Nick Osin From Ukraine With Love

You may have caught one of singer-songwriter Nick Osin’s recent live performance pop-ups in Southern California celebrating his latest music. He has quickly made his presence known in LGBTQ nightlife and on social media becoming a fixture on red carpet premieres and included on the list of who’s who of the influencer crowd. At first glance, he is a fresh pop star with a stellar voice and an equally impressive body, but his recent exposure on the scene belies a long journey that started with his childhood in Ukraine, his early stardom in Russia, and his decision to leave his homeland as a matter of survival, starting over in a foreign country. With the devastation that has hit the Ukrainian nation, Nick stands out as a symbol of strength and light in the face of social and political challenges.

Growing up in Ukraine has been a blessing for which I am deeply grateful. Ukrainian culture is extraordinarily rich, and people are very kind. My family wasn’t big, but it was very loving and caring. The economic situation is unbelievably bad there and I grew up working for everything I ever wanted. Nothing was ever given to me by anyone. I did not grow up around money or wealth which made me very driven and highly appreciative of everything I currently have in my life. Now I want to help and inspire others to get to that level of confidence where nothing can stop anyone from working towards their dreams no matter where they are from or what resources they have.

Nick’s positive outlook towards life was inspired by his grandmother who took on the role of his guardian. From her, not only did he take his stage name, but he also learned the power of unconditional love and support despite the pain of being abandoned by his parents.

Did it hurt at times? Yes, it did. However, I forgive and move on. Everything happens for the better. My grandma is one of the strongest women I ever met, she worked two jobs as an engineer for two firms to provide for me and her and make sure I had everything I needed. Between working hard and taking time to take me to my vocal classes and dance classes, she had the strength to raise me in love and respect. She never yelled at me or made me feel unloved and this made me a very loving, patient, hardworking, and caring person. I owe her my whole life. The absence of my dad simply makes me want to be the best dad for my future kids because I do want to have kids when I establish myself.

My best memories with my grandma are from every concert I have been performing at. Standing on a stage and singing, I would always be scanning a room to spot her and make sure she was there to support me. I knew how busy she was and how hard she worked, but she would always do her best to be there for me as a family. That meant the world to me. Now that I am grown up, it has reflected on me that I am the same way towards my friends (my chosen family).

In addition to Nick’s instruction in acrobatics, ice-skating, and diving, he would start his singing and dancing career early on in life, appearing in concerts in Ukraine learning about the business from the get-go. At the age of 15, he achieved stardom with his performance on a TV show in Moscow.

That moment of being a part of the TV show has changed my life forever. I learned a lot about the industry and what I want out of it for my future. Performing in front of four countries, live (1,000,000 people), is scary, that’s the moment when you realize that there is no way back, you are on a stage and it’s either you have fun and do your best or you majorly fail in front of your favorite artists and the whole country. That experience gave me a lot of confidence.

From there, his career would catapult with more live performances. With such success comes pressure, especially at such an early age. What did he learn most about the business from those early years?

I learned that the success of my performance will directly depend on one out of two choices that I will make as soon as I enter the stage. First choice: I can be scared of the audience and keep thinking of what everyone thinks of me now and if everyone likes me, which will reflect on the energy that I am giving out to my audience. OR, I can stop worrying about all these things and just have fun and enjoy this moment, which will make people feel the same energy, and they will have fun and enjoy watching me.

But the biggest lesson I’ve learned in life is that I will never be liked by everyone and that’s okay, there will always be people who won’t like me or be jealous of my life and it’s up to me if I want to be affected and bothered by it or just got care and enjoy my life and be thankful for everything.

As his career progressed, so did his feelings of sexuality.

I have always felt different since my childhood. I always felt open to more things than others around me. I kept learning how to embrace both feminine and masculine energy in me, that is just who I am, this is special, and I shouldn’t reject it. Especially, as an artist, it helps me to be more open and diverse with my emotions.

He could not hide who he was any longer and he know that to survive, quite literally, he had to flee everything he had ever known – his grandmother, his homeland, and his career. At age 16 he enrolled in a student exchange program in the U.S. knowing that he would never return. He was determined to be a success story – both personally and professionally.

Sometimes in life, we must make choices and sacrifices to get to the next level. Leaving my home and family was a sacrifice I had to make to build my own life and happiness. I am okay with it, I accept it, and I have no regrets.

