Anton Zaslavski (born September 2, 1989) is a Russian-German DJ, record producer, and composer better known as Zedd. Zedd grew up in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and began his musical career there. His stage name, Zedd, was formed from zed, the English pronunciation for the initial letter of his surname, Z, except in American English. He released “Clarity” (with Foxes) in 2012, which catapulted him to national prominence, reaching the 8th spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning him a Grammy for Best Dance Recording at the 56th Grammy Awards. Later that year, he released Clarity, his debut studio album, with the smash track “Stay the Night” (with Hayley Williams) appearing on the album’s 2013 deluxe version. True Colors, his second studio album, was released in 2015, with the lead track “I Want You to Know,” featuring Selena Gomez. Subsequent well-known songs include “Stay” with Alessia Cara, which peaked at number 7; “The Middle” with Maren Morris and Grey; and “Break Free” with Ariana Grande, which peaked at number 4 in the US as a featured artist.