April 23rd, 2025
Finn O’Sullivan is an indie folk/pop singer-songwriter based in Longmont, CO. She explores love and heartbreak, patriarchal privilege, the worlds of her favorite fictional characters, and the endless what ifs that keep her up at night. Finn writes and performs with equal parts depth of feeling and serious badassery. She has shared the stage with Langhorne Slim, Carsie Blanton, Rainbow Girls, and a host of local Colorado talent. The title song of her first LP, When the Power Comes Back On (2020), won the Song of the Year award in the prestigious John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
Finn and seven other finalists will perform, network, and compete at the 11th annual LEAF Performance & Songwriter Competition, presented by NewSong Music, at LEAF Global Arts Retreat on Saturday, May 10.
NewSong Music: How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before?
Finn O’Sullivan: I would say that my music is along the lines of indie folk/pop, the sort of thing you might get if you combined Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers into one musician.
What is the first album you bought, and why?
I think the first (or one of the first) albums I bought was Transangelic Exodus by Ezra Furman. She’s one of my all time favorite musicians and that album is one of my all time favorite albums, so as soon as I saw it I knew I had to get my hands on it. It’s a perfect example of a concept album that tells a story the whole way through, which I love. In a world that’s so focused on singles rather than whole albums, it’s really important to me to support artists who are still putting their heart and soul into conceptualizing and bringing to life a full project. It’s an album full of songs that felt so important to me at the time — love songs, protest songs, songs about belonging and not belonging, songs about wanting to bring down the man but still be able to keep the things and people you love safe, songs about queerness and finding your home and being weird and accepting that part of yourself with open arms. It’s perfect!
What is one influence on your music that might surprise us?
I do this very niche and very nerdy thing where I write songs based on fictional characters. I’ve always been a big reader and a big TV show person, so sometimes those stories and characters stick in my head and I basically have no choice but to write a song about them! It’s a fun way to step out of my own head and put myself in the shoes of someone else. I feel like those are the songs where I surprise myself the most and learn the most about myself, which is funny because they initially start off not being about me or my life at all.
What projects are you currently working on?
I’ve been getting more into self producing and home recording over the past year. I took a class in my last year of college last year that really helped open my eyes to the world of production a little more and I’ve been having so much fun experimenting with that. I’m currently working on a 5-song EP that will be completely self-recorded and produced. I’m hoping to have that out this summer!
