The Universal Language of Music with Zeno Norris

Zeno Norris is a Los Angeles–based creative and licensing manager (ads and brands) at West One Music Group, working out of the company’s LA office.

He holds a Bachelor of Music in songwriting and music business from the Los Angeles College of Music and is also on the board for the West Coast Association of Music Producers (AMP) and actively involved in the music and advertising community.

Zeno sat down with LBB to discuss the deeply collaborative nature of music, the lasting impact of SOPHIE, and love of fashion.

LBB> When you’re working on a new brief or project, what’s your typical starting point? How do you break it down and how do you like to generate your ideas or response?

Zeno> My starting point consists of a mix of inspiration and structure. I usually will begin by listening to music in order to get creatively focused, then I review the brief/campaign and identify the main objective, audience, deliverables, and key constraints.

After that, I’ll typically break the project into stages (research, brainstorming, drafting, refining) and generate ideas with multiple concepts before selecting and developing the best direction.

LBB> Music and sound are in some ways the most collaborative and interactive forms of creativity – what are your thoughts on this? Do you prefer to work solo or with a gang – and what are some of your most memorable professional collaborations?

Zeno> I think music is one of the few things in our world that can still articulate a collective consciousness, and therefore collaboration is imperative. For me, the most important and valuable thing music can do is relate to its audience – to make someone feel seen or understood without needing to explain it. And I think collaboration strengthens that.

When you bring different perspectives into the process, you’re creating something that has a better chance of being universal, because it’s already passed through more than one emotional lens.

Any time West One Music Group gets the chance to put together a writing camp it’s always a memorable experience. Watching artists collaborate in real time and craft something meaningful for our clients is always incredibly rewarding.

LBB> What’s the most satisfying part of your job and why?

Zeno> The most satisfying part of my job is 100% watching projects come to fruition. It’s so cool to see how an idea unfolds and becomes its best version.

LBB> As the advertising industry changes, how do you think the role of music and sound is changing with it?

Zeno> As the advertising industry evolves, I think music and sound are becoming more central, not less. With audiences constantly scrolling and attention spans getting shorter, sound has to communicate emotion and create brand identity instantly – sometimes in just a few seconds.

A strong sonic choice can stop someone, set a mood, and make a brand feel recognisable before they’ve even processed the visuals.

As AI evolves and industry leans more heavily on technology, I think that there will be a consistent demand for human emotion, contribution, and interaction. AI music and sound design may appeal to smaller budgeted and faster turnaround campaigns, but the need for authentic connection and the human response to it will remain. You cannot create branding and advertising that resonates without human first creativity.

LBB> Who are your musical or audio heroes and why?

Zeno> My musical heroes are expansive, but I can give a top three.

Summer Walker : Her lyrics paired with her melodies get the point across – not just sonically but emotionally. You can feel everything she writes.

Beyonce : She is revolutionary in taste. The blueprint for modern music, marketing, and creativity. When she released her self-titled album ‘Beyonce’ it changed the industry forever, making Friday releases the norm.

Missy Elliot and Timbaland : Missy’s creativity is fearless – she has a way of combining personality, humour, style, and originality in a way that feels timeless and instantly recognisable. Most people don’t know she is a producer heavyweight and really shaped the sound of the early 2000’s. Timbaland, on the other hand, is a master of rhythm and sound design. His beats feel futuristic but still human, and his attention to groove and texture is unreal. Together, they showed how music can be innovative while still being bold, accessible, and full of character and that’s something that continues to inspire me.

LBB> And when it comes to your particular field, whether sound design or composing, are there any particular ideas or pioneers that you go back to frequently or who really influence your thinking about the work you do?

Zeno> I’m really inspired by SOPHIE. She was revolutionary in the pursuit of sonic aesthetics. She was hyper detailed, making all of her synth sounds from scratch and reimagining the way producers approach ‘generic’ pop music.

Similarly, years before, Timbaland made prioritising sound design and sonic textures as much as lyrics and melody a staple in popular music.

LBB> When you’re working on something that isn’t directly sound design or music (lets say going through client briefs or answering emails) – are you the sort of person who needs music and noise in the background or is that completely distracting to you? What are your thoughts on ‘background’ sound and music as you work?

