ZHZ Podcast: Independent Music & Artist Interviews

The life of an independent musician often feels like an endless sprint. Between writing, tracking, mixing, and feeding the digital content machine, it is easy to forget why you fell in love with making music in the first place. On Episode 82 of the ZHZ Podcast, hosts Zak Davis and Matt Allen sat down with UK singer, songwriter, and producer Surjit Sembi-Harding—known creatively as SURJ—to talk about the courage it takes to pause, reset your mental health, and return with a renewed creative voice. SURJ is gearing up to release his expansive new project, *Uncovered*, on November 1st, 2026. But reaching this point required making a bold, counterintuitive choice: stepping completely away from releasing music for a full year. Choosing Rest Over the Release Rat Race For five straight years, SURJ operated at full speed. He treated his studio output like a production factory, releasing songs continuously while handling life and work demands. Eventually, the tank ran empty. "I had to take ...