Alt-R&B newcomer 646yf4t (pronounced “babyfat”) gravitates toward process over product. The self-described chronic thinker flourishes by allowing the unknown to guide his creative process. That force is what led to his debut EP, Growing Pains, released on Aug. 22 via Sincerely Yours.
“I’ve always had this idea that words and sentiments are more special before you say them to anybody,” the producer-turned-singer tells Rated R&B. “The idea of having to bring anything into the physical realm stifles its possibilities. When you have the music and are trying to write to it, it’s almost always better before the song is done. That’s why creating is so addicting, the feeling of possibility is so strong.”
Hailing from Oshawa, Ontario, 646yf4t, born Zachary Simmonds, grew up in a Christian household. With a father who was both a pastor and gospel singer, music and faith had always been in his atmosphere. “My dad was always traveling from church to church every Sabbath,” 646yf4t recalls. “My Saturdays would be extra long with me around with my parents. It would be a post-service church concert, then my dad would be selling CDs in the parking lot out of the trunk, all that.”
When 646yf4t started showing interest in pursuing music, being in the spotlight wasn’t his aspiration. “I didn’t really want to be my own artist. I wanted to be a producer,” he shares. After cutting his teeth producing for the likes of his older brother Daniel Caesar (“Valentina”) and Dylan Sinclair (“Lemon Trees”), 646yf4t felt the urge to go beyond the beat and chart his path as a recording artist. “I started making songs because I wanted to experience the things I wanted other people to give me with their voice, but I decided to just do it myself.”
On Growing Pains, 646yf4t embarks on a journey through constellations of heartbreak, isolation and betrayal, anchored by the cosmic pull of destiny and kinship. At its core, it’s a coming-of-age story. Instead of leaning on traditional song structures, each track plays like a stream of consciousness over genre-bending soundscapes.
In the opener, “Rhode2,” 646yf4t reckons with his past actions, while setting sight on his path to righteousness. With lines like “No more loving on women I don’t love” and “Make promises that float like feathers,” he confronts his flaws without glorification or excuse. Songs like “Jersey,” which he co-wrote with Caesar, and “tough guy” explore the rocky terrain of love lost.
“‘Jersey’ isn’t a love song; it’s the opposite,” 646yf4t previously explained. “It’s the raw, unfiltered feeling of love lost and the way breakups shift our entire outlook on what love even means. Some doors, once closed, should stay that way.”
On the punk-rock-inspired “Brainwash,” driving percussion propels 646yf4t through washes of resentment from a past love. On “Inevitable,” he finds peace knowing he will prevail through hardship: “Mother dear told me to have no fear / ‘Cause God is the greatest.”
Below Zachary Simmonds a.k.a. 646yf4t reveals the meaning behind his stagename, shares how faith informs his artistry and decodes Growing Pains.
You mentioned you wanted to be a producer at first. What drew you to being an artist?
I always had a vision for a song. I had to come to terms with the fact that once you let go of something, it’s not yours anymore, and it might not end up being what you expected or wanted it to be. I started making songs because I wanted to experience the things I wanted other people to give me with their voice, but I decided to just do it myself.
Having grown up in a religious household. How does your faith inform your artistry?
It really is my artistry, to be honest. Everything about this life I see through the scope of my beliefs and spirituality in some shape or form. I don’t even have control over how drilled into me it was by my parents. A lot of the music is processes of me either gripping tighter with certain beliefs or trying to let some go. Even the process of making a song, I feel like even people who don’t believe in God know that a good song doesn’t even come from you. I just choose to believe that it comes from God. I think you can’t get away from reality being spiritual just as much as it is physical.
What’s the meaning behind the name 646yf4t?
It kind of just happened, to be honest. I was on a road trip with friends. I don’t remember what the conversation was, but my friend said something, and I [thought I] heard “baby fat.” I don’t know what conversation we’d be having where that would be said, so I know I misheard him. And I just kept on saying that. At the time, I had been listening to a bunch of music, taking in music history and the different names of groups and people [from] back in the day, and how it didn’t always necessarily make sense, like The Smashing Pumpkins or KoЯn. It was the idea of the name not meaning anything. It’s not a play on anything. It’s exactly what it is.
How did you come up with the way it’s spelled?
I have this weird thing with romanticizing space — the unknown. It is easy to make that sound cool like Star Wars or something, but [the spelling] plays into this story that’s not actually the story, but me being some sort of space station employee. Babyfat is the pronunciation of my name tag type (646yf4t).
Who is 646yf4t in comparison to Zachary?
They’re the same person, but just in a parallel universe. We’re moving along at the same time, but I can have a little bit more fun with the 646yf4t story. Real life is a serious thing. Obviously, there’s still room for fun, but 646yf4t is a story that can be played with.
