Monsieur Zeraw. Singer
Monsieur Zeraw, shares with us the story of Vegas, the songs he wrote during the lockdown and his favorite song.
"Greece has taken off the stylistic blinds and no longer rejects the new, the different, even the extreme fashion"
BYO: A few words about you.
ZERAW: I'm Monsieur Zeraw, member of Vegas, two-time MTV Award-winning band. I was born in Harare (Zimbabwe) and grew up in Athens (Greece) from the age of five. 2021 finds me healthy and optimistic, despite the fact that I, like the whole world, have experienced the effects of the coronavirus. What helps me stay positive is focusing on music, for me this is a form of psychotherapy. I have written more than thirty songs in quarantine!
BYO: Talk to us about Vegas. What made this band so special?
ZERAW: Vegas was founded by five people with a common love of music and a desire to innovate in an industry that at the time seemed to have run out of ideas. While our songs were quickly accepted by the world, the same did not happen with our style. It was extreme for Greece in 2009 and perhaps I would say radical, from the clothes we wore to hair styles and our trademark sunglasses, which we wore everywhere!
BYO: Do you like the idea of exploring your musical style as a solo artist?
ZERAW: Yes, I like it and it's something I feel i owe to myself after so many years with Vegas. With the band taking a break, each of us has had the opportunity to work on our personal projects and that is exactly what I did in quarantine.
BYO: Was Greece ready for Vegas or even now for Zeraw?
ZERAW: As it turned out then, Greece was ready for new things. It may have taken some time for the "new" to be fully accepted, but in the end it people appreciated the authenticity and originality of our style. In the case of Monsieur Zeraw, I think the same will happen but it may take a little longer as I don’t intend to define my style too quickly, I want to experiment with my work.
BYO: Your style has always been different. It's not something we would have seen before you, but we saw it become a trend later. Where do you get your inspiration from?
ZERAW: I always liked to take inspiration from the current trends of the time and put my personal spin on it to create my style. I could combine trends from two different eras or aesthetics to achieve the desired result. But I must mention that I also had the right person to guide me, Fani Polychroniou who was the man behind Vegas styling and the man who taught us the secrets of fashion.
BYO: What does fashion mean to you?
ZERAW: Fashion plays an important role in my life as it fulfils my need for self-renewal. Exploring new styles allows me to see myself from a new perspective and I believe that this is what each of us search for in fashion, the feeling of "New Me".
BYO: Are Greeks conservative in their style or not?
ZERAW: Greece has been conservative in terms of style but in recent years you see around you that it has taken off the stylistic blinds and no longer rejects the new, the different, even the extreme fashion. Even Greek designers now keep pace with foreign designers and many are even distinguished internationally with their most daring creations.
BYO: What do you like in Athens? Where do you hang out?
ZERAW: What I adore in Athens, is its energy, its liveliness and its diversity. The city offers a lot in terms of entertainment and culture and attracts people from all over the world. Another thing I also like is the fact that this city inspires you to do things, it is constantly on the move and you have to follow. I get this inspiration when I take a walk in the alleys of Patissia, when I talk to neighbors or when I go for basketball, billiards or even for a coffee with friends.
BYO: Do you have a favorite route, walk, or shops or a best time of the day in the city?
ZERAW: I really enjoy afternoon walks ,i find walking the traditional back street alleys is where you really see the city. Even abroad, wherever I traveled, I did exactly the same thing.
BYO: Are there any other favourite cities that you like?
ZERAW: I have a great love for Thessaloniki, Crete, Kozani and Corfu as they are places I have visited many times and still have very good friends there. Abroad my favourite city so far is Paris.
BYO: Would you live in any of these cities?
ZERAW: Yes, in all them! And in fact I would be very happy to do so, I feel great excitement every time I visit each of these cities and it is always very difficult for me to leave.
BYO: Are you working on any new music project?
ZERAW: Well, as I said at the beginning, during the quarantine I wrote a lot of songs with completely different styles from each other. I am in the process of releasing some as singles and the rest will be for new albums on my YouTube channel MonsieurZeraw. The next single that will be released has an 80's style aesthetic.
BYO: If you were not in the music industry, where would you be?
ZERAW: I would have really liked to do something with social and community action, to help to make our world better.
BYO: What are your favourite songs?
ZERAW: I have many favourite songs. I definitely single out “Gia Sena” (For you) and the “Paidia tis nichtas” (Nighty guys) because of the styling in the music videos. I think these two videos are the best we've done as Vegas. From other artists I will say Michael Jackson's Thriller which although it was released so many years ago, it remains one of the best of all time, if not the best.
