XtraXtra (Reid) All About It!

Reid Zakos - dance-pop singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor was born in Calgary, but is now based in Vancouver, Canada.

His music has previously been featured on Virgin/iHeart Radio’s Pride Playlist in 2021, and he has over 130K+ video views on YouTube.

He grew up in a musical family and quickly possessed an undeniable stage presence and theatricality. He was always deeply creative and expressive, and began writing lyrics at the age of 11, immersing himself in pop music looking up to icons and pop trailblazers such as Gwen Stefani, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, and more.

He trained in dance classes at Decidedly Jazz Danceworks in Calgary, and won a full scholarship to Sean Cheesman’s Dance Camp in 2006. He began taking singing lessons and writing and producing his own songs throughout his teen years.

He then studied acting and theatre at Mount Royal University, starring as Frank N’ Furter in The Rocky Horror Show in his first year.

Relocating to Vancouver in 2018, he went to record producer Bob Ezrin’s Nimbus School of Recording & Media studying Artist Development and Music Business. He released his first official single “Neon” and gained support from 101.9FM QueerFM Radio Vancouver and other queer media outlets, performing in their 2018 artist showcase.

As he began crafting his first studio album, he played several solo shows around Vancouver (some with backing dancers) and performed frequently at Vancouver Pride, Calgary Pride, and Edmonton Pridefest.

His first album “Legends & Myths” was released in 2020 with standout tracks such as “Gladiator” and “Villain”, and collaborations with Dante Hart and Jayden Mckenzie.

After collaborating on house/dance singles with Paul Michael and Khaled Rahime, he released his second album “Brighter” in 2023.

In 2024, he released his third album “SACRED” which was all collaborations with producer/songwriter RedPanda Productions.

Since then Reid has been releasing single by single, with his latest “ANGEL” arriving August 2026.

SACRED

JULY 19th 2024 - “SACRED” - NEW ALBUM

by Reid Zakos & RedPanda Productions

An album over five years in the making, Reid teamed up with Vancouver songwriter and producer RedPanda Productions (AKA Adrian Wong) for the album “SACRED”.

Adrian and Reid were first introduced through 101.9 QueerFM Radio Vancouver in 2018 and wrote the songs “Deck of Cards” and “Falling” together before working on the rest of the album.

Throughout the pandemic they worked remotely (Reid based in Calgary and Adrian in Vancouver) sending demos back and forth between each other.

Reid moved back to Vancouver in 2022 and then they went on to finish the album together, the last song completed being the tender ballad “Who I Am”.

The album begins with bold and energetic dance-pop songs such as “Need Your Touch” and “Deck of Cards” before diving into deeper themes of love, heartbreak, jealousy, and self-acceptance.

The 15-track run also includes a cover of Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep” as well as a few interludes to break the album into three distinct acts.

Dive into “SACRED” here…

Album photos by Hannes van der Merwe

BRIGHTER

In 2023, Reid levelled up under the disco ball for his sophomore album “Brighter” - a 10-track dance-pop odyssey filled with club bangers such as “XtraXtra” and “Lights Out” that evoke the 2010s-era.

Elsewhere on the album, there’s more mature and introspective lyrics about feeling misunderstood, the complexities of fair-weather-friendships, danger, and drama on songs such as “Disco Ball”, “Y.D.U.M.”, “Bubble” featuring Raene, and “Danger”.

Ultimately, the album is about not allowing others to dim your shine, and to shine even brighter…

LEGENDS & MYTHS

After pushing a few single releases throughout 2018 and 2019, Reid released his debut album “Legends & Myths” in 2020. The album adhered to a more 80s inspired NuDisco sound with a singer/songwriter edge. The album themes include heartbreak, self-acceptance and empowerment, and falling in love again. The album cycle began with the single “Neon”. Themes of self-empowerment take hold with songs like “Gladiator” and “Respect Me”. Other album highlights include collaborations with Dante Hart on the acoustic-guitar-driven “Smoke”, and “Blurry Now” with Jayden Mckenzie.