A Chat with Thomas O’Shea (30.01.26)
Fusing a plethora of genres from hip-hop and EDM to R&B and avant-garde, Thomas O’Shea brings an eclectic, innovative, original and intriguing sound to our ears. We speak with the US-based musician, producer, songwriter and audio engineer about his new album, Generation Z, the issue of AI, collaboration and much more.
OSR: You recently released your album, Generation Z. The title is a broad label to put on a project, so did you feel a sense of responsibility to speak for your peers, or is the album more about your experience as part of Gen Z?
O’Shea: Honestly, a little of both. I didn’t know if I would continue releasing solo music after I graduated from college and started actively working as a producer and audio engineer. I thought that’s where I would stay, but I just kept finding more things to write about. So, I guess you could say that this album is really just the result of me realizing I have something to say. Maybe people will connect with it, maybe not. But I tried to write it in a way that the message wouldn’t be missed.
OSR: You mention that each track has a specific message reflecting on areas of life that might be difficult to manage. Did you feel anxious or nervous to put your opinions out there for the public to hear? I mean, was there any moment when you were a little unsure or feeling vulnerable about Generation Z and how it would be received?
O’Shea: Oh god, yes. But isn’t that the point of art? If I was too nervous to release this music, then what does that say about what’s in it? I think it shows that I care, that the contents are important, and that it HAD to be released. A lot of the songs are about things that people definitely connect with: our overexposure to the internet, feeling hopeless in the rich man’s world, and the anxieties that come with living in this day and age. I’ll also say that while some of what I saw ARE opinions, a lot of what I talk about are stone cold facts no matter what side you’re on.
I’d say that the hardest songs to write (and to release) were the ones that portray my own experiences. ‘Did I Make It Worse’, ‘Trapped in My Cell’ and ‘To A. from T.’ are definitely the three that I was very unsure about because they’re quite personal. But, part of making art is realizing when it’s for me and when to send it out and make it everyone’s. Interestingly enough, those three have been the most dividing among the early listeners, which I think means I’m doing something right.
OSR: Many of the lyrics touch on the exhaustion of “being online”. How do you balance the need to be a digital creator, producer and stream things online with the desire to “unplug” as a human?
O’Shea: I’ve been really working on that. And it’s quite hard to do cause i too am addicted. When I talk about the grip that the internet has on us all on the album, I’m really talking about myself. In the song ‘The Internet’, off this album, verse 1 is entirely true. I did break my phone. It did send me into spiraling anxiety because that little rectangle wasn’t in my pocket for a day. And that truly scared me – scared for society, my peers, and the future. Now, I only use social media to post my content, promote my music, interact with the community I’m building, and follow the ongoing news.
Otherwise, I try to stay off. Instagram, Facebook, and Discord I use as tools. I had to delete TikTok because of the doom scrolling. As for how I manage and balance the need to be online with the desire to unplug, on the outside, it doesn’t look like I do, but 90% of what I do online is networking, gathering ideas for content, filming/ editing content, or using it for research purposes. So I really just stopped the doom scrolling by using it strategically (though I do slip up and start doom scrolling often, still).
OSR: I read that you have about a decade of experience in the music industry as a composer, producer, and singer-songwriter. If you could give your younger self advice about the journey he was to embark on, what would you say?
O’Shea: Just keep going. That version of myself doesn’t need to know about a lot of what I know now. He wouldn’t be ready to know. I thoroughly believe that you need to experience the music industry in order to learn the music industry. The terrible record deal I accidentally signed at 15? Had to happen. The lost royalties on music I wrote for YouTubers? Had to happen. The hate on my first songs? Definitely had to happen. If I had the opportunity to give my younger self advice and it changed my mindset or how I do business, I wouldn’t be doing what I do today. I can think of a lot of times when I could have used advice, but I learned by doing instead. That’s where experience comes from. That’s why I’m quick on my feet in the studio or at live shows that I’m engineering. And that’s why I’m so hard and set on my beliefs in the industry. I did my homework.
OSR: What do you hope people take from Generation Z, and what does it mean to you?
O’Shea: For my peers: that they aren’t alone. We all are experiencing the things I talk about in the album. Some more than others, but everyone is dealing with the weekly once in a lifetime events, bad job market, terrible housing market, and the decline of true love and connection. Maybe some people have a great job, and bought a house so those don’t work for them. Plenty of Gen Z-ers are getting married. So, obviously there’s plenty of people who can’t connect with what I’m saying 100%, but they can sympathize with the people who are impacted or feeling the way I felt when writing.
