On ‘Pokémon 25: The Blue E’P, GRAMMY®-nominated recording artist ZHU offers up inventive takes on songs created by Vince Staples, Cyn and Mabel for P25 Music, celebrating 25 years of Pokémon.
With his remix of Staples’ “Got ‘Em,” ZHU amps up the crackling tension, culminating in a powerful new closing horn passage from Trombone Shorty.
See below for track listing. Out today and available HERE, the EP comes on the heels of the release of Pokémon 25: The Red EP earlier this month – continuing the longstanding tradition of dual releases for the core Pokémon video game series, with each featuring nuanced differences from the other, and paying homage to the original Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue video games.
The Red EP, available HERE, won praise from Billboard, which observed, “[in addition to Mabel’s] upbeat electro-pop number ‘Take It Home,’ Red also features the twinkling, synth-driven, cognizant track ‘Got ‘Em’ by Staples and the breezy, feel-good, percussion-heavy anthem ‘Wonderful’ by Cyn.” UPROXX included “Got ‘Em” in its roundup of “All The Best New Music From This Week That You Need To Hear” and The Honey Pop urged, “Let’s train and fill your poke balls with great bangers with Pokémon Red 25.”
“ZHU’s remixes for Pokémon 25: The Blue EP are a special component of the P25 Music program,” said Colin Palmer, vice president of marketing, The Pokémon Company International. “His alternate versions of The Red EP songs allow music fans to celebrate a part of Pokémon history while enjoying something completely new and different. Pokémon fans will especially enjoy sound effects from classic Pokémon video games in some of his tracks. ZHU’s mastery of the remix and unique sound, paired with the fantastic original songs, continue to build out the breadth of amazing global artists who have come together to help us celebrate 25 years of Pokémon.”
Alongside his music, ZHU has passionately pursued his interest in fashion, playing an essential part in the design of his own fashion-forward merch.
Now he’s collaborating on a unique, streetwear-infused merchandise capsule that will combine his artistic, personal and fashion aesthetic (and distinctive ZHU logo) with the iconic themes and characters from the world of Pokémon, including ZHU’s favorite, Gengar. Fans can sign up to receive updates about the design drops here: https://p25musicstore.com/
ZHU adds, “I had a great time designing a collection for my merch collaboration with Pokémon. As a lifelong fan of Pokémon, I wanted to bring back a flash of the 90s into today’s fashion. Of course, I had to incorporate my favorite Pokémon Gengar. I can’t wait for my fans to see this unique line and I’m excited for them to hear my new mixes too.”
ZHU’s remixes will be included on the digital edition of the upcoming Pokémon 25: The Album compilation, which will be released this autumn by Capitol Records as part of a massive, yearlong music campaign from The Pokémon Company International in partnership with Universal Music Group.
Since the May release of his acclaimed album DREAMLAND 2021 – named as among the “50 Best Albums of 2021 So Far” by Billboard – ZHU has played a sold-out, six-night stand at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre and appeared on the cover of DJ Mag North America.
He appears in the new “Evolution of a Song” video series, which will debut next week. Melding live-action with animation, director Eric Maldin (U2, 30 Seconds To Mars) takes Vince Staples, Cyn and Mabel on a surreal walk down memory lane, exploring their early experiences with Pokémon and how they went about creating their original songs for P25 Music.
Katy Perry, Post Malone and J Balvin are also contributing new recordings to the compilation album. Fans can keep up with the latest news for P25 Music and more celebrations across the franchise on Pokémon’s 25th-anniversary website at Pokemon.com/25.
Pokémon and music fans are invited to join the conversation online with @Pokemon and #Pokemon25.
