Rising Artist: Bazzi

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on The Lens of Camm

Andrew Bazzi, stage name “Bazzi,” is an American singer and songwriter. Bazzi grew mainstream media attention when his single “Mine” dropped in late 2017. The song was so popular that Snapchat created a filter with it. The video for “Mine” has surpassed 45 million views on YouTube, while Bazzi has only 525,000 subscribers.

In the song “Mine,” Bazzi is describing his love interest from her smile to simply being happy she’s alive. Bazzi is confessing his obsession and love for the woman.

Bazzi stated in his Genius interview that on a very hot summer day, surrounded by girls at a pool, the melody came to him and he knew in that instant how he wanted to craft the record. Bazzi shared with Genius it was the first time in a long time he was feeling love and acceptance from a significant other. It was unfamiliar ground for Bazzi because he described himself as a “very on my own type kid,” and for him to let someone in and to feel that love and acceptance made him feel good. So he wanted to create a record that made others feel that same energy.

The song debuted at No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 this past January, and it currently has over 100 million streams on Spotify.

But Bazzi’s songs aren’t always joyful and positive. Sometimes the songwriter releases records that are harsh, angry and show a glimpse of man not willing to forgive or even let go. Those records were named “Why” and “Honest.”

The song begins with saying, “I’m still on your Netflix, girl I know you love me, even though your parents, they don’t f*cking trust me, they probably are right though; I know I’m an asshole, no reply to all your texts, girl I do you mad cold.”

Bazzi clearly doesn’t care for her yet she won’t let him go. He acknowledges his wrongdoings but he doesn’t care to account for her feelings. He actually is boasting about his control over her.

In the chorus, he states, “Tell me why do you still love me, why do you love me? You know you shouldn’t love me, Yeah you still love me.” Bazzi is telling the female you shouldn’t do this to yourself; don’t bother loving me. But at the same time, he was bragging that she still loves him.

In the bridge, “Why do you need me when you know you don’t need me? It’s tearing you apart; I leave you broken and shaken, and you still call me baby,” Bazzi is questioning her attachment to him. He’s basically saying, “I treat you like sh*t, I don’t deserve you, why do you still care for me? Move on.”

Now for “Honest.” Bazzi claimed on Twitter that it would be the most real song he’s ever written.

this next song i'm putting out is the realist song i've ever written…

— bazzi (@bazzi) March 3, 2018

Bazzi is showing his scars in this record. He feels romantically betrayed and has immense regret. Bazzi states “Always knew that you’d be ruthless; but I never thought that you could do this, oh and the f*cked-up part is I gave y’all the intro; that was my dude, why you gotta pick him though?” Bazzi introduced his old friend to his former girlfriend; then his former girlfriend cheated on him with that same friend.

The chorus digs deeper into Bazzi’s hurt when he yells, “I wonder if he’s there with you now, f*cking you like I used to! I know you think about all the things that we did when he’s with you! And do you feel no shame? Does he make you feel the same?” Bazzi is wondering “Do you still think about the memories we had together? Does he make you feel the way I made you feel when we were together?” And in the midst of that, he exclaims that he knows that she still cares for him.

Bazzi is a rising star in the music industry. His truth in his lyrics has captivated millions of listeners around the world. Bazzi even captured the attention of pop star Camila Cabello, who announced on March 13, 2018, that Bazzi would be her special guest on her “Never Be The Same” tour.

I'm so excited to announce that one of my favorite new artists @bazzi ✨will be my special guest on the North American leg of my Never Be The Same Tour 🔮🔮🔮 pic.twitter.com/3NdpDBIyWO

— camila (@Camila_Cabello) March 13, 2018