You worked a lot with Dylan Sinclair and Daniel Caesar, namely on “Valentina.” When collaborating with other artists, how do you balance bringing your creative world to theirs?
With “Valentina,” honestly, with everything so far, except for this new project, I just made and had to let go of it. Absolutely no shit to anybody — this is just purely human nature — there’s a lot of like, “If you haven’t done this before, why should I listen to you?” type thing. Maybe this is me internalizing, but I had to make stuff on my own and let other people see the magic in it within their own lens and turn it into what they want it to be. I was never able to sit down top to bottom from beginning to end and say, “This should happen. That should happen.” I feel like it takes some time for people to take it serious enough for you to have that type of input.
What was your mindset going into Growing Pains, and did it change while you were working on it?
At one point, I just wanted to make songs, put them on CDs, and pass them out to people because I feel like that type of stuff is cooler. But, you get people involved, and it grows into something where I did not think I’d be having an interview with anybody after this project was coming out. I thought it would just be making some songs, but I knew if I’m going to make songs, I’m going to try my best to make the best songs I possibly can. I’m glad I’m here.
What does the cover art represent?
It’s supposed to [depict] where the wormhole opens, and you’re about to step through. But, really, I’m in front of a circular window, and it was a bunch of editing and stuff like that.
“Brainwash,” in a way, reminds me of a punk-rock-leaning song from the 2000s that I’d see on MTV early in the morning while getting ready for school. It feels like a skater-type song. What was going through your mind when you made that song?
That one was exactly what you said. It’s a mix of a bunch of things [and] skate culture for sure. I’m not super sick at skating, but definitely that. Also, I know it doesn’t sound like it, but originally I was going for a “Paranoid” [by Kanye West] type vibe. It took a bunch of different shapes over time. It didn’t sound as rocky as it does now until the last month of me having that song. It sounded a lot more electronic with live drums than it does now. It sounds like a rock song with a driving bass. I liked the acoustic version more, to be honest with you.
“Inevitable” sounds like it has traces of a neo-soul record. What was your intention with that record sonically?
I just wanted more positivity. I feel like a lot of artists dwell on sad feelings, and I’m really trying to get out of that mode. I wanted more of a funky vibe [with] some bounce. I love wah and the wah feeling.
When I previewed the project, I noticed “Inevitable” had the fewest revisions — three versions, to be exact, compared to the opener, which had 14 versions. What made “Inevitable” more seamless?
I didn’t have enough time to dwell on it. If I did, I don’t know if it would be better or worse because I made “Inevitable” two or three weeks before I turned in the project — same with “Under the Sun.” I probably made them two days apart. What would happen is I would make a couple songs [and] I’d be like, “This is pretty good.” And then I would make a new song that’s better than the other ones, and I’d be like, “Dang, I have to make the other ones better too.” All that politicking that you do in your head…
Your Instagram bio states you’re a chronic thinker. How does that play into your creative process?
I definitely overthink. I feel like a lot of people do, but I also have a good gauge of, “OK, it is time to shut up and do what you got to do” type thing. Even if it’s uncomfortable, I’ll still recognize it’s time for action. Plus, those ones were easy because what I was talking about was so important to me. “Inevitable” was the idea of self-belief. “Under the Sun” was in part about a girl, but also about the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible, and the concept of everything comes and goes. It’s just a matter of time. Those concepts were easy for me; whether the song was incredible or not, it was easy topically to just let go of them.
Everything comes and goes, but when pain hits — whether literal or figuratively — it’s still felt. What gets you through those growing pains?
God and self-belief. Realizing things have to end at some point — bad times and good times. Everything’s a cycle. Honestly, bad times are great for enjoying the good times. If everything was good all the time, you would underestimate how good things actually are.
You co-wrote “Jersey” with Daniel Caesar. What’s the story behind that one?
That song happened all at once. That was another one that came really fast. I made that song at my house in my studio. It probably took five or six hours. The song’s about girls, a lot of them are over, I guess. No, a couple of them are documenting. Some are just overdramatized for the sake of a good story [and] good song.
“i get it,” “tough guy” and “time” are all stylized in all lowercase lettering. What’s the intention with that?
It is to highlight the idea of imperfection. It is kind of like journal entries or something. I don’t even think it was like, “OK, this song [title] is uppercase, this song is lowercase.” Sometimes you hit that cap. Sometimes you don’t. That’s really the overall feeling of any type of creativity. [Also], just the idea of inconsistency.
What do you hope listeners take away from Growing Pains?
Whatever they need to take away. To me, unfortunately, nowadays you have to sell this artistry as a product geared towards a certain group of people. If I had it my way, I would just make stuff I believe to be good [and] don’t have to answer questions about it. People could wonder about it or take whatever they want to take away from it. I don’t want to have to tell anybody what they should be listening out for.
Stream 646yf4t’sGrowing PainsEP below.