“I wanted to capture the feeling of Anemoia through a summery polished lens. With the project I also challenged myself to release music more often than usual and expand my sonic palette as an artist.”

– Robbie Z

In the times of a full-blown nostalgia epidemic, where tumblr posts and mp3 player aesthetics are making a comeback, 23-year-old bulgarian pop-rap artist Robbie Z has decided to turn the spark into a whole constellation of emotions. Diving into the etheral sound his new EP Anemoia goes headfirst into that weird, wistful kind of feeling for made-up stories circling in the deepest parts our minds – like missing a summer that never happened or a lover that only existed in a dream – as the name of the EP originates from. 

Based in London, Robbie calls his sound “music for your inner child” and that feels right – it’s playful, cinematic, and not afraid to be funny. While listening to the music, you’re accompanied by the feeling of being lost – but not in a bad way. It’s the kind of lost you’ve felt in a toy shop many years ago: you just wanna stay longer and play with everything. The visuals are all full of bold colors and surreal moments that sit somewhere between a magical daydream and Eurosummer with loved ones.

Anemoia, his third and most ambitious project yet, fuses early 2010s edm-pop nostalgia with surf rock guitars, pop-rap flow, and indie ballad softness. The EP floats through themes like love, heartbreak, escapism and scenarios of what could have been. The kind of songs that make you feel like you’re watching your own life as a coming-of-age movie.

Robbie’s been building his world since he was 15, when he dropped his debut mixtape REBELLIOUZ back in 2018, inspired through artists like Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX. Since then, he’s been slowly claiming his space in the alt-pop scene. His viral 2022 single dream creep hit #13 on the iTunes hip-hop/rap chart, proving that his sound resonates far beyond London’s underground. Last year, his Dear Diary EP featured 5 Dollars & a Dream, which guaranteed him a spot on a Times Square billboard.

After selling out his headline show at London’s Tamesis Dock and performing at iconic spots like Troubadour, Robbie’s next move is to take Anemoia to the stage – playing British venues and eventually, across Europe. He’s already teasing two more projects next year (and maybe even music in his native language for the first time 👀).

So, if gen z is collectively homesick for a past we never had, Robbie Z just gave us the soundtrack.

✦ listen to Anemoia ✦

words by Julia Mastalerz