With the release of his brand-new single ‘Stay for a while’, Jed Zarb has proven once more that he has no intention of going anywhere unless it’s up the country charts. His newest offering comes off the back of both ‘Mountain Man’ and ‘Battle Scarred Guitar’ hitting the Country Songs Top 40 – at No.8 and No.7 respectively – while ‘Hillbilly Cider’ rose to No.1 on the iTunes Country Single Chart, No.1 on the Country Songs Top 40, No.1 on the Australian Country Radio Chart and was also the most requested song on the Australian Country Songwriters Show. Jed speaks to Gman on Big Brekkie...
Despite the success of his last three releases, Zarb says that ‘this is much more than just another country song.’ It delves into more existential questions and philosophies and was born from Zarb’s jams at home with his son, Dylan, who came up with the original riff. ‘The melody instantly brought images and feelings of magic and the ethereal,’ says Zarb, ‘and that melody became the basis for the chorus.’ The track was recorded and pre-produced at Zarb’s home studio in the Blue Mountains before further tracking and mixing at Ebony and Ivory Studios by engineer Saul Santilli, who also helped produce Zarb’s previous three tracks.
The song’s narrative explores the idea of the feminine power of the universe and her guidance and influence over the creative process and life path. ‘Some call her lady luck, some even call her god,’ says Zarb, ‘but to me she is the force that directly connects you to the universal power – when she is with you the world synchronises and it all falls into place.’ Zarb is quick to point out that ‘as fast as she comes along, she can leave too, and the feeling of connection with her is always a torrid love affair with a longing for her to stay.’ Co-written by Dylan Burrows and Warren H Williams, a friend and fellow musician, ‘Stay for a While’ has a distinctly Celtic feel to it, much more so than Zarb’s previous releases, and will appeal to a wide audience.
Zarb is no stranger to entertaining an audience either, having played Boyup Brook in February 2020 as well as Music in the Mulga, Ballina Country Music Festival, Groundwater Country Music Festival and Ballina Food and Wine Festival, all of which took place in 2019. And though we may be waiting a while until Zarb can get out on the road once more, take solace in the knowledge that you can stay at home for a while with ‘Stay for a While’ on repeat. In these uncertain times, you can be certain that it will be climbing the charts soon.