The transition from songwriter/producer to artist is a slippery one. You can never predict if listeners will like your work or simply discard it as mediocre. Sometimes, a song connects on such a massive level that it confirms the music, at the very least, hits people at the most basic level: the heart. Eric Zayne has accomplished plenty in his career, from writing songs for Jordin Sparks, BTS, and Ashlee Simpson to producing Usher and 21 Pilots.
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The musician has been releasing a string of his own singles, including “Sign” and “Jungle,” for a few years now ─ all on the back of 2014’s debut Autobiograme. Now, it appears he has a bonafide streaming smash on his hands. “Coming Undone,” co-written with Lauren Hashian and Nazerine Henderson, unfurls with a sparkling, highly-volatile rock magic. A growl ignites from his chest, as the electric guitars crescendo and slap together.
It’s not surprising then that actor and producer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson gave him a shout-out and included the song in his new Under Armour Campaign and on his own Spotify playlist. The earth-quaking foot-stomper has since vaulted over one million streams, and counting.
Today, “Coming Undone” finds its visual (directed by Tony Villalobos) living up to expectations as a performance-style clip to fully envelope the viewer in Zayne’s grungy, mesmerizing stage presence. “Everyday is a war with the ghost in my brain / Pullin’ me in all directions, wonder what mistake I’ll make,” he howls like a wolf to the harvest moon. “Tried living right / Always doin’ wrong / Awaiting my redemption / Oh but it’s been so long.”
“The success of this song has been amazing, and I’m so humbled. I will be forever grateful to Dwayne Johnson since he personally chose it as the theme song for his Under Armour campaign and showcased it on his Spotify playlist,” muses Zayne to American Songwriter over email. “From there, it just exploded. I’m really grateful for how much it resonates with people and can’t wait to play it live.”
Zayne wraps his tantalizing vocal around the song’s dangerously addictive melody, and you can’t help but be hypnotized, too. “Call up the reverend ‘cause I need to pray / It’s hell or heaven, can I still be saved in the middle the night,” he implores into the pitch black of night. “When my demons they call, pour a drink for my old friends before we burn it all.”
Originally from the Congo, Zayne, whose influences run from Prince to Beethoven, fully fuses funk, rock, soul, and electronic into his work. “Coming Undone” certainly leans into blues territory, borrowing thematic material as well as a devilish undercurrent, and hits his stride with such an concoction. As a songwriter/producer, he also boasts a resume that includes Cee Lo Green, Richard Marx, and Randy Jackson, and has nabbed such awards as Best Song in Original Song/Score (Commercial Advertisement Category) in the Hollywood Music in Media Awards and the John Lennon Songwriting contest.
Watch the “Coming Undone” video below.
