Lately, indie punk has been the perfect soundtrack when the sky turns gray and tree branches remain bare. There is something soothing about the genre’s dark aura, dreamy undertones and manic energy. One indie punk artist I turn to for that mood is EKKSTACY.
A few of my favorite songs are “I Want to Sleep for 1000 Years,” “It Only Gets Worse, I Promise” and “Then I Met Her.”
EKKSTACY, whose real name is Khyree Zienty, is a 24-year-old musician and writer from Vancouver, Canada. He goes by the nickname Stacy, which evolved into EKKSTACY when he began releasing music. He spent time in Los Angeles working on his music before moving back to Vancouver.
According to GQ, Zienty has had a passion for music since childhood. He discovered it through cable TV stations, film soundtracks and his father’s CD collection. His early favorites were R&B and ’90s rap.
“I really got no musical influence at all from my parents,” Zienty said in an interview with GQ. “I had no friends that were older than me putting me on s— either. I had to find that s— by myself.” At a young age, he began creating music on SoundCloud. “I wanted to make indie rock back then, but I didn’t have a guitar and didn’t know how to produce that sound,” he told Sleek Magazine. “I eventually figured it out. I was producing on my iPad when I was like 14.”
During high school, Zienty’s parents divorced. He struggled with his mental health and was hospitalized after jumping out of a window. After recovering, he took a job at Amazon but quickly realized it was not for him. Although he was unhappy, he later described the experience as a blessing in disguise. “It was almost the best thing that ever happened to me,” he told GQ. “Really showed me how s— would be if I didn’t make music properly.”
Zienty told Sleek Magazine that sadness is an overwhelming feeling for him, and he chooses to write about it. His music explores intense emotions while also weaving in a sense of numbness and calm.
One of his favorite parts of being a musician is performing. He enjoys seeing fans fully immersed in his shows and said audiences in Europe tend to be especially lively.
Zienty’s newest album, “Forever,” was released in 2025. He told Sleek Magazine that he took a new approach to the project, writing songs on guitar before bringing them to a producer.
The album carries both new and familiar themes. “I think I am calmer, but I’m still f— scared,” Zienty told GQ. “But I’m definitely more mature and just chilled out than I have been in the past. But I’m still nervous.”
