Meet Batu Oz of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Batu Oz.

Hi Batu, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story started in Istanbul, Turkey with a tiny drum set I got as a birthday gift when I was four. At the time, it felt like just another toy, something I would break in two days, like kids usually do. I wasn’t thinking about music; I was just banging on it, making nosie and having fun. But my parents saw something I couldn’t see at the time. They saw my passion for music.

Not long after, I started taking Piano lessons. That was when I started to explore music more seriously. I kept taking these lessons until I was seven. By then I could play some classical pieces on my piano. These simple music lessons paved the way to a serious path. When I was eight, I found that a very prestigious conservatory in my hometown was taking admissions. I applied and was called to take a round of exams that would determine whether I would be accepted.
The exams were split into two categories: written and performance. The written exam tested my music theory knowledge, while the performance exam determined if I was skilled enough on my instrument to get accepted.

I remember the day my dad took me to the conservatory campus to finish the exams. We were both nervous. We walked through this huge gate to enter the campus, and then my dad took me to the classroom where the written exam was taking place. When I walked in, I saw about forty other kids inside, all of them looking just as nervous as I felt. It was insane to me that all these kids were musicians just like me.
A teacher walked in and told us to take our seats. We sat at the tables as he handed out the test papers. When he gave me the test, I looked it over and was surprised to see it wasn’t as hard as I expected, I had practiced most of it before. I finished quickly and then headed up to the second floor for the performance exam.

A lot of kids were waiting in line for the performance exam. They were called one by one, name by name. After what felt like forever, my name was finally called. When I walked in, I saw about thirty teachers, professionals of different instruments seated around the room, and a piano sat in the center. I played one of the pieces I had learned in my piano lessons. When I finished, the teachers looked at my hands and decided I would be better suited to learning the guitar because of my hand anatomy. It turns out that if you get accepted, you don’t get to choose your instrument, the teachers assign one they think is most suitable. After a very stressful day, I was accepted to the conservatory. I would now be studying classical music and guitar performance.

As the years passed, I grew tired of the strictness and rules of classical music. With intense exams at the end of each year, music stopped feeling like a passion and started feeling like homework.

Around that time when I was twelve, I discovered rock music. It felt like a whole other universe opening up right in front of me. I started listening to bands like Led Zeppelin, Queen, and Nirvana, and I was amazed by the energy of their music and live performances. Every time I listened to their songs or watched their shows on YouTube, I felt like I was traveling back in time. They showed me that music didn’t have to follow so many rules. I could make my own rules, because music was all about self-expression.

But the moment that really changed who I am was when I went to a concert of a punk-rock band called ‘DUMAN’. I was completely amazed by their songwriting skills. Their songs and lyrics resonated with me so deeply that the very next day, I felt so inspired I wrote my first song. That was the moment I truly got into songwriting.
After that day, I kept writing songs and never stopped. I even started several bands, where we would perform our original music, but eventually they all broke up. Still, on my own, I never stopped writing.

When I was fifteen, I decided to move to Los Angeles to live with my dad, who had already been living in California for some time, and finish high school – but most importantly, to expose myself and my music to better opportunities.

On my first day of high school, I was incredibly introverted. I couldn’t speak much English and had a hard time making friends. But over time, I grew more comfortable and started making real progress with my English. With a group of friends I met in class, we formed a band called ‘Upstares’ which combined jazz and rock influences. We played covers and wrote original songs.

One of my friends Zaire told me about a Battle of the Bands competition happening at our school. I was shocked when I found out that one of the judges was none other than Butch Vig, the man who produced Nirvana’s legendary album Nevermind and the drummer of Garbage. I couldn’t believe I was going to play in front of someone who helped shape the sound of one of my most inspiring bands. We signed up for the competition, put together a song list, and started practicing.

When the day of the competition arrived, I remember being really nervous. There were so many good bands, and they had been performing for hours by that point. But when it was our turn, all my nerves disappeared the moment we stepped on that stage. We started playing, and everything felt effortless and seamless, until a power outage hit. The electricity went out, the mics went silent, and the guitars made no sound at all. But somehow, we kept performing, improvising and hyping up the crowd. That went on for about five minutes until the electricity finally came back. Once the power returned, we played through our songs, finished the set, and walked off the stage. Because of the resilience we showed on stage, we won first place in the competition. It was one of the best nights of my life.

After we finished highschool, everyone had to go their separate ways, since everybody was heading off to college.
I decided to move forward solo, continuing to write my own songs. Now, I’m working on a single that I’ll be releasing very soon.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There are definitely ups and downs. The hardest part was forming close friendships and having to say goodbyes and learning to adapt to a culture that was completely new to me.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I write songs that make people feel seen and alive.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I secretly really enjoy 2000’s pop music.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imbatuoz/