Seems like the friendship between EDM artist Zedd and signer-songwriter Matthew Koma is dead.
The musician who’s currently fronting his new band Winnetka Bowling League took to Instagram yesterday on the seventh anniversary of his song with Zedd, “Spectrum,” which broke Zedd into the mainstream. In it, he wrote how this changed Zedd aka Anton Zaslavski and how toxic he became.
“In response to years of: ‘What happened with you & Zedd.’ I want to finally be transparent about this,” Koma started his lengthly post. “It’s a really sad truth because I’m extremely proud of the work he and I did together. Unfortunately my good feelings toward those songs have all but disappeared as they were experienced alongside someone so toxic and self serving that it occupied the space where any happiness could exist.”
He continued with saying that Zedd started taking credit for writing the songs Koma wrote (e.g. “Clarity” which features Foxes,) that Zaslavski had a inferiority complex when they started working together, and Zedd refusing Koma from releasing a song called “Suitcase” for one of Koma’s albums, “insisting it was released as ‘ZEDD’ with another featured singer or I couldn’t have it.” Koma said he had to wait four years before he could release that song as a different version.
“Another similar instance where he refused to change the key and I came to find out it was because he could only play piano in the key of C and the keyboard wouldn’t transpose,” he reflected. “Sort of contradicted the whole ‘genius classical pianist’ persona.”
Koma even said that people who’ve worked with Zedd, whether it be other writers, DJs, singers, producers, or even people on Zaslavski’s own team, share Koma’s sentient.
“I rather work at Starbucks and clean the toilets than ever experience that abusive dynamic again,” Koma wrote in his finishing statement. “Toxicity doesn’t breed happiness.”
Hilary Duff, who’s engaged to Koma and worked with him on her album Breathe In. Breathe Out., commented on his post. “This is so important for people who love the music to know,” she replied. “Writers are taken advantage of, ignored, and mistreated. Proud of you for finally speaking up.”
Zedd has not yet responded to these accusations.
Koma’s band Winnetka Bowling League dropped their new EP Cloudy With A Chance Of Sun back in April on RCA Records (Childish Gambino, Kesha, Three Days Grace.) Zedd’s newest album Orbit comes out in August on Interscope Records (5 Seconds Of Summer, Billie Eilish, Yungblud.)
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