Take the distorted, vocoder-esque vocals of 100 gecs’ Laura Les and combine them with some fresh, tropical pop melodies, and you’ve got yourself rising star Oscar DeLaughter. The Texas-born singer-songwriter is slowly shaking the table when it comes to all things musical, and with his new single “Just Woke Up” garnering serious traction, he promises even more sonic beauty to come.

DeLaughter first debuted with the dark pop anthem “Broken Heart Conversation” in late 2020, taking that stirringly romantic energy and giving it an IV drip of clear skies and healed wounds on his latest single. ‘”Just Woke Up” is about coming to grips with the reality of certain aspects in life but keeping hope that things will get better,” DeLaughter explains of his self-produced, self-released sophomore single. “I feel like things get easier when you’ve accepted what they are… I refer to summer because summer is a time when we plan on doing all the things you’ve wanted to do all year, but unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out.”

Ultimately, DeLaughter wants to lift our spirits, penning fittingly hopeful tracks that allow him to process the past year whilst also tackling his own internal struggles. As a new name in the game, we thought we’d delve a little deeper into the singer’s artistic pursuits, catching up with him below about inspirations, life in Dallas, and all his plans for the year to come.

Take a look…

Hi Oscar – how have you been during this uncertain time?
I’ve been hanging in there, I moved to LA back in August so I’ve really just been staying focused on my music and really building my craft.

How has it impacted your music and creativity?
I’ve gone through phases of feeling uninspired but overall It’s actually forced me to dig deeper and find new things to write about.

How did growing up in the melting pot of Dallas influence you sonically? And who were your musical heroes?
Luckily Dallas has a lot of different music around..from alternative rock to hip hop…so I was able to be pretty involved with all genres… As far as my group of friends, hip-hop was definitely the most listened to, so it for sure had an influence on me and certain elements of my music.

Congratulations on your new track – “Just Woke Up” – what was it inspired by?
Thank you! The song was really inspired by where the world was at and where I was at the time..while feeling so much, at the same time I felt a sense of numbness to everything…

And the music video looked like a lot of fun to film – what did you want to evoke with it?
The music video was definitely a lot of fun to film. I was trying to articulate the contrast between more dark and serious lyrics being sung in a not so dark way along the lead in the chorus and the upbeat rhythm.

You’ve been really open about the themes of your music, such as self-improvement and acceptance – why do you think it’s important to be really transparent?
Because transparency is everything…especially now more than ever.

How does it feel releasing new music when most of the world is in lockdown/everything feels so uncertain – what do you hope your music will bring?
I fully realize that things happening in the world are much bigger than me so I really just hope and pray that my music can contribute in a sense for the better even if it’s just a new song for someone to listen to.

What’s the most unusual place you pull inspiration from?
I usually get most inspired when I’m not doing anything involved with music like going fishing. I love fishing. Getting out and remaining in touch with the world is where all the real inspiration can be found. My music is a representation of what I see and feel and that ultimately comes from the outside world.

What’s next for you?
I have a few more singles as well as an EP coming out that I’m really excited for and I can’t wait to perform it! I miss doing shows and being on stage but I’m also looking forward to the upcoming live stream shows and getting used to that.

What are you looking forward to in 2021?
I’m definitely looking forward to the music I have coming out, but more so the world moving forward and becoming a better place. I’m very excited for what the future holds…

Check out the sun-kissed video for “Just Woke Up” below…