End of the Broken Genius Era
Unperformed: A Series where the performance ends and the person begins.
Meet: VANÈS, a Berlin-based singer-songwriter, producer, and live performer
Meet: VANÈS, a Berlin-based singer-songwriter, producer, and live performer
Feedback loop: let's talk about music
Released at the height of glossy 2000s excess, this off‑kilter collab between Kelis and André 3000 flipped the usual money‑flex on its head, turned anxiety and spiritual burnout into a sing‑song hook, dodged a U.S. single release, and still embedded itself deep enough in pop culture to feel eerily on‑time in an era of hustle culture, burnout memes, and TikTok‑era overnight “millionaires” who feel just as empty
Read now
Released in 2001 when Neptunes
secretly ruled pop from the shadows,
this awkward rap-rock hybrid mocked guitar hero clichés while predicting genre fusion—peaking at #57 UK but blueprinting sounds for Kid Cudi, Travis Scott,
and 2020s glitch production, now fueling festival nostalgia and anxious beats everywhere
secretly ruled pop from the shadows,
this awkward rap-rock hybrid mocked guitar hero clichés while predicting genre fusion—peaking at #57 UK but blueprinting sounds for Kid Cudi, Travis Scott,
and 2020s glitch production, now fueling festival nostalgia and anxious beats everywhere
Read now
Released by two Russian teenagers at a moment when MTV still set the rules, this 2002 industrial-pop anthem turned teenage obsession and forbidden desire into a global chart phenomenon, cracked American radio, and is now experiencing a powerful resurgence after soundtracking one of Heated Rivalry’s most emotionally devastating scenes
Read now
Recorded on the edge of a nervous breakdown and personal crisis, this eight-minute confession from Robert Smith shattered the rules of pop music, sparked a wave of shoegaze, and somehow ended up as Tony Hawk’s wedding song — proof that raw vulnerability can outlast any hit
Read now
Released in 1989, this three-minute song turned pollution, God, and end-of-the-world anxiety into something you could hum —
and showed the ’90s what alternative rock would sound like
and showed the ’90s what alternative rock would sound like
Read now
Cobain set out to write
“the dumbest pop song ever” —
and ended up creating a punk
chronicle of childhood misery
“the dumbest pop song ever” —
and ended up creating a punk
chronicle of childhood misery
Read now
Released at the height of glossy 2000s excess, this off‑kilter collab between Kelis and André 3000 flipped the usual money‑flex on its head, turned anxiety and spiritual burnout into a sing‑song hook, dodged a U.S. single release, and still embedded itself deep enough in pop culture to feel eerily on‑time in an era of hustle culture, burnout memes, and TikTok‑era overnight “millionaires” who feel just as empty
Read now
From panic attacks and tsunami nightmares to a masterpiece that became the soundtrack of an anxious generation — here’s how this sing turned Yorke’s personal mantra into cultural prophecy
Read now
Released in 2001 at the height of her fame, this seven-minute, near-chorusless track transformed intimacy into sonic architecture—built from whispers, micro-beats, and silence, rejected MTV airplay, anticipated ASMR culture by a decade, and reframed female desire as something both sacred and dangerous, securing its place as one of the most subversive moments in Björk’s career
Read now
Dropped in 1993 with no video, no single, and a title born from a kitchen joke —
but thirty years later,
it’s still the one fans
cry to, and half the scene
is still chasing its sound
but thirty years later,
it’s still the one fans
cry to, and half the scene
is still chasing its sound
Read now
In the middle of the album Paranoid,
where everything rumbles and explodes, Sabbath suddenly recorded
a soft, cosmic odyssey
where everything rumbles and explodes, Sabbath suddenly recorded
a soft, cosmic odyssey
Read now
How “Closer” hacked ’90s censorship
and ended up
in museums
and ended up
in museums
Read now
When Deftones stepped beyond nu-metal and created a horror ballad where a whisper hits harder than a scream
Read now
Not a breakup song, but an act
of radical honesty that
sparked a new era
of vulnerability in music
of radical honesty that
sparked a new era
of vulnerability in music
Read now
Buried at the end of Third, this track scrapped the trip-hop rulebook and gave
s five minutes of raw nerve. Somewhere between Black Sabbath doom and the grinding pulse of post-industrial sound,
Beth Gibbons found the voice of total emotional collapse
s five minutes of raw nerve. Somewhere between Black Sabbath doom and the grinding pulse of post-industrial sound,
Beth Gibbons found the voice of total emotional collapse
Read now
In 2001, when everyone was blasting Limp Bizkit and chugging Red Bull, Tool dropped a mathematical meditation built on Fibonacci patterns and shamanic rhythms
Read now
Filmed like a low-budget cop spoof,
rejected by the Grammys, and still
one of the most influential music videos
of all time
rejected by the Grammys, and still
one of the most influential music videos
of all time
Read now
From 138 Complaints to Christmas #1
— The Protest Banger
We’ll Never Outgrow
— The Protest Banger
We’ll Never Outgrow
Read now
How Zeppelin Built
a Desert Monolith
Out of One Riff
a Desert Monolith
Out of One Riff
Read now
Meet the artists shaping culture below
Unperformed:
A Series by THE OTO — where the performance ends
and the person begins.
