Zeshan’s Story

Chicago native Zeshan B’s breakout album “Vetted” was released in April 2017 to commercial and critical acclaim with the album debuting at #8 on Billboard's Top 10 Albums (World Music) and peaking at #1 on iTunes’ World Music chart.

Additionally, “Vetted” has received rave reviews from Rolling Stone, NPR, ABC, NBC, PBS, Salon Magazine, Democracy Now and the Times of India. Zeshan's hit single from the album “Cryin in the Streets”--his reinterpretation of George Perkins' 1970 classic civil rights anthem--has garnered praise from the New York Times, PRI, American Songwriter, and Chicago Tribune for its musical finesse as well as its relevance in America's current socio-political climate. In August of 2017, Zeshan made his US television debut with a stirring rendition of his hit single, “Crying in the Streets” on CBS’s Late Night w/ Stephen Colbert. This was followed by his PBS NewsHour special (“Groovin’ for Change”). 

Since then, he has toured with frequent appearances at Lincoln Center, Bonnaroo, Electric Forest Festival, House of Blues, Kennedy Center, the Blue Note, Riverside Church and the Canadian National Exhibition. He has performed for two US Presidents--Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama--with the latter performance taking place at the White House’s historic inaugural Eid Celebration in 2016. 

During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Zeshan appeared with his wife Dr. Alexandra Roybal on MSNBC Morning Joe to shed light on COVID’s impact on minorities and musicians. This was followed by the May 2020 release of his NPR acclaimed album, “Melismatic”. (Listen to Melismatic here)

In 2022 and 2023, Zeshan completed artist residencies both at the Doris Duke Shangri-La Museum in Honolulu and at Lincoln Center.

Currently, Zeshan bounces back and forth between Chicago and New York . He is excited to premiere his upcoming album entitled O Say, Can You See? The album is exec produced by Zeshan’s friend Preet Bharara, the former US Attorney for New York’s Southern District and host of Vox Media’s award-winning podcast Stay Tuned with Preet.