Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Obsidian Swing
Obsidian Swing is a music project where we share our thoughts and emotions through sound, immersing listeners in our vision of the world.
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
When I was a kid, I was surrounded mostly by Russian music – Kino, Ivanushki, Agatha Christie. These names might not mean much internationally, but for us they were a core part of the culture. Foreign music rarely appeared on TV back then, but everything changed after we moved to a bigger city and music channels became available.
One of them used to play short music-video greetings. The ones that stuck with me the most were Linkin Park’s Numb, Evanescence’s Bring Me to Life and My Immortal, and Anastacia’s Everything Burns. I waited for those moments like a holiday. There was no easy access to computers, the internet, or mobile phones yet – we discovered new music through radio. Later came MTV, the internet, and my first MP3 players.
Linkin Park and Evanescence felt like unreachable gods. In university I finally started going to concerts: I missed Linkin Park when they came to Minsk – I simply couldn’t afford a ticket – but I did get to jump in the crowd at Bullet For My Valentine… before big bands stopped touring here altogether. And then adult life started – work, bills – and music went quiet for a while.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
It began at university, when I finally saved up enough for my first – and very cheap – acoustic guitar. I taught myself by ear, picking out chords. Technique didn’t matter to me then. A couple of chords were enough to play half the songs from my favorite bands.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
At some point I felt a strong urge to finish a song from my childhood – Will To Love from the animated series W.I.T.C.H. And, unexpectedly, it turned out great. I’ll definitely add it to the playlist of our unreleased tracks.
The next one was Ashes of the Heart. I listened to it on repeat for two weeks and felt this overwhelming desire to share it with someone. Looking back, I see that the production was… well, basically nonexistent. But that track became the starting point. That’s where the project began – the moment I decided to share the music I create.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
Every track is a scream we’ve held inside for many years. We scream it into the void, and listeners stand behind us. Some just listen quietly. Some scream along with us.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
That you don’t need to please anyone.
Music is something you create for yourself first.
Once you stop worrying about “what people will say,” you start finding your people.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
An Enya Nova Go Sonic electric guitar, a Shure SM7B microphone, Adobe Audition as the main DAW, and FL Studio for stems. We use a lot of plugins. And of course, Suno – in 2025 it makes creating music much easier and opens up more possibilities.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
To be honest – it’s not indie.
90% of the time we listen to our own tracks, trying to figure out what we can improve.
Lyrically, NF is the benchmark. He’s unreachable – you can chase that level forever. Sometimes Ren pops up in the playlist too.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Completely. Without personal experience – and the pain that comes with it – not a single track of ours would exist. These things are constant companions, both for us and for our music.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
We want listeners to find themselves in our songs – and to let their own emotions out through them.
To feel that somewhere on the other side of the world, there are people with similar worries and pain. It’s like speaking your heart out to the universe while staying anonymous behind your headphones.
The message is simple: whatever is happening – you’re not alone.
Yes, our lyrics are still weak, we know that, and we’re working on it. But that message is at the core of everything we do.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Every piece of music will find its listener.
And even geniuses have haters – so what can you expect for no-names like us.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
We don’t plan to perform live – the project is home-based and personal.
But if we imagine… probably a small field outside the city or an underground venue for about 100 people. Something intimate feels much closer to who we are.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Chester Bennington – to hear how he would interpret and sing our songs.
Ed Sheeran – for his unbelievably genuine and effortless delivery.
NF (Nathan John Feuerstein) – because he feels like he lived my life and wrote about it. His storytelling is pure cinema.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music?
You can listen here:
https://songshare.com/artist/dr547knc
We post demos and early versions on YouTube.
TikTok and YouTube aren’t monetized, and distributors don’t work directly with Belarus, so royalties can’t be withdrawn at the moment (maybe that will change someday). For now, everything runs purely on our own enthusiasm.
We don’t need financial support – we all have full-time jobs, and music is our passion project.
Making a lot of money would probably be great, sure –
but the best way to support the project is simply by leaving a comment under any video with a track you enjoyed on TikTok or YouTube. That alone means a lot to us)
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
Once we sort out the basic life things – housing, family, free time – we’d love to organize a small tour across a few cities in Belarus.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
That AI-assisted music can still be alive, emotional, and anything but generic.
Our listeners really like this lyric video
