Blending atmospheric soundscapes with a background in visual arts, Yaxin Zong (aka Zong) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores emotional states, cultural friction, and the elusive space between image and sound. Having relocated from Beijing to New York, her latest release *14O* is less a track and more a response—an intuitive sonic reflection of modern overstimulation, dislocation, and resistance to categorization. In a world where algorithms mediate our senses, Zong’s work insists on feeling as resistance.
We caught up with Zong to talk about her relationship with chaos, how visual thinking shapes her sound, and why music still matters in an algorithmic world.
Hi Zong, how have you been lately?Pretty good! I’ve been juggling a few projects simultaneously while also trying to find a new rhythm between creative output and daily life. I’m working on building a pace where inspiration and routine can naturally coexist.
What inspired *14O*? Was it influenced by any particular sound or artist?*14O* reflects the shifts of the past two years—less about referencing a genre, more about breaking old habits, adjusting my pace, and relocating from Beijing to New York.
That distance from the club scene gave me space to explore broader sounds. I’m drawn to raw, instinctive textures—things that hold emotion without needing structure. Traditional, even ritualistic sonics. *14O* is a collage of motion, memory, and reorientation.
As someone who also works in visual art, does that change how you approach music?Completely. For me, sound and image aren’t separate—they’re extensions of the same perception. Sometimes a sound evokes a visual texture; other times, an image has an internal soundtrack. That crossover space is where a lot of my inspiration comes from. It’s not just about translation—it’s about allowing different mediums to collide, interrupt, and reshape each other.
You grew up in Beijing. How did that shape your sonic aesthetics or worldview?Beijing isn’t just my hometown—it’s like a background frequency in my mind. It shaped how I listen. Growing up there means navigating a dense, fast-shifting soundscape—contradictory, layered, never still. That complexity made me sensitive to sonic tension.
Moving to New York helped me see Beijing from a new distance, and also exposed me to a different kind of energy. Both cities are chaotic in their own ways. With globalization and the collapse of clear cultural boundaries, I feel like we’re entering a new era of sound—one where instinct matters more than genre. The less defined things are, the more I’m drawn to them.
Your music feels deeply connected to the present moment. Do you consciously use sound to respond to current conditions?Definitely. *14O* isn’t about genre—it’s a response. A raw, instinctive reaction to information overload, emotional noise, cultural blur. It’s not meant to explain—just to offer a space to feel something real inside all the static.
I definitely sensed a kind of disorientation or being swept up in *14O*. Was that intentional?Absolutely. That feeling is not just present in *14O*—it runs through a lot of my work. On the surface, the music might feel fluid or open, but underneath, it often deals with being caught in something much larger—systems, data flows, cultural noise.
There’s a constant forward motion, but no real space to pause or reflect. That contradiction—between freedom and pressure, movement and constraint—is where a lot of the emotional tension in my music comes from.
Can you talk more about your creative intentions? What motivates your work right now?We’re overstimulated—images, opinions, sounds. It makes me wonder: which feelings are even ours anymore?
My work is about returning to raw sensation. Not to explain, but to offer space for presence. Music creates moments where you’re not reacting—you’re just being. That’s rare now.
I saw the illustrated zine you released alongside the track. Did you create all of that yourself?Yeah, the illustrations and layout are all mine. I’ve been working visually for a long time, so I naturally think about how sound looks. During my DJ sets, I started noticing how much people responded to physical objects—zines, stickers, visuals. It became this other layer of connection.
So I’ve been leaning more into that, and I’m currently working on some MV and video-based extensions of the music.
Any upcoming releases or live shows you can tease?I’m working on a new series that mixes sound, visual elements, and body-based performance. The theme still revolves around emotional states, but the format will be more immersive. I’m also designing some spatial elements for live sets—visual installations that turn the venue into something more sensory.
I want the audience to feel the sound, not just hear it. Still finalizing details, but it’s all in motion.
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