OSTON’s new single “Bad” can be found at Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify, iTunes and Soundcloud. | ParkRecord.com
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OSTON’s new single “Bad” can be found at Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify, iTunes and Soundcloud.

OSTON, the artist name of Park City’s Austin Wolfe, who was a ocntestant on Season 13 of “American Idol,” has released her debut single “Bad.”
Photo by Lauren Nieves

Park City High graduate finds goodness in ‘Bad’

Park City High School graduate Austin Wolfe has reached another milestone in her music career.

The singer, whose professional name is OSTON, recently released her new pop single, “Bad.”

The song, which is available on major digital music services is the lead single of her upcoming six-track EP, “Sitting at the Kids Table,” which will be released in March.



Wolfe, now a senior studying music and business at Columbia College Chicago, said “Bad” took shape after her friend and guitarist Robbie Mueller strummed a few chords one afternoon.

We wanted to test the waters and give the audience a taste of what my music will sound like…”OSTON,aka singer Austin Wolfe

“Something he played caught my ear and I started singing to it,” Wolfe said. “That’s when all the melodies started to come out.”



Wolfe recorded a few bars on her phone and wrote the lyrics later that night.

“While all the lyrics and melodies are all mine, I also technically co-wrote the music with Robbie as well,” she said.

Wolfe drew inspiration from past relationships and experiences for the lyrics.

“I thought about what it’s like for my age group to deal with the dating scene,” she said. “There are many who don’t want to be real with their emotions. They would rather play it cool and not admit they have feelings at deep levels. But doing that makes it hard to create personal connections.”

“Bad” was the last song written for the record.

“It wasn’t actually going to be on it, but my manager heard it and told us that his needed to be the first thing people needed to hear,” said Wolfe, who was one of the 30 contestants on season 13 of “American Idol.”

She entered the studio with producer Dino Zisis, who is known for his work on Lady Gaga’s 2013 album, “Artpop.”

[swift-blockquote]

“Dino and I came up with the production elements for ‘Bad,’” Wolfe said. “We wanted the song to have real bass, guitar and drums, but we also wanted to add some (synthesized) pop elements that I personally love.”

Wolfe recorded her vocals with her manager, Christian Mulvany, who is also a music engineer.

“Bad” was released the last week of October, and Wolfe has since heard from family, friends and fans from all over the world.

Spotify reported the song had been played 10,000 times on that platform alone on Thursday, she said.

“I was honestly shocked with the response I received from people back home in Utah, here in Chicago and people who I haven’t met,” she said. “I want to express to everyone how grateful I am for their support, and how they reach out to me to tell me how much the music touches their hearts.”

Wolfe and her manager have drawn up a music campaign that starts with “Bad” and will culminate with the release of “Sitting at the Kids Table.”

“The next single will be released in January and the third single will be released in March, and that’s when the extended play will be officially released,” she said.

The decision to release an EP instead of full-length album, felt right to Wolfe.

“If you have enough songs to release a full-length right off the bat, that’s great and incredible, but we wanted to test the waters and give the audience a taste of what my music will sound like,” she said.

The EP’s title is a reference to the music industry as seen through the eyes of an independent pop artist, Wolfe said.

“Christian and I always talk about how hard it is for an independent pop artist to make it in the music industry without the backing from a record label, and many of us are ‘little brothered’ by other people in the music industry,” she said. “I took him to doctors one day and there was a plastic children’s table in the waiting room.”

The two decided to sit there, and it dawned on them that being an independent pop artist is like sitting at the kids table, Wolfe said.

“The title also refers to me personally,” she said. “While I’m comfortable sitting with the adults, I have just as much fun sitting with the kids.”

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