Alt-pop artist Ocean Tisdall delivers the powerful new single 'White Lies', out February 11th through Universal Ireland
LISTEN TO ‘WHITE LIES’ HERE
Having broken through with his highly praised debut single the stunning ‘Broke Up With My Best Friend’ near the end of last year, which garnered strong DSP endorsement as well as tastemaker support from The Irish Times (15 acts to listen to in 2022), Record Of The Day and Hot Press to name a few, Ocean Tisdall marks himself out as a true contender for one to watch in 2022 with has his powerful new offering and anti-valentines pop anthem ‘White Lies’.
Channeling more of that broad and euphoric alt-pop direction he is cultivating for himself, ‘White Lies’ showcases some of his most compassionate and vibrant songwriting to date. Taking cues from the likes of Troye Sivan and LAUV, his rich and spellbinding voice swoons throughout this captivating new effort, tipping himself as a name to keep a firm eye on.
Speaking about the new single, Ocean says “White Lies is one of those records that just came out like word vomit!.I remember listening to Billie Eilish’s ‘Ocean Eyes’ for the first time whilst going through my own break up and being smacked in the face with an overwhelming sense of “F*ck I relate to these lyrics sooooo much”, especially because my ex had the most endearing blue eyes but was a sucker for those white lies.
“When writing this record, myself and my co-writer Seven just kept saying “Why did Billie get it so damn right?” and that ended up being the driving lyric that started the whole writing process.”
Adding, “I’m beyond excited to be releasing music into the world, I finally get to see how people will react to the stories that have been living in my head for many years now. I’ve never truly been able to express my thoughts in the right way so it’s very therapeutic for me to get lost in my writing and put myself into an art form. This is me inviting you into my world so whether you love or hate it, I just hope it makes you feel something”.
Since emerging in 2021, Ocean Tisdall has crafted a confessional collection of songs that nod to the current musical landscape while also rooted in a love of classic song-writing that stems from his up-bringing. Confessing that he got his love of music from his mum, a young Ocean grew up in Wicklow appreciating his mother’s love of country music, her knowledge of pop divas and being told the only channel he could watch was one that played music videos.
“It was just flowing through me”, Ocean says of his decision to start writing songs. Citing the boost he got from seeing acts like Miley Cyrus and Troye Sivan push up against the boundaries of pop, Ocean says each of his songs are “a little page and chapter from my life”.
That was evident in his debut single release ‘Broke Up With My Best Friend’ which honed in on the difficulty of letting go of a friendship. What began as a series of voice notes became a song that has connected with his growing audience. “When you can’t use words, you can use music to communicate your feelings ”, Ocean admits. “It’s like a universal language”.
It’s that blend of the specific and the universal that sums up Ocean’s forthcoming debut EP. After flying back to Ireland from London during the pandemic, songwriter-producer Seven and Ocean had to go into quarantine. The pair ended up staying in an old, run down house in the Wicklow mountains. The result was a two-week burst of creativity with music as the sole focus with Ocean calling it “time to reflect on past experiences and put them into writing these songs. You could almost call it a therapy session”.
“My aspiration would be to make people feel something”. As a young artist repping Gen Z, Ocean feels he and his generation are “fighting to be heard”. With his heart on his musical sleeve, stop-you-in-your-tracks vocals and earworm hooks Ocean Tisdall wins that battle with ease.
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