Nick Oaken

Meet the Artist

Music is my medicine.

I remember being 15 years old playing guitar alone in my room. I’d been practicing for a few years and had a decent grasp on scales, rhythm, and timing, but I didn’t know how to let go.

One day it clicked––my emotions channeled directly from my body to the guitar and echoed out in a raw creative expression of who I am. I sat on the floor of my bedroom in awe at the wellspring of creation I touched. Ever since then, music has been my refuge of healing and self-discovery.

Everything is sound.

Everything my life touches fuels my creative process. My music is deeply inspired by nature, life experience, and my journey of awakening. Many of my recent songs emerged from the musings of teachers and poets like Ram Dass, Tara Brach, Bashō, Mary Oliver, and Jack Kornfield. My songwriting is deeply inspired by the music of Trevor Hall, Nick Mulvey, Jose Gonzalez, John Mayer, Rising Appalachia, and Kabeção.

I liken my sound to a harmonic blend of folk simplicity, percussive flow, and raw spirit.

Unfolding chapters of creation.

My intention as an artist is to humbly offer my gift. May we connect more deeply with who we are and the wider currents of our shared experience on this earth.

In recent years I released a few singles called The Fig Tree, Eucalyptus Leaves, and Invincible––each marking an impactful moment in time. I’m currently working on my debut solo album In Between the Seasons; an exploration of life transition and alchemizing experience, learnings, and teachings into wisdom that carries forward into the unknown. The album will be released in spring/summer 2024.

I've also recently fallen in love with the handpan – an ethereal instrument that offers layered soundscapes in an ocean of rhythm, flow, and tranquility. I’m eager to release a handpan project in the near future and am looking for new spaces/events/ecosystems to share this instrument.

If you feel called to collaborate, I’d love to hear from you.

Jamhouse relationships in bloom.

I met Emma at a festival in 2023 and felt a soul-sister connection right from the jump. Since then, the Jamhouse has been a ripe garden of soul, friendship, and sweet sweet harmonies in my life.

I’m recording and releasing my album with Jamhouse Records to contribute to the vibrant spark this community brings to Montreal and beyond. I hold this opportunity with immense gratitude and am stoked for the road ahead.

The wider circles.

Outside of music, I’m interested in supporting others in their healing, personal growth, and spiritual awakening. I’m currently training to become a mindfulness meditation teacher under Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, grounded in the lineages of Tibetan Buddhism and Vipassana/Insight meditation.

I’m also a co-founder and facilitator at Authentic Life, a Montreal-based community group offering events and workshops for authentic relating, circling, and embodiment practices.

may I treat all beings with reverence and respect,

may I carry myself with integrity, dignity, and humility,

may I be courageous in the face of all fear, uncertainty, doubt, and strife,
may I have the grace to accept all things as they are in the unceasing winds of change.
aho.

Follow me here: