He Went from 40K Listeners to 11 Million and a Coachella Slot in Under a Year as an Indie Artist
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Oscar Medkay, an Oslo-born electronic producer, went from releasing music under multiple aliases on SoundCloud to amassing 11 million monthly Spotify listeners and securing a Coachella slot—all within a year. His breakthrough came not through cold emails or traditional label pitching, but after his single 'Rain' was discovered by Dalton of Seven Cult via LabelRadar, a niche demo submission platform. What sets Oscar apart is his hybrid creative model: he works with a label that’s deeply marketing-focused yet hands-off artistically, allowing him full creative control while handling promotion, social media strategy, and video production. His music videos—often shot with minimal editing, just him playing his Moog synthesizer—go viral because they feel authentic and unforced. He’s also redefined collaboration, using remote demos from global artists like Khalid and Hayley Joel, often remixing or reinterpreting their work without direct in-person sessions. Despite the rise of AI music tools like Suno, Oscar remains committed to human-made sound, emphasizing the emotional authenticity of live instrumentation. His journey proves that in the new music business, success isn’t about going viral overnight—it’s about consistency, trusting your instincts, and letting your art speak for itself.
Use LabelRadar to get discovered—Oscar’s first single was found by a label boss after being uploaded there, not through cold outreach.
Authenticity wins: Oscar’s most viral videos are simple, unedited clips of him playing his Moog synth—no cuts, no effects.
A label can be a strategic partner without sacrificing creative control: Seven Cult handles marketing and promotion while Oscar retains full artistic freedom.
Remote collaboration works: Oscar co-creates with global artists like Khalid and Hayley Joel using demo exchanges, not in-person sessions.
AI music is becoming indistinguishable from human-made tracks—Oscar has received DMs asking if his music is AI, which he finds offensive.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
The Breakthrough: How Oscar Got Discovered
“He just found it. It wasn't from your cold emails to them? Oh yeah. He found it on the Label Radar's page.”
From SoundCloud to 11 Million Listeners: The Early Years
Oscar began releasing music under multiple aliases on SoundCloud at age 14, spending countless hours emailing labels and agents with no replies—until he finally got a breakthrough with Seven Cult.
The Album Process: Intentional Curation Over Chaos
Oscar didn’t set out to make an album—he just had so many songs that he realized they deserved to be packaged together. The album 'Feel' was curated from existing demos, not created in a linear fashion.
Remote Collaboration: How Global Artists Work with Oscar
Oscar collaborates with artists like Khalid and Hayley Joel through demo exchanges—sending and receiving vocal tracks and remixes without ever meeting in person, relying on trust and shared vision.
AI, Authenticity, and the Future of Human Music
“I'm not sure. I don't know how it works, actually. Is it like the AI makes the song or like how does it work? Yeah, you there's a few different ways.”
“I spent like so many years trying to figure out TikTok, like what videos are working. And I did all these edits and just spent so much time just doing all this weird stuff. And the second I'd post, like just put up a camera and just sit down and play, like no cuts or anything, it just does super well.”
“I've actually like seen comments on my videos like or like got dms like is this ai music or like i thought you were ai but now i see you're not and just stuff like that now like kind of kind of getting offended by that because yeah music shouldn't sound like for me it's a huge difference between like midi piano versus real piano being played in live there's such a huge difference.”
“He just found it. It wasn't from your cold emails to them? Oh yeah. He found it on the Label Radar's page.”
Host
Guest
Oscar Medkay
person
Seven Cult
organization
Hayley Joel
person
LabelRadar
product
Khalid
person
Suno
product
Coachella
other
Ari Herstand
person
Splice
product
Apple Music
other
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