Ever since EverythingOshaun, a Brampton Hip Hop artist, dropped his debut EP Until Now some weeks ago, he has been enjoying the attention his music has garnered from both the industry and his fans.

Singles such as You Shouldn’t and Poet managed to catch the ear of distribution markets such as Apple Music, Spotify and Google.

EverythingOshaun however has not let success go into his head.

“It has been a long journey for me putting this project (Until Now),” he said. “I had to deal with a lot of difficult obstacles–family, finance, school and personal issues–that prevented and distracted me. When we finally put the album together, I felt it needed a title that hits home and encourages people that it doesn’t matter when and where you start, that moment you start is what counts, everything before is irrelevant.”

It’s the same reasoning that went into christening the Bramptonian’s three-member group– Game Starts Here (GSX)– that includes Staasia Daniels and his brother Xpress aka DJXP.

The sounds of his new album are driven by Toronto’s urban, multicultural vibe.

“The music is mellow, melodic type of Hip-Hop,” he said. “We’re not necessarily the boom-bap rap that originated in New York. We infuse jazz, R&B gospel and mix it all together. I can be as aggressive as I want lyrically, but sonically, my music is very smooth.”

As an upcoming musician, EverythingOshaun was fortunate to perform at the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference and festival in Austin and Canadian Music Week.

There are days however, he said, when he finds himself questioning the uphill and uncertain life of the musician. Then a letter or tweet from a fan saying how much they love his work would arrive and his self-doubts would vanish.

“Music distracts me from the reality of things,” he said. “It gives me an outlet to take my energy towards something positive and not veer off along the wrong path. So, music has helped me channelize and has proven to be an engine that drives my creativity.”