If you don’t know about Nathan Zed by now, it’s about time you got to know. Formerly known as TheThirdPew, Zed began to gain attention in 2015, and he has since been an unstoppable force with his rise to stardom. Not only does he make good quality videos (even though they are posted rarely), they are always worth the wait. In his videos, he speaks about issues that are close to him and his own personal experience. This may sound simple, but the way in which Zed executes his videos allows for his point to be made clear while still achieving the goal of making great and entertaining quality content.
Though his videos may come across as fun and energetic, he manages to deal with a load of important issues. Nathan is able to bring important awareness to mental health, and through his videos, he is able to preach the important topic of self-love.
Zed is a fascinating character to follow; he is honest about himself and his own life. He doesn’t desperately try to gain attention or seek the constant limelight, which is what give him an even cooler persona. Zed’s own journey with self-love is apparent from two of his videos shared on YouTube.
With the success of his first launch in the summer for his “Good-Enough” t-shirt, it is no surprise that Zed is back (and better) with more of his merchandise. Although the purpose of the Good Enough line was to bring awareness to mental health problems, which are usually disregarded in society, Zed introduces a whole new concept preceding the release of the hoodies.
Zed has created a soundtrack story for his Good Enough line, with the help of the designer and visualizer for BROCKHAMPTON. He is putting together a four-part playlist that encapsulates the meaning behind Good Enough. Nathan released a tweet introducing and detailing the concept.
[ GOOD ENOUGH ]
A 4 Part Story told entirely through music playlists.
starts tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/EY0JmOgaD6
— Nate Z (@NathanZed) December 4, 2017
In the tweet above, Zed introduces the character Caleb who the soundtrack story will be centered on, and he states:
“This is Caleb. He just met someone — the following are the 4 stages of his new relationship as well as his mental health. His story will be told through music sequencing in 4 different playlists…”
Zed, who is an obvious fan of music and who strongly appreciates music as an art form, goes on to say:
“Music is so cool in the way that songs can mean different things to us in different periods of our lives, and I wanted to play with that idea.”
Part I: HONEY
[ GOOD ENOUGH ]: A 4 Part Story told through music playlists
PART I: HONEY 🍯
Spotify: https://t.co/YkFbc1kXmH
Apple Music: https://t.co/rFpOzMME3U pic.twitter.com/n5zgAYGYkf
— Nate Z (@NathanZed) December 6, 2017
It is clear that Zed knows exactly what he is doing — with seamless transition between each song, a story of love and the journey of falling in love is told effortlessly. With hits from H.E.R., Tyler the Creator and Rex Orange County, “Honey” is a beautiful playlist designed to capture the honeymoon period of a new blossoming relationship.
Part II: THORNS
[ GOOD ENOUGH ]: A 4 Part Story told through music playlists
PART II: THORNS
Spotify: https://t.co/1Szss4gD1G
Apple Music:https://t.co/rosnC2422Z pic.twitter.com/8kOZv1vQby
— Nate Z (@NathanZed) December 9, 2017
Thorns focus on the pain of love — and losing love — and for me, this one resonated with my soul in that it was a cathartic experience allowing me to deal with my own emotions through music. It ends with the song “Never Enough” by Rex Orange County contradicting the brand name, while evoking Caleb’s incapability of not being able to feel good enough.
Part III: SPIRAL
[GOOD ENOUGH]: A 4 Part Story told through music playlists
PART III: SPIRAL 🌀
Spotify: https://t.co/aA5KBfEHui
Apple Music: https://t.co/w1mmedCrkC pic.twitter.com/TGSFB0pSRm
— Nate Z (@NathanZed) December 14, 2017
Spiral opens up with “Alyssa Interlude,” and we hear a sample of Amy Winehouse speaking about life, death and addiction. The words that are said define the first half of this playlist and how most relationships are doomed from the start; they are almost like a drug, and once something goes wrong and they end, they have the power to affect you in unexplainable ways.
The second half of the playlist — “start of climax” — depicts the idea of Caleb falling further into the spiral and into himself; he’s going through the process of wanting his lover back but also knowing they were never good for each other. This, in turn, only leads to the more apparent thought of suicide. Kendrick Lamar’s “u,” which is a dark deep cut, dwells into the dark parts of our hearts and plagues one’s mind with negative thoughts. Yet Logic’s “1-800-273-8255” brings hope to the playlist, with the repetitive lyrics “I finally wanna be alive.” It brings hope — Caleb is recovering and will eventually feel good enough.
Part IV: BLOOM
[GOOD ENOUGH]: A 4 Part Story told through music playlists
PART IV: BLOOM 🌹🌺
Spotify: https://t.co/lDO9ktxj6W
Apple Music: https://t.co/gI4opac0Bj pic.twitter.com/aXN5v8uWiw
— Nate Z (@NathanZed) December 15, 2017
The name of this final playlist is benefiting — not only do roses bloom, but Caleb himself is blooming. He is coming into himself and becoming a brand new person. He is able to find peace with himself and find faith in God. He has found love again, but this time, its love for his family and friends. The songs in this playlist are inspiring and uplifting. “Rose Golden” is the pinnacle song on this playlist, as it speaks about being destined for greatness. Even though you face obstacles in life that bring you down, in the end, it’s all about how you get back up from those obstacles and the amount of belief you have in yourself. Once “summer begins,” the songs are feel good and life becomes good again, suggesting that Caleb has realized that he is enough just the way he is.
Zed is without a doubt a true visionary, and he has not only opened up a new way for YouTube to bring meaning to their merchandise, but also a new way for them to promote it as well. The hoodies themselves come with an important message written on them.
https://twitter.com/NathanZed/status/941790375345258497
“Growth begins with accepting yourself as enough.”
Nathan Zed is able to use his platform to inspire others, and the content and clothing he creates have the power to leave people feeling adequate about themselves. It is obvious that theres is so much more that he has to offer, and this is only the beginning of something bigger.
