paper aviator (aka Kris Zaballero) is a Filipino-American composer and pianist based in Central Florida. Kris blends elements of many genres—electronica, jazz fusion, folk, minimalism, ambient, and more—to create warm soundscapes, playful melodies, and soft emotions. Kris loves to mix electronic and acoustic timbres and explore the boundary between silliness and heartfelt emotions.
Kris has been playing piano since a young age, but they really started to take piano seriously at age 13, when they started learning video game music by ear. Around the same time, they started experimenting with remixing music and making covers of game music and found a passion for composition. They studied classical piano and music composition at the University of Central Florida and received their BM in Music Composition in 2022.
Kris also hosts WAM: a weekend-long jam where dozens of musicians and artists create an album in a single weekend. Every piece is a collaborative effort (no solo works!), and profits from the album are donated to Zebra Youth, an organization that provides life-saving support to LGBTQ+ youth.
When they aren’t doing music, Kris enjoys taking photos of cool birds (Kris loves Roseate Spoonbills), making art with Friendly Bird Studios, juggling, or making chain reaction machines.