For everyone else (non Gen Z-ers), I’m hoping the same message gets across. I hope that the old-school people begin to realize times have changed. A good life is not guaranteed if you get a degree. The promise of a high paying job, a car, a house, and a family are now empty because many of us can’t afford it. A lot of us can’t even find a job, let alone one that fits what we studied. I hope the people criticizing my generation sees how we got the short end of the stick. And that it’s just getting worse with AI.
For me, Generation Z means a lot, both good and bad. This is the first time that I feel like I discovered my sound. Something that is 100% me. But it’s also filled with my own anxieties, struggles, and wrong doings so there’s still a lot of emotion behind it. But that’s the point of art. It stems from emotion and it’s that emotion that people connect with. Writing this album did make one thing clear to me: I will never stop writing my own music no matter where my career takes me.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
O’Shea: Music is everything to me. I live and breathe it. It’s the reason why I get out of bed. Music is how I found my closest friends, my most meaningful relationships, and the most memorable experiences of my life. Without music, I’d be a miserable 24-year-old friendless loser going from a 9-5 that I despise, back to my one bedroom apartment to get high and rot alone. That sounds extreme, but I definitely think it’s true. I’ve been playing music in some way since I was 6. Started really working and learning the industry and how to monetize music at 14, and even went to school and got a degree in it. Where other people see a hobby, I see mountains of potential. Where other people might see failure and defeat, I see a chance to learn more about this amazing thing. I’m just as happy mixing a punk metal concert as I am producing a pop song. Hell, I’ll even play choral, musical theater, classical, and even that experimental avant-garde music (which I even have a few avant-garde pieces under my name).
OSR: You produced music for your band Let Them Eat Cake, but are now working as a solo artist. What are the pros and cons of being on your own as compared to a group?
O’Shea: Little correction there: my solo work is just a piece of what I do. I collaborate with artists, bands, and other producers all the time! I will always enjoy collaborating with other musicians! But it is a really different experience writing solo than with people. Even collaborating with musicians online is a different experience than solo work or in person collaboration.
Working solo, I tend to make fast decisions and just roll with what I’m doing. Working in a group, I might spend hours on a single line trying to get it just right or spend a lot of time on one part just to make it even more impactful. On my own, it takes me a while to get a song release ready. I’m always thinking about the context of the song, checking references, and listening on as many different speakers and headphones as possible. Some of the songs on the album have been ready since June of 2025, but I just kept listening back and tweaking things. (Little advice to audio nerds: Mix 2 is normally the one, not Mix102).
In a group, we might write, produce, record, mix, and even master a song in a few sessions and prepare to release it right away. More ears on a song means more feedback. And feedback is extremely important to know if a song is ready or not. In an ideal world, I would be writing and producing with artists and building albums, stories, and worlds in a team because music is, first and foremost, about the community.
OSR: What are your thoughts about the use of AI in music?
O’Shea: You can censor this if needed, these are very strong feelings. Disrespectfully, FUCK AI. There is absolutely zero need for any plagiarism “technology” doing the work for you in any creative industry. Not only does it rip off real artists, and take jobs away from hardworking musicians, but it also is LITERALLY destroying the planet. Doing the work for you is NOT innovation. And it never will be. No one asked for this. The people using this are either paid and therefore sell-outs or are failed musicians who think they’re sticking it to the man. They are not. However, if there was an automated system running on clean energy where I could walk up and say “I need a piano track, two guitar tracks, a bass, 808, and a drumkit for an alternative pop track,” and it creates and organizes the file and has tracks with sounds all prepared for ME to do the writing? I would definitely use that.
OSR: What can we expect from you in the future?
O’Shea: I can’t say much yet, but I’m starting to try my hand at working in the big leagues producing for top artists. I’ve also wanted to start focusing more on education so that the AI slop doesn’t completely take over and ruin music. My goals have changed from just making music and writing with people to sharing my passion so that more people start creating. I want to foster the excitement I had making music when I was younger. Other than that, I don’t really know… You’ll just have to wait and see.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
O’Shea: Thanks for reading! If you listened to Generation Z and you enjoyed it, I have it available in physical forms as well (both CD and vinyl). Reach out to me on Insta to get a copy!
Many thanks to Thomas O’Shea for speaking with us. Find out more about Thomas O’Shea on his Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
