In Zac Clejan’s family, music isn’t a hobby — it’s an inheritance. From a trailblazing great‑great‑grandmother at Austria’s Conservatory of Music to his pianist grandfather who kept the family’s rhythm alive — the lineage is unmistakable.
Georgia-bred Clejan followed suit. Known as Clejan “The Trap Violinist,” the classically trained violinist also raps and writes songs. He will perform at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Crescent Ballroom.
“My mom started me on the violin when I was [about 3],” he said. “It was part of my life every day for the next 16 years.” “It’s in my blood, I guess. Growing up seeing my dad play — it all shaped me.”
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But Clejan’s trajectory wasn’t the tidy lineage that background suggests. He quit violin and tried rapping in high school. He went on what he calls “hiatus,” enrolled in business school, and spent years working corporate marketing in Los Angeles. “Hip-hop gave me the words that the violin couldn’t say,” he said. “It helped me deal with some [stuff] I was going through at home.”
The tension between classical discipline and contemporary expression became the core of his sound. He has shared stages with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes and Demi Lovato.
Now, he’s selling out his own shows, which are mostly matinee gigs.
“Expect some heavy bass,” he said. “Expect classical violin mixed with contemporary violin and contemporary hip‑hop beats. Expect vocals mixing with the violin. I’m trying to make unique music — trying to build out a little niche here.”
Onstage, Clejan’s approach is direct. He doesn’t hide behind the instrument; he pushes it forward. “Expect violin in your face wherever you are in the crowd,” he said. “Expect an intimate, high‑energy show.” Depending on the venue, he’ll bring a drummer or rip solo with a DJ. Covers of rock and hip‑hop tracks fold into original compositions built on bass that “makes your body buzz.”
And when the show ends, he stays. “I do free meet‑and‑greets with everyone,” he said. “I love meeting everybody and getting to shake hands and take pictures. It’s important.”
That’s a far cry from two years ago, when he couldn’t “bring 10 people to a show.” Then his career “changed drastically.” This acceleration — which he wouldn’t elaborate on — has forced him to adjust not just professionally but personally.
After the tour, he plans to take a brief step back from social media — “a little break is good in anything,” he said — and finish shaping the new material before releasing an EP and several singles early next year. “I have a lot to say,” he said. “A lot of healing music to hopefully make.” Clejan said he has 10 to 12 songs already written that share the same emotional arc.
“The EP’s about the process of being broken, being broken open, healing,” he said. “Breaking point, what it’s like to be broken open, what that means, and then the healing process and being healed. That’s what it means to be healthy.”
