Mark Oshea




1. Mark start telling us a bit of your musically background and what go you started in the music biz of today and is it all kinda music you listen to or is there a special genre you prefer also when it comes for inspiration for your lyrics?

Like everyone I guess, I listen to a wide variety of music. I don't know too many people who say they ONLY like dance music, or who ONLY like country music. So to answer your question, I'd say - everything and anything. Although, it's not listening to other music that inspires me to write lyrics. It's more about drawing on my own experiences and interacting with everyday people.

What got me into music? I come from a very large musical family (9 kids).. so music has always been a part of my life.


2. You use to be a part of Australian power pop rockers Zince, but the band recently called it a day. What happened back then and are you guys still talking together and what are the others from the band up to today?

Rent "Spinal Tap".....

John and Adam are both very talented people and I hope to see/hear big things from them both! Zinc was great - but it's time to move on.....


3. Even though Zinc had a number one hit a did get quite a following from fans, it wasn't to be. Have the time in Zinc open any doors for you in the music industry, which you have been able to take with you into the next step which is your career?

Number one hit?? Where in Uzbekhistan?

That's the first I've heard of that one... The Morning After went Top 20 in Australia which was great! and a huge buzz for all of us!

I'd had a couple of number ones in the Country Charts previously but never written or performed a song that was Top 20 in the Pop charts. So it was a real thrill..

One of the best things to come out of the ZINC experience was to meet a bunch of new people who liked the kind of music I write/sing. The fans of Zinc are incredible. They are totally passionate and committed and it's awesome to have them on my team!


4. You've started to get yourself established as an artist and you have already written quite a few new songs, which in many ways is a extension of what ZInce was about music wise and there for wont cause to many Zinc fans worries about what direction you are heading in, but how important is it for you to keep close to that sound or is it just how you write your lyrics/music?

Thanks for the compliment (I think)...

It's a good question though... The thing is, it's really simple. I write songs and sing em. With Zinc I was fortunate enough to have 2 other great singers who could add harmonies to the tunes. 99% of the time that was great... sometimes though, it felt a bit like we were putting harmonies on songs that didn't necessarily need them - but we were all standing there so we thought "Hey! we might as well". Doing the solo thing now, I guess allows me a little more freedom to do whatever I want musically, but in saying that - I'm hardly going to come out with a Rap record. I co-wrote every song on the Zinc album - so there's a lot of "Me" on that record - so it stands to reason that the new stuff I'm doing will have a bit of ZINC sound in there too...





5. You are currenty in the States as we speak. Is it to co-write new songs together with others or is it a business matter and if you are writing together with someone, who then have you teamed up with?

That was like 8 questions in the one sentence! Wow!

I just wanted to get out of OZ for a while.... LA is a great place and sometimes it takes a bit of a jolt to get you out of your safety zone and back into writing etc...So that's why I'm here...And yes... I'm writing new songs...


6. Prior to Zinc, you released a solo album called, None Of The Above. When was that album original released and is it still available for people to purchase and where?

I think it was released in about '97? I cant' remember!!! Don't know if you can still get it... it was released through ABC/EMI.


7. I guess the next question is the big one, when will a new solo album be available from you, in terms of the new material you have written?

I'm not real sure to be honest. I've recorded a few things already - but whether they will be the final versions, I'm not sure. I've written quite a few tunes - but I feel like I should keep the pen to paper for a little while longer....


8. How important is it for you to get your next album out on a label or would you prefer to release it independently, so yo don't get court up in all the legal stuff if eventually a drop from a label should happend?

The music business is a very strange industry..... and is changing now more than ever. So it's a difficult question to answer..

The traditional methods of buying and even promoting music may not exist 10 years from now! The most important thing for an artist is to be able to communicate with the people who like his/her music. Whether that's through a blog, emails or myspace. That channel for communication needs to stay open. And I think that eventually, that is how music will get to fans....

So, now that I've successfully side-stepped that question, let's move on.....


9. So what's the current future plans at this stage in your career, will you be shopping your new material onto various labels or will you just go ahead and release your new material yourslf once the time is right?

See above....

10. Any last words to the fans/people out there here in the end?

Thanks to all the folks out there who keep supporting me! and keep checking in on the site....

http:///www.markosheamusic.com