Instagram Star Emily Zeck Gives her "Two Cents" in an iEDM Exclusive

I scream, you scream, we all scream for Emily Zeck's "Two Cents (Ice Cream Song.)"

Once you listen to Zeck's irresistible new song, there will be no escaping it.  The timing of the release is perfect with festival season right around the corner. The electro-pop tune will get stuck in your head and you will be pulled into a delightful universe filled with bikinis, loose change, and ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream.

"The way I describe my music, basically, is if The Chainsmokers and Jack Johnson had a baby. Then, if you dipped the baby in salt water and rolled it in sand a few times...that's kind of my genre.   don't think a lot of people can share that genre," Zeck confidently grinned.

The bubbly singer was filled with an infectious amount of personality. Zeck sat down for an exclusive interview with iEDM to talk about her latest single and her rise to Instagram fame. 

"I went to college in UNF at North Florida which is about ten minutes from the beach. I learned very quickly that if I took pictures in bikinis, I would get free bikinis," she laughed. Not a bad gig if a person can get it! Zeck explained, "I was a broke college kid living on the beach. Free $100 bikinis? Heck yeah."

It was very clear that Zeck, better known as thatpineapplegirl on Instagram with over 370k followers, was living the dream.

"It kind of grew from that point on," she said. "I wasn't taking any of it seriously. I was really doing it for the sake of not spending money on bikinis. It took no effort. I lived on the beach. It was one of those things where I could do it on the weekend and have fun with my friends."

Zeck's weekend adventures paved the way for her to experiment a bit more with music.  "I posted cover songs occasionally just for my own entertainment. It was my own personal, little space. I didn't care what people thought about it. People seemed to like it because it kept growing," she told iEDM.

Eventually, people in the music business recognized there was true potential for the rising Internet star.

Zeck said, "It was into the beginning of the second year on my Instagram account where one of my managers approached me about doing music. I always played music.  There wasn't a starting age for me. It's been a second outlet for me for all of my own emotions. A living diary, almost."

It took a lot of convincing for Zeck to seriously chase a career in music.

"It took a few months of arguing back and forth with my manager about pursing music." The star nodded, "I had no desire to pursue music. None. At all. I was a realist and very into my academics. I worked my butt off in high school. I got all the scholarships. I went to honors college in UNF. I was not about to let go of my academics to pursue something that was, in my opinion, completely ridiculous."

The singer had strong feelings because she was aware of the never-ending struggle that usually accompanies a person's journey into the entertainment industry.

"You hear so many horror stories about people spending 10 or 15 years trying to do something and it never works out. They have a minimal wage job while still pursing music until they finally give up on it. I didn't want to do that. I wanted success for myself. I wanted at least a good job," she said.

It was destiny that kept calling the young singer until she finally caved in.

Zeck laughed, "Everywhere I turned in life, music was there. Every chance that I had to have fun--it was due to music. Every big moment...music was involved. Every turn I took in life, music was poking me. Finally, the timing was right. I saw the opportunity and I took it."

"Two Cents (Ice Cream Song)" is taking off at lightning-like speed. When asked how the song came together, Zeck revealed a surprising backstory to iEDM.  

"It came from a darker source," she said. "I was speaking to somebody--whose name I will not mention. This person was talking about my music and my style with my lyrics. The person was like, 'You know, you need to write about things that will inspire you.' The person was kind of calling me shallow--pretty much saying my music was shallow and cheesy. So I was like, 'Screw this. I'm going to write about money and ice cream. You want shallow? I'll give you real shallow.'"

Zeck basked in the track's self-aware attitude.  

Zeck glowed, "It's funny because it's very pop and cheesy. It gets stuck in your head very easily. But the lyrics do have a deeper meaning. You know? It's a fun way to say, 'Save it.' I claimed and owned the song."

Zeck's music video for "Two Cents" is slated to debut on June 21st with a tremendous amount of anticipation. When asked about her most memorable moments while on set, the Instagram star recalled, "I ate a lot of ice cream. I ate a lot. Of. Ice cream."  

Not everything was fun and games for Zeck however. She explained, "I also had to wear these five-inch, crazy boot heels while riding a vintage lowrider bike. I was riding that bike for eight hours. For the next week, I kid you not--I don't know if it is too much information, I had a bruise on my butt from riding that old bike. I could not sit down comfortably for a week."

She shrugged, "It was so prevalent in the music video. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. If you only knew how much balance was required for that vintage bicycle!"

Fans of Zeck can expect her to keep bringing the heat for many years to come. "My influence comes from my beachy, summery lifestyle. It's pretty much summer 24/7 in my life. I spend most of my time in a bikini on a beach. When it's cold, I travel to places where I can be in a bikini on a beach," Zeck smiled.

Before Zeck left to celebrate the release of "Two Cents," she revealed to readers of iEDM what her favorite ice cream flavor was with great suspense. "Anything with chocolate. Pretty much chocolate flavored anything in my life!"

No matter your favorite ice cream flavor, you can follow Emily Zeck on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. You can also purchase "Two Cents (Ice Cream Song)" on iTunes by clicking here.

All photographs were taken and graciously provided by Kevin Jackson Jr.  You can see more of Kevin's work on Instagram by clicking here.