own lives. But I promise it will get better if you don’t quit and keep your faith.
We love to put on a fake face and tell people we’re fine and nothing is wrong, but many of us are going through things nobody has any idea about. I want my music to reach beyond the four church walls, and "Hard Times" is a song I believe can do that because it’s real and relatable to people.
You shared openly this summer about your weight loss journey and foot injuries. How are your progress and healing going? What are some of the best tips you can share from that journey?
I got a small fracture in my foot at the beginning of 2020 while playing basketball in February, but I never got it checked by a doctor. Then I was playing football with our youth group on the blacktop in May and stepped on a small pebble that went right into the small fracture of my foot that cause the bone to split.
I was on crutches for a few weeks and in a boot for six to eight weeks. Then after getting cleared, I broke my foot in the same place playing kickball with our youth in September because it was never fully healed. So, I saw a specialist and he said that I needed surgery and that I should have had a screw put in my foot when I first broke it in May.
Even though I was working out before my injury, I was a heavier guy. At the time, I was around 260 pounds. I got up to around 270 pounds after my surgery because I couldn’t do too much activity and was sitting quite a bit. Once my foot healed, I returned to working out in 2021 and got my weight back down to around 260 pounds.
But I could never get past this weight level though. So, in February of this year, I reached out to a guy on Twitter who helps guys lose weight. Long story short after working with him, eating way better, and working out three-to-four times a week consistently, I have gone from 260 pounds to 198 pounds in eight months. I'm in the best shape of my life now and it feels amazing.
Some of the best tips I could share during this journey is to make sure you are balancing your diet and workouts. You can work out as much as you want but if you eat junk 24/7, you’re not going to see results.
What’s next for you?
I’m not 100 percent sure what is next for me if I’m being honest. There’s a good chance that I will stick to releasing singles occasionally, instead of doing full projects. I don’t want to get burned out because if I’m always going nonstop, I’ll start to feel the pressure and fatigue from the stats and the effort it takes to release quality music in a timely fashion. I’m at a point in my life where I’m trying to figure out what I am called to and how music relates to it.
I’m thinking about going to bible college for a few years and if that happens, I will most likely have to put releasing on hold for a bit. Taking a step back before I release any more material soon seems like it could be the best thing to do at this point in my life. I know music will be a part of my future calling, I’m just trying to figure out how to best incorporate it into my ministry.
How can we be praying for you?
Please pray for clarity about my future and my calling. How I’m supposed to use music in my ministry and for the right doors to open so that the songs the Lord gives me can be used and shared in the best way to further His kingdom. Also, please pray that the right people would hear these songs at the right time and that they can be a blessing to whoever hears them.
Kevin McNeese started NRT in 2002 and has worked in the industry since 1999 in one form or another. He has been a fan of Christian music since 1991.
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