The son of two music teachers, he was raised in the snowy depths of southern Minnesota, right along the banks of the Mississippi River. The power and beauty of his voice was evident from the beginning; so too was his kinship with classic, soul-tinged vocalists. “I’ve always loved singers like Etta James and Ray Charles; when they sang, whatever they wanted you to feel just resonated. It was authentic and honest. That’s all I hope to do with my music,” he continues.
“My debut single, ‘Piece Of You’ is about heartbreak; love that holds on long after it’s supposed to let go. I wanted the first track that people hear from me to be something that everyone can understand; we’ve all been there, where a relationship ends but the feelings still echo somewhere inside of you. How do you let go of real love; where is the passion, the intensity, the hunger supposed to go? Everybody knows about longing,” he says.
Olstad’s resolve t...
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The son of two music teachers, he was raised in the snowy depths of southern Minnesota, right along the banks of the Mississippi River. The power and beauty of his voice was evident from the beginning; so too was his kinship with classic, soul-tinged vocalists. “I’ve always loved singers like Etta James and Ray Charles; when they sang, whatever they wanted you to feel just resonated. It was authentic and honest. That’s all I hope to do with my music,” he continues.
“My debut single, ‘Piece Of You’ is about heartbreak; love that holds on long after it’s supposed to let go. I wanted the first track that people hear from me to be something that everyone can understand; we’ve all been there, where a relationship ends but the feelings still echo somewhere inside of you. How do you let go of real love; where is the passion, the intensity, the hunger supposed to go? Everybody knows about longing,” he says.
Olstad’s resolve to continue chasing his dream was further bolstered by America’s enthusiastic response to his star making turn on Fox’s “The X Factor USA.” After his exit from the show, Olstad signed a recording contract with long time friend and mentor Ron Pope’s label Brooklyn Basement Records.
“The first time I heard Tim’s voice, I was floored. As soon as it hits you, it’s immediate and undeniable. When you put him in front of a microphone in the studio, everyone stops what they’re doing and listens. I’ve never met anyone who is so obviously, undeniably meant to be a singer. He’s a star. I wish I could sing like that,” laughs Pope (who participates in Olstad’s music as both a producer and songwriter).
“I’m all in on this. Everything in my life, all the sacrifice and pain, the love and the positivity, I just want to channel it into my music. This music is who I am, and I’m finally at a place where it feels like the right time to share it with the world,” Olstad reveals. As his musical ambitions continue to grow and evolve, he finally prepares to release recorded material out into the universe. It’s an exhilarating time to behold Tim Olstad’s immeasurable musical gifts.
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