Q+A: OSCAR LOUIS
Oren Lefkowitz, who releases music under the alias Oscar Louis, is a singer/songwriter based out of Montreal. Growing up, he spent most of his time listening to some of the greats like Carole King and Simon & Garfunkel, but Louis had his first experience creating his own music as a part of an R&B group. After parting from the group, Louis decided to start his own solo artist project, and fused together the influential sounds of his childhood with his background in R&B to create his captivating, unique voice. Louis shares his anthemic new single called “The Rest',” reflecting on the frustration that comes with grinding and working a bad job to make ends meet, while also pursuing your true passion.
We had the opportunity to chat with Oscar Louis and talk more about his latest writing technique, the creative process that went into the making of “The Rest,” and his plans to release a full EP later this year.
Can we start off with an introduction?
My name is Oren, I also record under the name Oscar Louis. I am a musician based in Montreal, but plan on moving to NYC soon. I’ve been releasing music under the name Oscar Louis since 2019. This project started with my best friend, Stephen Shapiro. I was just on the heels of breaking up with the R&B group I was in and when we broke up my friend Stephen swooped in and wanted to help me figure out my shit as a solo artist. I did straight hip-hop for a while, and that is my bread and butter. As Oscar Louis, I wanted to fuse my talents there with the stuff I grew up on, like Carole King, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beatles, etc. This project has been me experimenting with fusing those sounds as well as allowing me to tell stories that are important to me being a queer, jewish man dealing with inter-generational trauma. I’m talking about serious stuff, but I am trying to keep it light, and also experimentally sonically across those genres.
Do you have a specific memory of what made you want to really pursue music?
One story in particular sticks out. I grew up in Toronto, and I got into hip-hop pretty seriously. I got really into Graduation and went to a show on that Kanye tour. At the Toronto show, the openers were Rihanna, Pharrell and Lupe. My friend and I snuck up to the front of the audience. At that moment, Pharrell was performing with N.E.R.D., and we were surrounded by a kind of a snobby crowd in the front. No one in the audience was really doing anything and I was just wylin out. Pharell points at me and says “Yo, blue shirt.” The security guard picks me up and throws me on the stage. They let me stay on for two songs. It was this huge moment for me. I remember what it felt like to be on the stage and thinking to myself like, “ok, this is what I want”.
Listening to your music feels very personal. You’re an introspective lyricist. Are there any specific artists you listen to for inspiration before you sit down to write?
One thing I’ve been doing recently is I’ve been trying to study lyrics without knowing the songs. I’ll make a list of artists and albums that I know are renowned, like some Joni Mitchell or Sonic Youth albums I don’t know. I will pick a song at random and read the lyrics as poetry. I’ll break it down in this notebook I have, and I’ll look at the development of the story, the number of stanzas, and other writing elements. I’ve been building a library of different writing approaches adapted by great songwriters.
Photo Credit: Kaitlyn Crossley
Let’s discuss your latest release, “The Rest.” What was the creative process like going into the making of this track?
Stephen, my creative partner, and I sat down together a few summers ago, and he had this chord progression. A few months later he sent me that chord progression again and the beginnings of the beat. At the time I had been working as a busboy. Until the pandemic, I navigated the whole constant travel from Montreal to New York thing by getting a random job as a busboy, working for like 6 weeks, making enough money to quit, and going to New York to record. It became this whole intense back and forth. There was one job in particular that I had at this Italian restaurant, and the vibe was just off. I don’t mind the physical labor of the job, and I enjoy meeting funny, random people. This place was different. It was pretty cliquey and not very welcoming. I left many nights with a heavy heart, and those feelings inspired the song. I went back to New York in December of 2019 and I told Stephen that I wanted to write about shitty jobs. I would come home from these jobs and half of me would be saying “don’t stop” while the other half was in pain and wondering if it was all worth it? About six months later, I sent my boyfriend's best friend the track, he does compositions for Cirque Du Soleil, and I asked him if he would add strings to the song. That is how it all came together.
More than just a musician, you’ve proven to be quite the creative. Each release is accompanied by a unique cover. Do you have a specific vision for each single artwork?
The initial idea was to embody this 1940’s/1950’s movie poster aesthetic. I was a big movie nerd as a kid. I thought the aesthetic of posters was beautiful and so creative. I wanted to embody this without it being in a super obvious way. There is this movie called Marty that came out in 1955 and won Best Picture that year. On the cover is a cool cartoon of this chubby man in a suit from behind, and he is on the phone. So, we decided to isolate that figure and make him almost the mascot for a song. More recently, it has been the same thing over and over with this little guy, so I decided to go in a more psychedelic direction. I randomly got hit up by this artist named Rob Davies, and he has this crazy style that is Picasso-esque. His work has been involved in the making of the last two covers.
What was the most rewarding part about creating your upcoming EP, and what are you looking forward to most with its release?
The EP that I have coming out really came together in December of 2020. I was going down to New York up until quarantine. Then I got the chance to go to New York again for a month in December. So, the most rewarding part of creating the EP was the relief of letting go of this creative energy that had been bottled up.
Once it is released, I’m really looking forward to challenging myself to make a proper music video. I’m really excited to give this body of work a visual identity. I’m just excited to make that, and I’m also excited to see how it will be received. Overall, I am just excited to put the vision on film.
Who are some artists you’re listening to now?
My good friend Edwin Rafael just released an EP called Staring At Ceilings. It’s this 5 song EP that is really cohesive. It’s really beautiful, kind of ethereal mood music. Claire Ridgley put out an EP that is really fun called Flowers For A Friend. It’s a pop music EP, and I helped out on the writing of that. Most importantly, my friend Secret Vacation put out an amazing song called “Everything In Blue (Nostalgia)”.