Creative Checkmate: Meet Zahir An Emerging Multi-hyphenate Artist

Zahir Muhammad is playing chess not checkers and he’s close to putting the world of music and film in checkmate. 

Zahir, 21, is a multi-hyphenate artist hailing from Washington, D.C. who calls himself an “unusual visual director.” So far he’s proven to be far more than that, elegantly wearing hats like musician, creative designer, and community leader. As an artist, Zahir‘s strengths come from his blend of stunning, cinema-like visuals with music that seamlessly melts the older sensibilities of neo-soul with the swanky, faster grooves of today.

This combination makes it hard to peel our eyes and ears away from him. When I interviewed Zahir, he peeled the layers of his artistry back and revealed a person who’s ready to make an impact on the world. 

Zahir grew up in D.C. He learned how to play chess from his father at the age of three, which catapulted him into being ranked among the top 10 in the 2016 National Scholastic K-12 Grade Championships. After reaching these heights, he noticed that there weren’t many other players of color, which inspired him to establish Full Circle Chess, a foundation that makes chess accessible to all, a goal which he aspires to achieve not only in chess, but in art and beyond. 

“The yearning and the willingness to have others participate [in chess], or others to reap the benefits as well,” Zahir said in an exclusive interview with Home Grown Radio. “I think that.. imbued my heart with a passion and a purpose to inspire other people, and empower other people.”

So far, Zahir has expanded on this purpose at Louisiana State University where he founded Project Innovate Studios, a fashion organization that empowers people to obtain opportunities in fashion. He poured into other people through this organization at LSU, but he also allowed others to pour into him, cultivating his musical and directorial talents with the support of his friends. 

“Not only is the artistry and the music scene and the photography scene and the film scene blowing up [in LSU], but a lot of the sports scenes are exploding as well,” Zahir said. “And so I think being around all of those people that are striving to be the best in their craft, pushed me to reach and surpass all of my boundaries.”

In 2022, he dropped a compilation album called From a Potter’s Hands with his friends, where he began honing his directorial and musical skills. His first stint at this combination of his talents, came in the form of his debut short film for Wakai’s song Busy Working, which is featured on the aforementioned compilation album. This initial outing showcased talents that he would exponentially build upon later in perhaps one of the most important moments of his artistic journey: his official musical debut. 

Zahir made his debut in March of this year with the song Unusual, which features Phoenix James and Wiseboy Jeremy. The song caught the attention of many in the music industry, including music critic Anthony Fantano, who called the song “luxurious” and “pretty.” The music video, which he released a month later, enhanced the listening experience and demonstrated that Zahir is an artistic force to reckon with now. 

While many artists stumble to find their footing early in their career, Zahir is blazing a path for himself by working in community with other independent artists. He doesn’t have the financial backing of a traditional record label contract, but he does have creative control. His goal remains the same as his other ventures: to be relatable and inspiring.

“I haven’t had my first show yet, where I’m performing these songs, but I already have thought about what I want to do…and I really want to sit down with the audience and make it relatable. We all have these moments, where we’re in our room, and we’re feeling some type of way that we can’t really tell anyone,” Zahir said. “I took time to express it through music. You can express it in whatever way you feel comfortable expressing it in and it’s possible to do it very well in the beginning.”

He’s already proving that his success so far isn’t a fluke with his follow-up single Big Drop, a disjointed jazzy, funky song accompanied by a music video that showcases his directorial range. Zahir said each song on his upcoming EP, which he hopes to release this fall, will have its own music video. 

Zahir has largely been empowered by the support and trust of his friends, like photographer Courtland Myles, who he frequently collaborates with. It was with Myles and other friends that he trekked Utah’s varied landscapes of water, snow, and dirt, to bring the music video for Unusual to life. They trusted Zahir like he trusts himself and in the end it paid off. 

Unusual has amassed over 150,000 streams on Spotify, 13,000 views on YouTube, and over 62,000 monthly listeners for Zahir’s Spotify profile. 

Zahir is grateful and hopeful for the future. His EP will feature collaborations with other musicians who he didn’t name, but with his outstanding, albeit short, track record we can safely expect a creative gem. 

“I’m excited, I think [the EP] is going to be something that… I don’t want to say it changes everything, but I do feel like it’ll be a very big step and a big introduction to the world,” Zahir said. 

Zahir is playing life like chess and his opening move has already set the game in his favor. 

You can listen to Zahir’s music on all platforms. Find him on Instagram @zastarring.