Recording in his college dorm room, Texas singer-songwriter Zachary Knowles perfected a smooth pop-R&B hybrid that’s translated to millions of streams. • Knowles started making music in first grade, after his parents got him a light-up keyboard. In seventh grade, he sang Christina Perri’s “Jar of Hearts” at a school talent show. • In high school, Knowles began posting covers online. This led to him writing his own material. • While studying at Texas A&M, he began recording and releasing music from his dorm room. The 2018 single “slow down my thoughts” became a streaming hit, and he soon earned a deal with the New York City–based FADER Label. • In 2020, after a string of singles on his new label, he released the EP Magnolia.