Zeno> Yes, music or sound is always a must. I’m a huge fan of meditation music or lo-fi house beats. I find it really helps me come down when I feel overwhelmed and/or provides a bit of tempo when I’m needing to power through.

LBB> I guess the quality of the listening experience and the context that audiences listen to music/sound in has changed over the years. There’s the switch from analogue to digital and now we seem to be divided between bad-ass surround-sound immersive experiences and on-the-go, low quality sound (often the audio is competing with a million other distractions) – how does that factor into how you approach your work?

Zeno> It factors in hugely, because the way people listen now is basically split into two extremes: high-end immersive experiences and fast, distracted listening on small speakers. So, when I’m approaching a piece of music or sound, I’m always thinking about where it’s going to live and how it needs to be translated.

Because of that, I try to create something that has a clear emotional message and strong identity even at its simplest level – something that still hits when it’s compressed, small, or heard in a noisy environment. Then, I’ll add layers of detail and texture that reward audiences when the playback environment is higher quality.

LBB> On a typical day, what does your ‘listening diet’ look like?

Zeno> R&B/Soul, Afrobeats, and Brazilian Music all day every day. Some that might be on the menu on any given day are Summer Walker, Jazmine Sullivan, Musiq Soulchild, Adekunle Gold, Tems, Gilsons, Oxlade, and Arlindo Cruz.

LBB> Do you have a collection of music/sounds and what shape does it take (are you a vinyl nerd, do you have hard drives full of random bird sounds, are you a hyper-organised Spotify-er…)?

Zeno> I have a very organised Apple Music with playlists for feelings, places, colours, and people. I also have a very unorganised hard drive with 10k plus 808 sounds I get lost in on a regular basis. I think when it comes to my music consumption, I like organised and straightforward, but when it comes to my music creation, I like to allow room for mistakes – that’s where the magic happens.

LBB> Outside of the music and sound world, what sort of art or topics really excite you and do you ever relate that back to music (e.g. history buffs who love music that can help you travel through time, gamers who love interactive sound design… I mean it really could be anything!!)

Zeno> I really love fashion – similarly to music, it’s a form of self-expression and a way of communicating identity without having to explain yourself. What you wear can tell a story, set a tone/perspective, or shift how you move through the world, and I think sound does the exact same thing.

I’m also really inspired by nature. There’s something grounding about it while also a maintained level of unpredictability and movement – weather, rhythm, space, and natural ambience. I think nature influences the way I approach music because it reminds me that not everything needs to feel overly polished or controlled to be impactful. Sometimes the most powerful moments come from subtlety, atmosphere, and dynamics, and I often try to bring that sense of organic texture into my taste.

LBB> Let’s talk travel! It’s often cited as one of the most creatively inspiring things you can do – I’d love to know what are the most exciting or inspiring experiences you’ve had when it comes to sound and music on your travels?

Zeno> Everywhere you go brings new sounds and atmosphere. In a place like New York City, the soundscape is dense and layered. You’ll hear subway cars coming and going, dings here and there, people everywhere, cars, passing music.

Then you go somewhere like Hawaii, and it’s almost the opposite. There’s space. You have silence interrupted by birds and waves. Each place brings new identifiable noises; these influence perception and the way you react to the environment around you uniquely moment to moment.

Music is often synonymous with culture. Traveling to places like Mexico, Hawaii, Italy, Croatia, Spain – you can really feel the difference from place to place and how they perceive time and rhythm.

Every time I go to Hawaii, and I hear an authentic Hawaiian Mele, it brings me to tears. I don’t speak Hawaiian, the emotion translates so clearly. It feels like you’re hearing something that isn’t just a song, but a piece of identity being carried through time. I always feel lucky and honoured to experience that, because it’s such an intimate way for a culture to be shared. It’s not something you can fully capture through photos or travel plans. It’s something you feel in your body when you’re there, in the moment. And it leaves a lasting impression on me, not only as a listener, but creatively too, because it reinforces how music can carry spirit, place, and emotion in such a pure and human way.

LBB> As we age, our ears change physically and our tastes evolve too, and life changes mean we don’t get to engage in our passions in the same intensity as in our youth – how has your relationship with sound and music changed over the years?

Zeno> I honestly think it’s remained pretty consistent, in the sense that I am never satisfied and always obsessed. I’m always looking for a new song whether it’s mine or someone else's. I'm always open to listening.