Today we’d like to introduce you to Finn O’Sullivan.
Hi Finn, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was raised in a very artistic and musical house, so music has always been a part of my life. My mom played piano and my dad played guitar, and both of them have really extensive and varied taste in music. I didn’t realize that I wanted to pursue music as more than just a hobby for a while. I took piano lessons when I was little, but never found a lot of passion in it. When I was 12, I started playing guitar, and that was also around the time I started writing songs.
I was one of the winners of eTown’s Handmade Songs contest in Boulder in 2016, and my song “When The Power Comes Back On” won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in 2020. I’m currently a third-year singer/songwriter major at the University of Colorado Denver. Music is really where I found my passion, and I’ve found that in songwriting I can really be my most authentic, vulnerable self.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think that I’ve been fortunate in a lot of ways. My parents were always there to support my musical pursuits, and have never once told me to figure out a “backup plan.” That being said, I think the biggest challenge for me has been gaining the confidence to share my music not only with friends and family but anybody else who might listen.
I’ve always been on the quieter, introverted side, so taking the step to perform publicly and release music was a big one for me. I’ve had a lot of support in my life, though, that really helped me come out of my shell in that sense.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a singer/songwriter. I write my own music, and I’ve been playing out in the Boulder/Denver area for a few years now. I’ve always been a really words-oriented person. When I hear a song, the lyrics are the first things that I notice, so when I write my own songs it happens in a similar way.
I love the storytelling aspect of songwriting, whether that’s a fictional story or one representing an experience I’ve actually had. I’m always trying to remain honest and authentic through songwriting, and I think it’s really important to create art that not only feels important to me but has the ability to have some sort of impact on other people as well.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I’m an only child, so growing up, I had to figure out ways to entertain myself a lot of the time. One of my favorite ways to do this was to pretend I was being interviewed by some talk show host.
Instead of being interviewed about music (or whatever else I was into when I was younger), I’d pretend I was being interviewed about my day and all the people and friends in my life. Not sure why my little brain thought that a talk show host would know the details and specifics of my 9-year-old life, but I definitely had a lot of fun pretending they did.
Contact Info:
- Website: finnosullivanmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finnosullivanmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/finnomusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEhV_KfV-Py7_60-nowt-fA/featured?app=desktop
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1001xKADuDyN62D0n0lXKl?si=hUbk8okIT82NMIJYKmN47Q
Image Credits
Shirley Schaller, Gabrielle Dewolf, and Lisa Holmes
