A Chat with OH? (18.10.24)
With an enigmatic presence and eclectic melodies, singer-songwriter OH? concocts a blend of folk, indie, pop and smidgeons of jazz in his music. We speak with the London-based Finland native about his new single ‘Turn Back‘, changing sound, the significance of time and much more.
OSR: I loved how your take on how time affects us all, especially with the opinion that it compels us to grow. How did you come to this conclusion on time and how have you been compelled to grow over the years?
OH?: Thanks so much for your kind words! This is definitely the message in ‘Turn Back’, and it does have its origins in lived experience. I guess this is how I’ve come to this conclusion really, by facing the reality that time waits for no one, time and time again. When my first band Wedding Crashers was dropped from Universal Music after our debut album, and a few very successful years of touring (albeit not big commercial success), I remember thinking how fast times can change for the first time. The next big change happened when I joined my favourite Finnish band of all time Scandinavian Music Group in 2014. That changed my life in no time – suddenly I was touring festival main stages in Finland, which definitely compelled me to grow as a musician. Can you believe it’s already been 10 years in the band – 10 YEARS!? I’m getting old.
OSR: Did forming in 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic, when the concept of time was probably the most skewed it has ever been, influence the evolution of your sound?
OH?: Well, the latest moment when the passage of time compelled me to grow was in 2020 of course, but for other reasons than you might think. After covid hit, me and my wife were faced with a choice. Do we move to London where we have been accepted in really great art schools, or do we stay safe in Finland, and god knows if we will get a second chance to act on our artistic dreams? We decided to go. I left behind a comfortable Finnish music career, my musical roots that had grown deep in the Nuuksio National Park forests, and moved on to pursue the unknown here in London. If anything, I’d say that sped up the evolution of my sound. If I hadn’t made that move, I think I might have never started OH?, and made these songs I am now releasing.
OSR: I can relate to your opinion that there’s little more we can do than to try and find some peace in the present moment. How do you find peace in the present moment? Does being present have an influence on your craft?
OH?: Most certainly does. During pandemic times when I was quite actively writing music, I noticed that doing nothing is the best source of inspiration for writing music. Or more precisely, doing something else than writing music will make you want to write music. I noticed that when I took long walks, I would suddenly have this big urge to develop my songs in my mind, and would have whole verses of lyrics come to me quite quick. I noticed that an idle mind is a creative one.
The wise words of my therapist have taught me the most valuable lessons of staying in the present moment. That there is a Self that is always in the present moment, and that is the real me. That’s the person in me who is made of pure experience. The part of me that wants nothing, lacks nothing, and asks for nothing, and just… Is. By pursuing this advice, I think I once found that person for a few minutes, sitting on the balcony and observing the world around me. I mean, we all have a voice inside our heads telling us all sorts of things all the time, but who is it that this voice is in dialogue with? Who is the one listening? That is the part most capable of being present.
OSR: How has your sound changed since moving to London?
OH?: A lot. As I explained earlier, I think the change itself changed my sound, but it has evolved a lot after the fact as well. When the lockdown started to ease a bit, I would go out for long walks, and often there would be someone playing on the street who got me inspired. I remember recording this dude who was playing some devised percussions around Oxford Circus, and I was just mesmerised by his rhythmic prowess. I just stood there for minutes, and I think I got a lot of rhythmic ideas from that. I love the multicultural London vibes everywhere, and the unprejudiced genre blending of the capital has made me more experimental in crossovers myself.
OSR: Do you think being true to your roots whilst embracing your journey is the key to embracing growth and ensuring your sound stays fresh?
OH?: I don’t think I could rip the roots off my sound if I tried. Everything I do musically takes me back into those serene, misty woods I am from in one way or another, and it can definitely be heard in my music. Yeah, I think incorporating new sounds and aesthetics from along the journey definitely helps me feel fresh about my music at least. And I think that’s the key for me in sound anyway, how it feels you know? Expressing emotion is always the most important thing for me in music. I like to think that I see the world finding new sounds and ideas so that I can paint those pictures I see of the national park forests in my head, with different tones, again and again.
OSR: Having an eclectic taste in music, I was interested to discover your past work in metal bands and jazz ensembles. What did you take from your time as part of such diverse genres?
OH?: I did have a metal phase in my teens, don’t we all? I just happened to play as well, and that’s how I built a solid foundation for playing in a band I guess. Metal bands seem to be the best, most wholesome creative environments on this planet for some reason. The weird thing is, I also played with a few jazz ensembles at the same time, even with some of the same people in them! The jazz streak definitely came from playing keys in a big band in my school times, and I’d say the metal streak came from starting with classical guitar when I was 6 years old. To this day, my two biggest influences are the precise rhythmic materials of metal and unconditional love for the vast possibilities in chord and melody extensions from jazz music harmony
OSR: Has being a producer affected your approach to making music?
OH?: Yes. I tend to think of sounds as equal to the importance of the song these days.
OSR: A lot of the bands you cite as influences are some of my favourites. Who would you most like to work with and why?
OH?: I would really love to work with Simon Le Bon from Duran Duran. Just seems like an all-around really good energy fella, and what I know from his approaches to writing lyrics, I would really have a lot to learn from him. Robert Smith from The Cure is another one, his unmistakable ear for a melody would be something I’d like to rub off on me as well.
OSR: Do you have anything else in the pipeline, like live shows?
OH?: My debut EP Masquerade will be released on Friday 25/10/2024, go and take a listen to it when it comes out! I will do a release day livestream on my Instagram in the evening, so you can take a peek into a house party full of London artists, and hear me play a few songs live!
We have two debut EP release shows happening very soon around the release with my band:
Monday 28/10/2024 Charge x OH? @ Milton Court Concert Hall, London
Friday 08/11/2024 Masquerade EP Release Ball @ 93 Feet East, London
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
OH?: I want to thank you for reading all the way through, your support means a lot. Times are a bit hard but I assure you, we will come out on the other side in due course! Keep on keeping on, XX
Many thanks to OH? for speaking with us. Find out more about OH? on his Instagram and Spotify.