Pushing a restart button was incredibly challenging in the US. Between learning the language, and culture, and getting any sort of education here, I didn’t know any people or producers, and no one knew who I was or where I was coming from. I had to reach out to every single person on my own and ask them to be available for me. Now, I am blessed to have amazing people around me who believe in me and help me grow. Growing up without big resources or family, you begin to realize that no one will ever come and make anything happen for you. All your dreams will happen only if you start doing something and start taking steps towards those dreams. Being here on my own, I had to build up a lot of confidence to believe in myself and I do not give up no matter how hard it gets.

Quickly acclimating to the U.S., he took no time in finding his new “family” in the LGBTQ community.

The LGBTQ community, in general, is supportive of each other in my opinion. I have made the most amazing and supportive friends for who I am grateful. Without them, my journey would have been much harder and quite different. I will always support the community and inspire all the future generations to be themselves and embrace themselves for the way they are.

He also did not waste any time in building his network in the entertainment community. Now with new original music, a series of music videos, and popular covers on YouTube, he is ready to hit the scene where he left off, this time on his own terms. With the music industry in the U.S. having changed drastically over the last decade, being an independent artist does have its challenges.

The music industry can be expensive when you’re trying to collaborate with people who are on that level, you have to make sure you can keep up with your bills and projects. It can be very exhausting but struggles and hardship are what makes one stronger. Everyone’s time is valuable, and every work needs to be compensated fairly.

He continues to find his stride in adjusting his creative process, as necessary.

Every project has its own unique journey. Sometimes producers will reach out and send me demos for approval to write. Sometimes, I will get inspired and write lyrics and melody and then take that idea to a producer and cook an instrumental that matches the energy best. I am blessed to have an amazing team in my life, have people who are willing to collaborate with me any time and make my dream a reality.

Now with nightlife ramping up, Nick has been able to perform his latest single, “So High,” live to a throng of new audiences celebrating the idea of connection through music.

I wrote the song “So High” imaging two people at the music festival holding hands and looking at the stars and connecting and letting the song take them high in their feelings. It is a very intimate and personal moment for many people, and I hope my song will deliver that feeling to my audience. Love each other more.

Now, without the restrictions of being politically oppressed by his surroundings, Nick is rediscovering his own voice, and can put his true story behind that voice in his art.

I wrote “Better Yet” after my breakup, which was very painful and through which I had to find my self-worth and confidence to move on. The line “better yet baby, stop calling me, better yet baby, you know I’m doing me” is the whole message that I stand by and inspire others to relate to and focus on themselves and their future.

What do love and dating look like for Nick currently?

My focus now is my career.  I am a very loving person, but I am also extremely specific about what I like in people. Dating is fun, but it takes a lot of energy and time that I would rather invest in my projects and personal growth. It takes an incredibly special, intelligent, and future-driven person to get my attention, but, slide in my DMs any time as long as you stream my music!

A winning element to Nick’s U.S. career is his charm and good looks. Even fast Instagram scrollers have a tough time scrolling past Nick’s shirtless pics featuring packs of abs that would make Men’s Fitness magazine jealous. Does this focus on his physical appearance and sexuality overshadow his music?

I feel like since forever ago, sex has been selling more than anything, being talented is amazing and often is enough, but looking good also does help to attract more people that’s why I make sure to go to the gym every day and take good care of myself. I don’t think that being sexy overshadows my singing, I think, if everything is done tastefully, it can leave the audience wanting more.

Nick’s path is clear, and he is doing the work. In a world where everyone wants to be an influencer or a pop star, few have the hustle, or the skills needed. Nick knows what he wants.

My goal is to have my world tour. It will happen one day; I am working for it. My other goal is to help people and elevate others to make them love themselves more and succeed. Currently, I am a part of a global non-profit, Influence the World, which takes mission trips to poor communities to build computer labs and libraries for kids, so they can have resources to grow and develop better so they can have better resources for shaping their future.

And while he is looking forward, he never forgets where he came from. With the recent events that have brought the pain and suffering of the Ukrainian people to the forefront, Nick has a message for his homeland.

Please stay strong and remember that balance of good and bad will take its course. Greediness and evil will never win, but love will. Take care of each other. This moment will unite Ukrainians and the entire world, I hope. This may turn into something good because after every tough situation, good and light come around to balance it out. Stay strong.

What can the LGBTQ community do to help the people of Ukraine?

The best help for Ukrainians right now is providing maximum global visibility of an issue to keep the world in the reality check of what’s happening and donate if anyone can, to organizations that supply Ukrainian troops and families with necessities and food. 

You can follow Nick on IG: @Nick_Osin