OSTON is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists. After getting in touch with her over the summer I long awaited our chance to talk. When she told me she had new music coming out this month, I jumped at the opportunity to chat with the LA pop star.
With infectious good vibes and a pure spirit, both qualities you can sense through her music, OSTON is an up and coming artist whose songs you’ll have on repeat.
Sitting in her room with her headphones in and her bright contagious smile planted on her face, we hit it off from the very beginning of our Zoom call.
She uniquely has an artist name similar to her own, staying true to herself. OSTON — no, not Boston like the city or the rock band — is a play on her real name Austin Wolfe, pronounced the same way and allows her to still be herself as much as possible.
Growing up loving to sing, there was nothing else she could see herself pursuing as a career other than music. She double majored in music performance and marketing at Columbia College in Chicago where she focused on crafting her pop sound.
“I’m glad that I went to school in a city where I was able to meet lots of creative people,” the singer shared about her college experience.
Learning responsibility and time management are things she values from her time in school, aiding with the transition into adulthood.
Leaving the Chicago music scene for more opportunities in LA, the singer has elevated her career by working, with various new artists everyday in sunny California. Drawing inspiration from artists like St. Vincent and Jack Antonoff, OSTON strives to be brutally honest when writing her lyrics to connect with people.
Having to share a name with another artist and a popular porn star (yes you read that correctly), she realized she was going to need a stage name to keep the focus on herself and her music.
“It’s kind of cool. When I go up on stage, I’m like this character, OSTON, that I created versus when I’m off stage, I can be my truest dorky self with the same name,” OSTON said.
They say don’t meet your idols, but OSTON got to meet hers in a very cool way. Earlier this year OSTON was on an episode of “Songland” with one of her favorite songwriters, the queen of raw lyrics and catchy tunes, Julia Michaels.
The singer got a call from a friend who was on the show during the first season asking if she wanted to be on “Songland” and of course, she said yes. The producers needed someone to sing one of the contestant’s songs, and without knowing she was going to meet one of her favorite artists, she agreed to do the show.
Nervous to have to learn the song in a few short days, the singer nailed it and got to meet the pop superstar all in one day.
“It was one of the cooler things I’ve ever done on a whim,” OSTON said.
Unfortunately, no one is getting to see artists and attend concerts due to COVID-19. When it comes to attending concerts, the singer misses them as much as the rest of us, along with getting to perform her own music live.
“Oh my god, I miss all of it,” OSTON shared. “I miss being in the audience; I miss being on stage. Concerts are my heart and soul; I love going to my favorite artists’ shows and feeling their art in such a different way because it’s just such a personalized experience.”
Planning to release new music soon, the artist shared how it won’t be the same without getting to perform her songs live. Even though she can’t have a concert in person, she does plan on having a live performance of a few of her songs along with her new single soon after its release.
Bonding over our love of Lorde, personal lyrics and live music, I talked to OSTON about how quarantine has impacted her creative process. She felt overwhelemed by the shock of the pandemic and a pressure to write more music, but she learned how to take all of the emotions she was feeling and use them to her advantage to share her experiences in her music.
Like the rest of the world back in March the artist expected quarantine to be short-lived but had to learn to adapt to our new normal. Watching “Harry Potter” marathons and drinking with friends, OSTON enjoyed a tiny break then got right back to work. Over time, she began writing daily again and found that the restrictions made her work even harder.
One good thing that came out of quarantine is her new single “Me Forever” which releases on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The singer created a series on her social media called “quarantunes,” where she attempts to make new songs in a limited amount of time and film the process.
“Me Forever” was a “quarantune” the artist loved so much she had to finish it.
“The whole idea behind the song is the concept of how people nowadays with social media and with computers are able to leave rude and nasty comments and then walk away from it, but you have to see that and live with that forever,” OSTON said.
Realizing she was holding back on her first project, the singer is opening up now more than ever on her new EP “Am I Talking Too Much?,” set to release next year.
Being honest about her life in hopes that fans connect to her music, OSTON is an open book, and her lyrics fill every page ready for listeners to fully take in.

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OSTON