Jack Omstead
Jack Omstead isn’t your average musician. In fact, many don’t recognize him first as a musician, due to the fact that he plays college baseball. But nonetheless, Olmstead is a truly gifted artist who shows a ton of promise in his young career. Olmstead only started taking music seriously because he had a lot of time to reflect while recovering from various athletic injuries. “The rehabilitation process allowed me to delve into my artistic side,” says Olmstead. In addition to that, Jack’s mother has always encouraged music, even participating in a rock choir herself. Olmstead struck again in late September with the release of his new single, “Pink Whitney”. We recently spoke with the artist about the song, how he overcomes writer’s block, and more!
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Jack. I'm a 21-year-old singer-songwriter from Toronto, Canada. I was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands but moved with my family to the Great White North when I was a young lad. The arts, both visual and musical, have always been a passion of mine. When I'm not creating music, you can find me playing baseball at DePaul University in Indiana, where I'm currently completing my undergrad in Kinesiology.
You talk about how your sports-related injuries moved you to pursue music. Talk a little about that and why you chose music as the direction to take.
Between breaking my arm, fracturing both my shins, dislocating my shoulder, and fracturing my spine, I've had a lot of time to think about who I am without sports. When you devote so much time to a specific niche (for me, baseball), you begin to associate yourself closely with that area of interest. As a young teen, my identity was being an athlete, but through these injuries, I was able to take a step back and realize that there were more sides to me than merely throwing and hitting a ball. The rehabilitation process allowed me to delve into my artistic side. My weekends went from traveling to baseball tournaments to writing and producing music in my basement and recording in my sister's bedroom closet. The art I was creating wasn't necessarily "good," but it felt right and made me happy, so I've continued doing it ever since.
Walk us through writing "Dove."
This track was inspired by some birds I heard while on a walk with my dog, Cooper, during COVID-19 quarantine. I've always been inspired by the beauty of nature and its sounds. I wanted to use that inspiration to create an upbeat, contemporary pop song. So, once Coop and I got home from our walk, I went straight to my laptop to create the instrumental. After making the base track, I put it on loop and began humming melodies when I thought of the line "I'll send a note via dove." Doves are symbols of love, peace and or, messengers so I thought I'd run (in this case, fly) with the idea of using a dove as a vehicle to express a sonic, pop vibe.
Do you ever get writer's block? If you do, how do you overcome that?
All. The. Time. Writer's block and I are good friends. It comes around every so often, some weeks more than others. It's tough navigating through a brain that lacks creative ideas. It can be frustrating, but I think one thing that has helped me overcome its inevitability is to capitalize on the days I feel inspired to write. Creativity is like a wave, it comes and goes, and I do my best to ride it when it comes.
Who have been your biggest musical influences to date? A dream collab?
Above all, my mom. She has always encouraged music within our family and is currently in a rock choir in our local community. I don't think I would have studied Justin Timberlake and Timbaland to the extent that I do today without her. JT and Timbo are two artists who have had a profound impact on my sound, and it would be a dream to collaborate with them.
What can we catch you doing on your day off?
Eating. I love eating—specifically blueberries and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Mangos are the bomb dot com as well. When I'm not eating, you can find me in the gym or hibernating in bed.
Describe your music in just 3 words.
Fresh, heartfelt, bopalicious
Are there any upcoming projects that fans can get excited about?
My release,”Pink Whitney” , came out on September 25th! Some background on the single: in Canada, hockey is a big part of our culture. Learning how to skate, for many kids, is synonymous with walking. Hockey is a game you get exposed to at a young age, and because of this, I felt it was only right to craft a song about a drink that is now associated with Canada's national game (thanks to Barstool Sports). It's a perfect tune for back to school (socially distanced) festivities.
***This interview took place in early September. Jack’s latest song, “Back”, is out now!