Life post-outbreak has been challenging for musicians, as touring and other opportunities to perform live are no longer possible in the ways that they used to be. Many music lovers now are turning to livestreams and videos from their favorite artists, which still provide a way for them to connect.
Brooklyn-based DIY artist Two Feet (AKA Zachary William Dess) is currently confined to a quarantined space, and had to recently cancel his tour. "My shows are obviously being postponed unfortunately," he tells PAPER. "It's very sad for me and my crew. I've been writing a new album while in quarantine and planning the next year or two of my career out."
Still, Two Feet isn't letting this new reality stop him from sharing his talents, which have now been featured in millions of TikTok videos. Through his own livestreams, Two Feet has managed to reach a massive audience online, and will continue to do so through an acoustic performance of "I Feel Like I'm Drowning," performed exclusively for PAPER.
Equipped with just an acoustic guitar, Two Feet delivers an effortlessly smooth rendition of a track typically backed by a full band. The inspiration behind "I Feel Like I'm Drowning" was "a very bad relationship," according to Two Feet. "I needed a way to get over it without being self-destructive and writing a song about it helped. The lyrics were done and written in about three minutes."
Two Feet's style of music came from living in a small apartment and having to make do with the limited technology he had access to. "I lived in a small apartment while writing the first EP, and whenever I brought a bass player in or a drummer the cops would show up," he says. "So I started making my beats myself on the computer where I could easily control the volume. My whole style was born out of that."
With elusive vocals and intimate beat drops, the sex appeal of Two Feet's music hasn't gone unnoticed by fans. "It's sorta odd and amazing that the most common compliment I receive is, 'My partner and I have sex to your music all the time.'" he says. "I had someone offer me $30k to play a private show for her while her and her fiancé had sex."
Watch Two Feet's acoustic take on "I Feel Like I'm Drowning," and learn more about the musician, below.
First off, what does Two Feet mean?
My father's cousin's name is Two Feet and she died while exploring Mars, so I took the name in her honor.
Your song "Go Fuck Yourself" has hundreds of millions of plays, and you've been called the "King of Sex Playlists." How do you feel about that?
Very good [Laughs]. It's sorta odd and amazing that the most common compliment I receive is, "My partner and I have sex to your music all the time."
You have such a close relationship with your fans. What's the craziest thing they've ever asked you?
I had someone offer me $30k to play a private show for her while her and her fiancé had sex.
"I had someone offer me $30k to play a private show for her while her and her fiancé had sex."
How is this quarantine impacting your upcoming shows? What have you been doing to keep busy?
My shows are obviously being postponed unfortunately. It's very sad for me and my crew. I've been writing a new album while in quarantine and planning the next year or two of my career out.
You're a native New Yorker. How are your family and friends surviving?
Well, they're surviving. Everyone in my family is a New Yorker down to their bones, so they're tough. My dad went up to Connecticut with his girlfriend, but my sister is immune-compromised and in a wheelchair and my Grandma is 88, so I'm very scared for both of them. They live in Manhattan.
What was the inspiration behind "I Feel Like I'm Drowning"?
A very bad relationship. I needed a way to get over it without being self-destructive and writing a song about it helped. The lyrics were done and written in about three minutes.
How did you develop your own sound?
I did it out of necessity. I lived in a small apartment while writing the first EP and whenever I brought a bass player in or a drummer the cops would show up. So I started making my beats myself on the computer where I could easily control the volume. My whole style was born out of that.
Photo courtesy of Johannes Lovund