Jason Zeeman finally makes album he wanted to

“It’s very tough,” Zeeman muses.

“I’ve always wanted to have a foot in the church and the other outside, so I try to write songs I can play in both contexts. It’s difficult, but at the moment I have more secular gigs lined up than church shows. I saw a statement that was part of a writing course somewhere that said, “Write what you want to read”, and I think the same is true for music: it’s good to be in a place where I love listening to what I’ve done.”

Modern songwriting is often a collaborative business. Zeeman’s new album, All Things New, is all written by him, though there are a number of guest musicians.

“I struggle to write with other people,” Zeeman laughs.

“I think I’m an egotist – I always think my ideas are better than everyone else’s. And I’m a melancholic sort, which perhaps makes me difficult to hang out with in that context. That there are upbeat songs on the album is a miracle! I’m inspired by movies and books. I can’t plan to write; it’s all spontaneous.

“I went through a valley a couple of years ago. I became very cynical and started arguing with church leaders. I bumped my head all the way down until I hit rock bottom, when I realised I had two choices: throw it all in or try and open myself up again. In the songs on All Things New, there’s a strong theme of God pursuing us rather than the other way around.”

Before All Things New was finally completed, Zeeman had left a couple of albums’ worth of other material behind, as personal and practical issues had meant these previous projects simply couldn’t work. How did he know it was time to take a step forward with this offering?

“You’re never done,” he says.

“I recorded those previous collections and learned a R60 000 lesson. But everything aligned for this one. The studio opened up, the finances were available and I found myself in the right headspace.”

Part of that mindset change is reflected in the inclusion of Zeeman’s wife Cezanne as a guest vocalist.

“We never wanted to be the couple who sings together,” he says.

“We still don’t. But that song was about the shared journey we were on, so it really didn’t make sense to do it alone.”

Zeeman is a highly regarded guitarist and singer who learned his chops “being schooled by playing with accomplished musicians”. Does that same educational curve apply in other areas?

“As far as writing goes, I’m a massive fan of music that most people have forgotten about,” he says, “from when music and melodies meant more than they do now. I think it’s really important to look to those who came before you.”

Zeeman sometimes finds that the lessons he’s learning are only revealed once he’s completed songs and is listening back to the lyrics.

“It’s harder to convince yourself of something than you think,” he smiles.

“I mumble about situations that have been sorted out in songs, but I find I still need to keep listening to get the full message. And even when I do hear something I might have missed, I still sometimes worry that I’m a fraud, and I’ve just made something up to fill a space.”

Zeeman claims to not judge his musical success in terms of sales. That’s an admirable perspective, but how does he incentivise himself and keep moving forward?

“I’m honestly not worried about sales,” he confirms, “but I do want people to hear the music. I know I’m in a small market, and I know that local Christians don’t necessarily support local Christian music.”

He grins.

“I’ll find a way to get it to them.”