Zitro

This week we are Kush Chatting with Justin Ortiz, better known in the music world as Zitro, who has been expanding the musical palate of the New York music scene for the past decade. The Bronx-based singer, songwriter, and producer creates songs that are as diverse as his upbringing, mixing R&B, pop, soul, and other musical genres to create a style and voice all his own.

His music is influenced by the vast array of musical knowledge he commands and his lived experiences, and is inspired by the likes of Prince, Michael Jackson, Seal, and Lenny Kravitz. Zitro’s songs offer personal, down-to-earth lyrics and narratives in addition to varied, complex rhythms, as his inspiration and creativity is deeply rooted in his own personal history and life experiences. Never one to shy away from the experimental and new, Zitro finds creative ways to interweave found sounds, stripped-down textures, and a rhythmic groove to create an entirely new and unique sonic experience for his listeners.

Zitro is as active in the studio as he is out in the community. In just under a decade, he’s self-released three EPs and five albums, and the hard work doesn’t stop there. He is currently signed with the independent record label Rodney Records as of late March 2021.