American producer, musician, drummer and composer, Nondoh enlists the undeniable talents of Colombian American artist Julie Zorilla for their latest single, “Cruise.”
Nondoh was performing with a number of different artists and bands ranging from Jazz and Salsa groups to Rock, and cover bands, before he took it upon himself to create original music that resonates with his listeners today.
Julie Zorilla is finally stepping into the musical limelight after a long hiatus following her appearance on American Idol. For the last 10 years, she has dedicated herself wholeheartedly to songwriting and self-production and is now ready to put forth a Pop heavy catalog full of hundreds of songs.
As the hauntingly beautiful resonance of “Cruise” opens up our sound palette, there’s a distinct redefinition that is happening as numerous genres fuse together for the remarkable outcome of this single.
The formidable avenues of mystery weave through our minds as the striking timbres of Julie Zorilla allow us to visit a chamber of reverberated hues. Taking note of how her inimitable croons cascade over the expansive production development, we admire the way that Nondoh opens up the soundscape to simultaneously shape both a dark and buoyant realm in the instrumentation.
When the effervescent vitality of the hook comes in to completely throw you off your game and sweep you into lyrical motifs such as, ‘I’d much rather cruise. Cut myself loose. If you think you’re happier without me,’ you can’t help but feel an overwhelming rush of liberation take charge of your existence. Through a dynamism that is not to be messed with, we’re over the moon with how Nondoh and Julie Zorilla work together.
For this being the debut of Julie Zorilla’s songwriting talents hitting the world as we know it, her mature sound fuses together with Nondoh's creative expertise in a way that has “Cruise” radiating a seasoned flair, bound to get stuck in your head.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Nondoh, and Julie Zorilla! This masterpiece brings out the best in both of you. We loved listening to the playful and cemented essence of “Cruise.” How did this collaboration come to life?
Nondoh sent over a simple, catchy guitar riff that we used as the framework for the tune. We played with the structure until we had something solid that Julie could write over. From there the tune really took on a life of its own and we did our best to honor the song’s fullest potential.
What was it like working with one another to bring this vision to the front and center? Could you please share how you two managed to create and record “Cruise”?
Working together was very easy. We have similar standards for the quality we want our work to live up to and we aren’t quick to move on from something if we think it needs more polishing. We both push and challenge each other to be better musicians and have grown together a lot through this process. We don’t live in the same city and we both teach music during the day so getting this done took a lot of late-night sessions over zoom. It was very exciting to create this and we can’t wait to create more music!
What are you hoping that your audience takes away from this record? How does it relate to the two of you as individuals?
Honestly, we wanted our first collaboration to be something fun that people could dance to. We both kind of have this vision of Cruise being blasted down the PCH on a summer day with the windows down. We hope our audience gets to enjoy it in this way that’s carefree, just leaving all their worries behind so they can cruise in the good times. I think we all need that after the year we’ve had. Does “Cruise” fit the scheme of what’s to come from both of you in your artistic careers?
We come from two very different worlds. Nondoh is a jazz drummer and producer and Julie’s training is deeply rooted in classical music. We are both Latin American so we have a unique cultural understanding of music and somehow all of that knowledge and training has culminated in our die-hard love for pop. I’d say this song is a great representation of the sonic quality we can deliver. We are currently working on some other tunes that showcase a wider scope of Nondoh’s production abilities as well as Julie’s capacity for emotional depth and storytelling through her lyrics. We can’t wait to share more.
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