Ourselves Podcast
Ourselves Podcast
Ourselves
One TikTok and a Frank Ocean song accidentally launched his career
1 hour 25 minutes Posted Mar 13, 2026 at 6:57 pm.
Beating the Scroll
Staying Independent
DistroKid and Fast Releases
Timing the Social Media Window
Do Artists Need Labels?
TikTok Mini Music Videos
The Frank Ocean video that changed his life
Handling Label Attention
Finding the Right Hooks For Your Videos
AI Emotion Theft
Beauty of Imperfection
Synesthesia and Billie Eilish
Touring Loneliness
How to Win Over a Festival Crowd
Relevance and TikTok Tips
0:00
1:25:10
Download MP3
Show notes
Matt Hansen did not wait for a record label to believe in him. He built his career himself. After posting a single TikTok covering Frank Ocean, Matt suddenly found millions of people listening. What started as a simple video turned into a full time music career built entirely outside the traditional music industry.
In this episode of Ourselves, Matt shares the real story behind that moment and what it actually takes to survive as an independent artist today. We talk about the reality of building an audience online, the pressure artists feel to chase algorithms, and why Matt refuses to let AI touch his music.
 
 
Follow Matt
Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Arrad (podcast host)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 
 
LISTEN / SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST:
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SPOTIFY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠APPLE MUSIC⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YOUTUBE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
 
CONNECT WITH US:
✩ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ourselves (production team)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: 
✩ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
✩ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
✩ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
✩ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook