Darius Oon is branching out on his own in the music industry. After a childhood of playing guitar and piano and listening to The Beatles with his parents, he’s been a proud member of a number of bands before releasing his first single as a solo artist this past June. Taking inspiration from Djo and Wallows, he describes his sound as having a certain “nostalgic quality.” Oon is also a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and cancer research, and has worked closely with many organizations that support these causes.

Where are you from?
I’m from Singapore but am now based in London!

How has your hometown influenced yourself and your art?
In many ways, probably more than I can count, but, most directly, was that many of the first gigs I attended were of local Singaporean bands, usually in underground venues or at this festival we have called Baybeats. Seeing my peers up on stages like those really pushed and encouraged me to give it a shot with my own bands. Additionally, the way those bands performed and sounded definitely influenced my own songwriting and performance style.

What inspired you to get into music?
When I was growing up, my parents would often play songs by The Beatles, Queen and loads of ‘80s bands on the car stereo, and that really helped to form my foundation and appreciation for pop/rock music. I had grown up learning classical piano, but naturally, I started to gravitate towards more contemporary sounds and once I started to play the guitar, that was it, I was hooked.

How would you describe your sound/genre of music?
I describe my music as “indie songs for wistful hearts.” It’s essentially guitar music with a nostalgic quality.

Who are some of your biggest inspirations for your sound and storytelling?
I would say bands like Alvvays, Camera Obscura and also The Sundays and The Smiths. I tend to mix those influences with some of the more contemporary sounds of Djo, Wallows, and Bleachers. Of course, growing up with The Beatles, I find that many of my songwriting choices are informed by their music.

What made you want to leave your band, Coming up Roses, in March?
There was no particular reason. It was just time for me, personally, to move on from that project.

Where did you find the courage to branch out as a solo artist?
It definitely came from my family and my friends. Their reassurance when I shared that I was thinking of doing it helped me to feel resolute in my decision. I had also been the frontman with my band, The New Modern Lights, so going solo and taking up the lead singer role wasn’t too far out of my comfort zone.

What is the hardest adjustment you have had to make since going solo?
I guess the hardest adjustment is that I had to be accountable to myself. I’m doing everything at the moment, top to bottom, DIY. From the songwriting, recording, production, mixing as well as all the content that has to be created to promote the music. Whereas, in a band, you can usually delegate and divide and conquer, being a solo artist means that everything is fully dependent on myself at the moment.

What does your debut single “Sense” mean to you? What do you hope listers take away from the song?
“Sense” is very personal to me; it is probably one of the most “direct” love songs I’ve written, and one that came from a personal experience rather than about a hypothetical situation, which is often how I write. I wrote it about the feelings that I felt when I was getting together with my current partner and I hope that when people listen to the song, they can relate to the wide-eyed, optimistic and innocent love that I think everyone deserves to feel.

Your debut headlining show was June 12 at The Finsbury in London. What was that experience like and what were you feeling leading up to the event?
It was great! I have a band of amazing musicians who I am also very grateful to call my close friends, and I am really thankful to them because they were able to help bring the songs which had been living on my computer to life. It was definitely quite a cathartic experience because a lot of the songs that we played were ones that I’ve had in the locker for a long time and this was the first time performing them live.

You have performed and raised money for the AIRC. Why is cancer research a cause that is important to you?
It is a cause that’s very important to me as I’ve had, and lost, some loved ones to cancer. In the UK, studies show that 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime, and because of this, it is unfortunately such a common and shared experience.

On the bright side, there have been many breakthroughs in cancer research over the last decade, and as we learn more about it, we can be better equipped to identify and treat cancer at its earliest stages. I truly believe that those who have dedicated their lives to cancer research are doing some of the most important work in human history, and we need to support them as best as we can.

How do you encourage positivity and strength among those who are dealing with or know someone dealing with an illness like cancer?
It’s tough because everyone’s situation is different, and a lot of the time, it's not even about the illness itself but about the implications it has on the person and their family. What I can say, from my experience, is that presence makes a world of difference, and take things one day at a time. Illnesses like cancer are not fair, so the best thing you can do is to stay together.

Can you tell us a bit about Samaritans of Singapore and your work with them?
Samaritans of Singapore is a non-profit organization that provides support and a lifeline to anyone who is dealing with thoughts of suicide and adopts a holistic approach on prevention, intervention and postvention. Back in 2020, I participated in a campaign with them as a #HOWRU Virtual Walkathon Ambassador, helping to bring awareness to the organization and to promote awareness for mental health.

Mental health issues can still be taboo, especially in more conservative communities, so I think it is incredibly important for us to continue to have open conversations in order to destigmatize it. I have many friends who have, or are currently going through, such issues, and have also had my own struggles with it myself, so it is always important to check in on your loved ones and be there for each other.

It has been a crazy last few years, and we expect at least three more. How do you stay positive in general about the unknown and motivated as an artist?
To be honest, I am not the most positive person, but I’ve found that having conversations with my family and friends has really helped me to humanize all the anxieties and worries about situations we don’t necessarily have control over and helped me to realize that we are all going through this together. For me, music has always been about bringing people together, and with all the division that is currently going on in the world, music does have that power to push back against all the negative and hateful emotions.

I’m a big football fan, and I think the same can be said about football. In the recent World Cup, there were so many videos of fans from around the world, coming together and sharing and celebrating each other’s cultures, regardless of the result on the pitch, it was so beautiful and so incredibly refreshing. Seeing people come together like that? That’s what motivates me.

What can we expect next from you short term in your career?
I will be releasing lots more music in the coming months! With this project, I made a promise to myself that I would release a new song every two to three months. Going in with that mindset has really allowed me to stay on track and has encouraged me to keep writing. I will also be doing a couple more gigs before the end of the year, so if you’re UK-based, make sure to keep an eye out for a Darius Oon show happening near you!

What is your motto in life?
I’m going to steal a quote from one of my favorite TV shows, “Ted Lasso.” “Be curious, not judgmental.” I think that’s such a simple, yet powerful statement, and I could not agree more.

To learn more about Darius Oon, please check out the links below:
Instagram: @dariusoon
TikTok: @dariusoonmusic

Photography by James Bassett

"Indie Songs for Wistful Hearts": A Conversation with Darius Oon