Today we’d like to introduce you to Oli Outside.
Oli, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started as a songwriter in Chicago where I grew up. I wrote songs with acts like Louis The Child and The Plain White Tees. I moved to LA with my best friend Tali to start a band. I named the band, wrote the songs, made the logos and the video content, etc. After dropping our first song, Habits by outsideOutside, we were signed immediately to Warner Brothers Records. However, I had made the mistake of bringing in an old friend, and his manager to help us grow the project. Under the contract with Warner Brothers, I worked extremely hard to make our first EP, but when it came time to release it, the producer and his manager decided to take my vocals, and Tali’s vocals off of the music before sending it into Warner.
At this point, I realized I would have to start over for the 3rd time in my career. So I started releasing music under Oli Outside. I spent the past year barely able to afford living in LA, but continuing to make music because that is what I was born to do. It has now been one year since I started my solo project and Oli Outside already claims more fans and listenership than the Warner Brothers backed project. I average over 40K monthly listeners on Spotify and I also dropped a song this year that I made with the Plain White Tees ( The band that sings “Hey There Delilah”) called “Pull It”. 12 years old me would be screaming right now if he knew that. So I’ve had some great victories. And through the lows, my relationships with my few fans, and their appreciation for my music has been and continues to be what gets me through my hardest times. For me, it’s been amazing to see my hard work starting to pay off and to finally have something that I can truly call my own.
Has it been a smooth road?
Being betrayed by the very band you started, and being forced to start over for the third time as a musician in LA with nowhere to live was not easy. It still isn’t. But sometimes it’s the struggle that makes your art great. As long as my music and art is better and more genuine from it, I can’t complain. In the end, that’s what I care about most.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am completely independent as an artist which comes with challenges but also presents me with the freedom to do exactly what I want, when I want, with no external influence. This results in music being made directly for my fans. If I’m hearing from a few of my supporters that they are having certain issues, I try to make music that will help them through those tough times and let them know that I’ve been there too. I get to know their preferences and really make all my songs with them in mind. I’m always thinking things like “oh, I know Mikala and Shep will love it if I just add a breakdown with these lyrics here, etc.”
Overall my music has been classified as alternative punk-pop. It feels a lot like our favorite bands from the 2000s (like Blink 182, Sum 41, Greenday, MCR) but I incorporate hip hop and some rapping throughout, keeping a modern pulse to the songs. Similar to Twenty One Pilots but with a touch of influence from the current underground emo trap scene in LA.
Although it may be time soon to add team members and grow, I am very proud of how far I have come on my own. I do my own album art, videos, show bookings, and promotion. Having this kind of creative control has kept this project extremely authentic and sure I could be bigger and make more money, but for now I’m doing exactly what I want to do. I think the people can kinda hear that when they listen to my music.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love that LA is so filled with other creatives trying to pursue their passions. As a creative, it’s so amazing to meet other creatives that have similar aspirations. We take this for granted in LA, but almost anywhere else in the world it would be impossible to meet so many independent minds. These are the people that are shifting the culture and working so hard, most of the time for no money because they believe in the impact they are making. Coming from Chicago, the weather is also a huge plus for me.
The thing I like least about LA is how hard it is to get around. Everything is very spread out and the roads were not well thought out. It’s very hard to make more than one trip in a day and as a struggling entrepreneur, that can be very limiting.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/39A7ufICfumRGLXntym5F8?si=fBhCG2bSQViXwYgHKzhUmA
- Phone: 8475331869
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oli.outside/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Oli-Outside-1538725882937783/?ref=br_tf&epa=SEARCH_BOX
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