Last updated: 3 hours ago
Zen That Beat is the solo project of Ryan Holiday, a Berlin-born artist whose life has been defined by movement and music. Growing up as an army brat between Germany, Italy, and the U.S., he absorbed a wide mix of sounds — from his dad’s love of country storytellers like Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton to his mom’s gift of an AC/DC album. That split between heartfelt and heavy still runs through his music today.
Ryan’s first instrument was guitar, and early on he chased the energy of metal before drifting toward the darker side of alternative — U2, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Peter Murphy. His first band, In Between Blue (think Radiohead meets Massive Attack), signed with Richard Gottehrer’s label and released two albums. Later, he wrote a Tom Waits–style cabaret musical (WHITE), sang in a jazz opera with Grammy-winning pianist Fred Hersch, and released a raw solo album (Selfish Bruises) about his divorce.
When a friend asked him to create music for a yoga class, something shifted — he discovered how sound could hold space instead of fill it. That’s how Zen That Beat was born.
Blending layered vocals, ambient electronics, and cinematic textures, Zen That Beat creates music that feels like a warm blanket downtown on a rainy evening — music about quiet emotion, imperfection, and human warmth. His songs have appeared in films, commercials, and on Nike campaigns, earning millions of streams worldwide.
Ryan’s first instrument was guitar, and early on he chased the energy of metal before drifting toward the darker side of alternative — U2, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Peter Murphy. His first band, In Between Blue (think Radiohead meets Massive Attack), signed with Richard Gottehrer’s label and released two albums. Later, he wrote a Tom Waits–style cabaret musical (WHITE), sang in a jazz opera with Grammy-winning pianist Fred Hersch, and released a raw solo album (Selfish Bruises) about his divorce.
When a friend asked him to create music for a yoga class, something shifted — he discovered how sound could hold space instead of fill it. That’s how Zen That Beat was born.
Blending layered vocals, ambient electronics, and cinematic textures, Zen That Beat creates music that feels like a warm blanket downtown on a rainy evening — music about quiet emotion, imperfection, and human warmth. His songs have appeared in films, commercials, and on Nike campaigns, earning millions of streams worldwide.
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