After nearly two decades of producing and engineering for others—credits that include Ab-Soul, The Glorious Sons, Cheekface, and The Kooks — Greg Cortez decided it was time to make music for himself. The nickname “Killah Cortez” followed him from session to session (thanks to Neil Young and a roomful of musicians who refused to let it go). So when it came time to launch a project of his own, the name stuck.
Written during a season of personal unraveling, family illness, breakups, burnout—Killah Cortez’s debut EP Pronoia is a meditation on survival and strange hope. “I was in a really tough place,” Cortez says, “but I built these daily systems just to keep myself moving. Eventually, I started writing again.” The EP takes its name from the idea that the universe is secretly conspiring in your favor, even when it feels like everything’s crashing. From the ambient alt-rock of “Imaginary Lines” to the chaotic pop of “Lose Control,” Pronoia refuses to stay in one sonic lane. “I wanted to establish early that everything’s on the table,” Cortez says. “This whole project started as a personal production experiment, but it came to life the second I opened it up to my friends.” After a breakout set at NextFest 2025 and a string of indie collabs (including “Static Boo” with actress/songwriter Jetta Juriansz), Killah Cortez is moving full force into whatever comes next.