Being a light in the darkness: Ziggy Zeigler

Meet Ziggy Zeigler. Ziggy is a musician who’s looking to create something he calls Solution Music. Rather than harboring our problems and dwelling on them, he is looking to create a way to collectively heal by spreading love, positivity, and light through his music and films. Get to know Ziggy, where he started, and how far he’s come in our interview.

Tell us a little bit about your background and your story…

I’m super grateful for my past because it’s made me who I am today. My mother was an addict at the time of her pregnancy and a prostitute. She was shooting up heroin and had two miscarriages before getting pregnant with me. When she got pregnant with me, she kept shooting it up and her body rejected it. I like to think that I was in there fighting for life. And then I was granted it on December 28, 1995.

My mom and I faced a lot of hardships together — lots of abuse and weird situations to say the least. Regardless, I always kept my sights high and tried to see the positive in everything. Because at the end of the day, I had a choice. A choice to be upset and blame everyone around me and become all the negativity I so badly wanted to get away from — or — I could focus on the positive things, imagine a life where anything was possible, and be the light I so badly wanted to feel. So, I did exactly that and in turn, it just slowly and painstakingly created this vibe around me.

Where does the inspiration for your music come from?

I’d say it comes from a place of healing. While I love some of our generation's legends in music, I think a lot of them failed to use their influence for the greater good. I want to create something called Solution Music. Music where I talk about how we level up through the problems we face as opposed to harboring them. Imagine if we just talked about the things we felt and provided a solution to those issues through our music. I want to give my listeners the utmost value by giving them a vibration they can relate to and level the fuck up through. Certain artists have done that for me. They gave me an escape. I want to create a new nostalgia. Something for people to dive so deep into that they step into their highest reality.

Has it been a relatively smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles you’ve faced along the way?

I’d say the biggest challenge was overcoming generational curses — training my mind to believe in something that everyone else around me deemed impossible. I could go on and on about the external struggles and the physical hardships I faced in the slums, but I think the one struggle people should deal with is the one in their heads. After all, in the mind is where you’re made. There are definitely demons I am still battling but I have and will continue to prevail.

Because now, I’ve truly created my own life. I’m inspiring and impacting the lives around me to be their own positive light in the world, for that is how we create our own reality. I went from sleeping on park benches and meth head motels to sleeping in high-rise penthouses and mansions with my friends — this family I’ve created because I didn’t really have one growing up. From eating other people's leftovers to wining and dining at Mastro’s and Ruth’s Chris [Steak House]. From taking the city bus for two to three hours to get to school or walking/skateboarding for miles to now whipping literal Beamers, Bentleys, and G-Wagons with my friends. This is just the beginning and I want the world to know that I got here and am getting to higher places by spreading love, positivity, and building others up.

What are you most proud of so far?

I’m most proud of where I came from and where I’m at now. And my younger brothers and sisters see that, and they’re inspired. It’s that combined with what I’m about to do, and that’s showing them how to completely change their lives, along with the lives of others.

Is there anyone, from the past or present, you wish you could work with?

100% it’d be Michael Jackson, Bad Bunny, and Quentin Tarantino.

What’s next for Ziggy Zeigler?

Next, I think is gathering up the resources to spread the message and the vibe. I want so desperately to put out more music and more films, but I want to do it right. So next are the Grammys, the Oscars, and the Emmys. I know it might seem like a long shot but shit, I made it this far dreaming.

Follow Ziggy on Instagram @ziggy.zeigler for more. And be sure to check out his Channel “The Light Side of the Moon” on You42.