When it comes to rap, the scene is currently brimming with new music and talent, and one of the artists that is currently gaining our attention is Toronto-hailed Ollie. Known for his ability to candidly tell stories of heartbreak and mental health across gentle productions and soothing melodies, the artist has amassed more than 300 million streams over the past six years and is continuing to build upon this with the release of his latest project Even When I’m Happy I Listen to Sad Music. Dropping a few weeks back, the artist takes us through an eye-opening project that sees Ollie tap into the everyday struggles of teens around the world.

From turbulent mental health battles to the fear of acceptance, Ollie uses his music as an outlet for himself, as well as comforting like-minded kids.

“I just try to capture those feelings and make music that makes people feel something,” the artist honestly states. “I also think it was important to note that just because I make sad music doesn’t mean I’m sad all the time, my music is the escape. It’s how I cope and vent. It’s helped me grow and learn a lot in my life, and hopefully, my music can do that for other people.”

Catching up with us virtually, Ollie breaks down his creative process and how writing music is a fulfilling experience.

Check out the interview below…

Hey Ollie, how are you doing?
I’m doing well, I appreciate you guys taking interest in my project.

We hear you started your career from the YouTube gaming community. How did that come about?
Before I started making music I was uploading gameplay commentaries on Youtube, gaming was a real passion of mine and still is to this day. Though my gaming channels never took off in a major way, they did eventually lead me to finding an underground music scene happening on the platform. Channels like swagytracks, bestmodernmusic, music4montage and promoting sounds etc were very influential in my come up as well as popular gaming teams like Faze who were using that same scene of music in their montages.

What prompted you to start putting your own music out there?
My life had become so consumed by music it felt necessary to get some things of my chest, writing and telling these stories was an incredibly fulfilling experience.

Who would you say inspires you most?
It’s hard to name one specific artist who has inspired me the most because every stage of my life is accompanied by new music genres and emotions. I’m a product of my environment and grew up in small towns where I listened to a lot of country music, then throughout high school I listened to more hip hop and battle rap. I think I’m inspired by visual elements as well, I love Pixar movies and find a lot of inspiration there. This all is continuing to evolve throughout my life which makes the answer even more complicated, but I definitely am inspired by stories with depth and creators who aren’t afraid to be themselves.

Your sound definitely blends multiple genres, how would you describe your particular sound?
It took me years to really hone in a sound that felt like me, I love guitars, pop Melodys, hip hop story telling etc. I think I just take the elements of music I really enjoy listening to and put them together in my own way. My sound will definitely continue to evolve for as long as I make music.

And congratulations on the release of “Wasted”. Can you give us some insight into the meaning behind the track?
I never loved these questions, I’d like to say “just listen to the song and ask yourself what it means” because music is subjective. What it means for me might be different from somebody else who listens to it. I wrote the song while dealing with some feelings really late one night, that’s all I can say.

It’s hacked from your upcoming Even When I’m Happy I Listen To Sad Music. Would you say the album explores similar themes?
Definitely, we all experience a wide range emotions throughout our life. I just try capture those feelings and make music that makes people feel something. I also think it was important to note that just because I make sad music doesn’t mean I’m sad all the time, my music is the escape. It’s how I cope and vent. It’s helped me grow and learn a lot in my life, and hopefully my music can do that for other people.

And what’s next for you? What are you most excited for this coming year?
We will see where the music takes me, definitely going to play some shows.