If there’s one thing about Gen Z, it’s that we’re gonna make people famous for “no reason”. I’m not here to bash anyone for being “talentless”, as I would quite literally give up my first born to go TikTok viral overnight and suddenly never have to worry about being able to pay my bills ever again. Even though blowing up for a thirst trap, a 5 second dance, or a silly little comedy video doesn’t necessarily require blood, sweat, and tears, they all still fall under the category of, well, something: they’re putting something out there, they have something that they do, and, for some reason, people love it.
But then…there’s Zack Bia.
If you’re an avid pop culture follower you definitely know the name, and could probably even recognize his face in a DailyMail story in the same way you see a guy in your Monday morning lecture and think “Is that the guy who I made out with on Saturday?” “The Real Zack Bia” for Complex, “Meet Zack Bia: Los Angeles’ Coolest Club Kid” for i-D Magazine, and even “Drake Hits the Studio Alongside Pal Zack Bia”, for Just Jared—who isn’t talking about this guy? Isn’t he just another mediocre white man?
And so, I took it upon myself to find an answer for the question of 2022: who tf is Zack Bia?
I began by asking all 8 of my roommates, who are all in the prime Bia knowledge demographic (college females). Not to my surprise, they all responded with a wholehearted ‘yes’. However, when I asked all of them why he was famous, I received six immediate “I don’t know”-s, one, “Is he really hot or something?”, and one “Didn’t he date Madison Beer?” Running into another dead end, I decided it was time to turn to the internet and conduct more research than I have for any essay in my college career.
With a quick Google search of just his name alone, I was immediately bombarded with his oddly impressive dating history. Spotted with Madison Beer at The Nice Guy–an LA holy grail hotspot–in 2018 (my roommate was right!), with Madelyn Cline at Giorgio Baldy (yet another holy grail hotspot) in 2021, and with Olivia Rodrigo at a Gracie Abrams concert in 2022. Honestly? Good for him.
But how did he do that? The answer has got to be on his Instagram, right?
His (obviously verified) profile boasts over 500,000 followers, and the pictures he’s posted in the past 6 months alone include him posing with Virgil Abloh, the Weeknd, Drake, and many, many more. I figured that these people he’s regularly rubbing elbows with all share one common denominator: hip-hop and rap music.
The dots slowly started to connect as I revisited his bio and found it only contained the username @fieldtrip, Bia’s unverified record label with less than 10,000 followers. However, during his Complex interview, Bia touched on how this label laid the groundwork for major names in rap like Sheck Wes and Baby Keem, as Bia would host massive promotional parties where they would perform. Although they have some impressive connections under the belt, Field Trip is most definitely an “on the come up” type of project— nothing that would lead to being tied to some of music and television’s biggest stars.
I finally figured that if I can’t come to any conclusions on my own accord, my last resort is to find a fan of his that can explain this enigma of a man to me. But alas, a new question quickly arose: “Who the even is an avid Zack Bia fan?” Do you know one? If you do, for the love of God, send them my way.
No overly obvious talents, no resilient fan base, not even a real something in sight, so the phenomenon that is Mr. Bia remains a mystery. He’s just like the human equivalent of when Apple put that U2 album onto all of our phones: thrusted into all of our consciousness and no one can really explain how or why. Less of a celebrity, more of an entity, or an enigma if you will. Maybe he could be studied in future philosophy courses for his unexplainable force to simply be known.
If any advancements are found, my DM’s are always open. Maybe I’ll contact Ms. Rodrigo herself to see what’s up.