Meet oshan and his Rome Fortune-featuring new anthem, Love Hate

To be honest, Sydney's oshan is probably a little bit too big to an artist to 'get to know' in this sense. His debut EP, Most At Home, arrived through esteemed French label Roche Musique and gained over a million spins on Spotify alone, where he's copped support from people like OWSLA. He's supported named like DJ Snake, Baauer and Dillon Francis over the years too, quietly building himself a platform amongst the US – where the majority of his followers come from despite being based in Sydney.

Love Hate is his returning single and it's a remarkably slick and laid-back, with the Sydney production young-gun teaming up with US rapper and What So Not collaborator Rome Fortune for the affair. It's marked by a bright, almost summer-flavoured feel, with this funk groove and light, twinkling melodies leading the way ahead of trap-leaning percussion roll and Rome Fortune's laid-back presence. It's a great single and definitely a great starting point if you're yet to meet oshan, and just in case you haven't, we caught up with him to find out what he and his Rome Fortune-featuring new single is all about:

Tell us about yourself?

Hello, my name is Riley & I’m a really lanky music nerd who also creates music and pretends to play the keys from time to time. I also own a bunch of synthesizers that keep me warm at night. I’m 23 from Avalon on the Northern Beaches of Sydney… although instead of surfing, I’m usually making music which can seem odd to some people. I’ve been making music for about 5 years now.

What’s the vibe music-wise?

I listen to a very broad range of music & tend to draw from a lot of these different styles into my own work. Although this usually ends up being half-finished ideas experimenting & trying to blend Tame Impala sounds with “Hip-Hop” rhythms & Indie-Rock type woozyness with synthesizers.

What are your production and writing processes like?

I don’t really have a set process because I try to approach each new song differently to avoid falling into patterns of creativity. Sometimes I’ll start a song with just a feeling I get from a melody I’ve recorded and try to highlight that mood with instrumentation and see where it goes. Other times it can be from a drum rhythm I’ve written or just a nice tasty chord progression that sparks a song. I actually created a song from accidentally bumping my elbow on my keyboard which ended up being part of the main melody to my next single.

Can you tell us about your new single, Love Hate?

Love Hate is the first single from me this year, I wrote this song a year ago. When I was walking my dog this melody just appeared in my head so I recorded it on my phone and as soon as I got home the whole song kinda burst out of me and was a super quick process. It then took some time getting it sounding how I wanted & I recorded my Dad playing some guitar which ended up being the main guitar melody.

The single sees you link up with US rapper Rome Fortune. How did that collaboration come about, and what was the collaboration process like?

I sent Rome some ideas & originally thought he would record over a different demo but he sent back his verse on the scrappy demo version of Love Hate which immediately clicked with me, so I spent the next few days trying to make the instrumental compliment the mood behind Rome’s lyrics. It was really fun working on this song. I took a lot from how Rome approached it and his attention to rhythm, songwriting & delivery. I like how different Rome is in the broad field of “Hip-Hop” he has so much character which really draws you in.

Any shows coming up?

I’ll definitely be playing shows in the future. I’m trying to build something special for my shows by improving my playing skills so I can play my songs live and do more with my music on stage.

What’s the rest of the year have in store for you?

I've got some more songs coming out this year that are really, really special to me. I’m also working on a video clip with some friends for my next single. I’ll probably be having numerous long conversations with myself on how to do things a bit differently and not fit into musical styles.

Where can we find more of your music?

The usual places on the internet - Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Youtube.

Follow oshan: FACEBOOK