OSTON made quite an impact recently at Lollapalooza when she hit the stage for the Music in The Key of Chicago segment. The Park City Utah native’s style has a pop sensibility paired with an insightful approach. Her lyrics and phrasing are honest and uncompromising. Her debut EP, Sitting at the Kids Table, has racked up over 6 million streams. Her most recent release Am I Talking Too Much? is placing her stamp on the industry.
Rolling out spoke with OSTON about her Lollapalooza performance, her career challenges and what it means to follow your dreams.
Talk about the moment you knew you wanted to be an artist.
I’ve always known I wanted to write songs and sing them for people since I was a little kid. I don’t think I fully understood what being an artist really entails until I moved to LA in 2019 and settled into the thick of the industry. It’s a ginormous responsibility and maybe I’ll never completely understand every aspect of it. But I’m definitely okay with that.
What has been the most challenging moment of your career?
Honestly, not giving up on myself has been really really hard sometimes. It seems like sort of a convoluted idea to put every single ounce of your being, heart, energy, time, money, everything, into working on music that hopefully, someone out there will connect with; but maybe no one will. But when it works, it’s absolutely rewarding. But even still, sometimes it’s hard to remind myself that it’s worth the battle.
Talk about how it felt to perform at Lollapalooza.
It was insane. I didn’t picture myself playing a music festival for another year or two; so the fact I got to play my favorite festival in my favorite city for some of my favorite people, was so special and rewarding.
What are your top three favorite albums of all time?
Melodrama by Lorde, Be the Cowboy by Mitski and Currents by Tame Impala. Those are the three I’ve found myself going right back to for years.
What words do you have for those looking to follow their dreams?
I can’t emphasize enough just how important it is to celebrate the little wins. Putting so much pressure and focus on the end goal can be really taxing. So when you put out a song, celebrate. When you get a playlist add, celebrate. Mimosas all around. This goes for any industry. You’re one little step closer and you deserve to be proud.
Take a listen to “Am I Talking Too Much?” below.
