Zack Wiebe never thought a song he wrote in his bedroom would travel the world, but that’s exactly what happened.
The Morden singer-songwriter, who releases music under the name Zackery, is still adjusting to the reality that nearly 8 million people have streamed his breakout 2022 track On The Edge. Now, two years later, he’s packaged that song and five others into his debut EP, Fragments, a collection of personal tracks written over the course of several life changes.
“These are all songs that are part of that original batch that I had written, some of them even before I started releasing music,” said Wiebe. “They just felt kind of fragmented and scattered, and I wanted to kind of put a bow on them.”
The six-song EP includes past singles like Do Your Worst, Closed Eyes, and Fragments, alongside newer acoustic versions. Rather than a declaration of where he’s going, Zack says the project is about honouring where he's been.
“This EP is a combination of older songs, and songs that I wrote and released through that phase of my life... I felt like it was a good time to give those songs a home.”
A tractor cab and a TikTok account
Wiebe didn’t always see music as a career path. He studied agriculture at the University of Manitoba and works full-time on the family farm outside Morden. But in the early days of the pandemic, the creative itch returned.
“I’ve always loved music and songwriting. I did a little bit of that in high school and during COVID, I just started again,” he said. “I had more time, and had some things I wanted to say, and just wanted to give it a go.”
Working from a makeshift home studio and sometimes even recording vocals in his closet, Zack began quietly releasing music to streaming platforms and posting song snippets to TikTok. Then, everything changed.
“That one song, On The Edge, started picking up a lot of traction and growing,” he said. “That definitely gave me the encouragement to keep going.”
The song exploded online, earning millions of streams and bringing in fans from across the world. Even as that success built, Zack remained committed to his life in rural Manitoba.
“I’m still working on the farm with my family. It’s always been a balance,” he said. “We’ve had to make adjustments and sacrifices on both ends, but it’s just kind of the reality of what I do.”
Building a team and staying grounded
As the online momentum grew, Zack connected with a management team based in the UK and began collaborating with other musicians, including well-known Manitoba drummer and producer Roman Clarke.
Zack’s also started playing shows, including this summer’s Winnipeg Folk Festival, where he performed live with a band for the first time. The group included Roman Clarke, guitarist Charlotte Friesen, and Winkler’s James Johnston on bass.
“Folk Fest was super cool. That was our first show as a band,” Zack said. “That was a really good experience, and it was really cool to do that in Manitoba.”
Even as he branches out, Zack says he still feels closely tied to his home community. His music video for Closed Eyes was filmed late at night on Stephen Street in downtown Morden.
“We just kind of walked around and filmed and tried to capture the vibe of our town,” he said. “It felt really special to shoot it in a place that’s meaningful to me.”
What's next for Zackery
With Fragments now out, Zack is starting to look ahead both creatively and geographically. He’s headed to Los Angeles this summer for a short tour, including a stop at the iconic venue The Troubadour.
“That’s really exciting for me. I’ve never played in the States, and that’ll be kind of my first opportunity to get out there and play for a new audience,” he said.
He’s also working on new music that reflects who he is now — and says future projects will likely feel different than the introspective, stripped-down tone of Fragments.
“After this, I'm excited to go into a new chapter of music and share more of the songs that I’ve been working on recently,” he said. “There’s definitely more to come.”
A local performance may also be in the works.
“I’d love to do a hometown show,” Zack said. “That’s definitely on the list.”
For now, whether he’s working the fields or working on the next song, Zack remains focused on writing music that feels honest — and staying grounded in the place where it all started.
Fragments is available now on all major streaming platforms.
Follow Zack on Instagram and TikTok: @just.zackery