Meet: Singer, songwriter,
and sound healer Doe Paoro
A Series by THE OTO — where the performance ends
and the person begins.
Meet: Singer, songwriter,
and sound healer Doe Paoro
Read now
Unperformed:
A Series by THE OTO — where the performance ends
and the person begins.
Meet: Singer and songwriter
Saint Avangeline
A Series by THE OTO — where the performance ends
and the person begins.
Meet: Singer and songwriter
Saint Avangeline
Read now
Unperformed:
A Series by THE OTO — where the performance ends and the person begins. Meet: Christopher Tait
from Electric Six
and founder of Passenger
A Series by THE OTO — where the performance ends and the person begins. Meet: Christopher Tait
from Electric Six
and founder of Passenger
Read now
Unperformed:
A Series by THE OTO — where the performance ends and the person begins.
Meet: Los Angeles-based
multidisciplinary artist
Autumn Breon
A Series by THE OTO — where the performance ends and the person begins.
Meet: Los Angeles-based
multidisciplinary artist
Autumn Breon
Read now
Unperformed:
A Series by THE OTO — where the performance ends and the person begins.
Meet: Will Ramos and Adam De Micco
of Lorna Shore,
an American extreme metal band
A Series by THE OTO — where the performance ends and the person begins.
Meet: Will Ramos and Adam De Micco
of Lorna Shore,
an American extreme metal band
Read now
Unperformed:
A Series by THE OTO — where the performance ends and the person begins.
Meet: Czech singer and Eurovision participant Aiko
A Series by THE OTO — where the performance ends and the person begins.
Meet: Czech singer and Eurovision participant Aiko
Read now
Unperformed:
A Series by THE OTO — where
the performance ends
and the person begins.
Meet: VANÈS, a Berlin-based
singer-songwriter, producer,
and live performer
A Series by THE OTO — where
the performance ends
and the person begins.
Meet: VANÈS, a Berlin-based
singer-songwriter, producer,
and live performer
Read now
Musician or touring crew and need support?
When Heavy Music
Is the Only Way
to Stay Sane
Unperformed: A Series where the performance ends and the person begins.
Meet: Will Ramos and Adam De Micco of Lorna Shore, an American extreme metal band
Meet: Will Ramos and Adam De Micco of Lorna Shore, an American extreme metal band
Subcultures once rewrote power from the streets up — through sound, style, risk, and real conflict. Now they survive as algorithm-safe moodboards: merch, playlists, and aesthetics that soothe but never shift anything. From Woodstock’s feral snarl and punk squats to endless streams where defiance gets monetized before it gets messy — this is how rebellion lost its teeth, dissolving into burnout culture, permanent self-control, and tired irony.
Read now
Music is everywhere — in our headphones, workdays, and nervous systems. Global anxiety rates rose by over 25% between 2019 and 2023, while nonstop streaming became the norm. This piece explores how constant sound, overstimulation, and algorithmic listening quietly turned music from refuge into trigger
Read now
97% Gen Z women listen to five or more genres regularly, but the way they’re judged hasn’t evolved. We still read playlists like personality tests, police each other’s aesthetic “purity,” and confuse musical taste with moral character.
This piece breaks down how identity, social pressure, and mental health collide through what we wear and what we stream
This piece breaks down how identity, social pressure, and mental health collide through what we wear and what we stream
Read now
They cancel tours, disappear for months, spiral on social media — and still outrun
the “healthy” ones grinding out albums like it’s factory work. Because audiences don’t chase consistency anymore; they chase volatility, and drama hits
harder than discipline
the “healthy” ones grinding out albums like it’s factory work. Because audiences don’t chase consistency anymore; they chase volatility, and drama hits
harder than discipline
Read now
73% of indie musicians report mental health symptoms — but fans, too, are stuck on loops of aestheticized sadness, mistaking emotional escape for therapy.
We break down how music affects the brain, why it helps some people heal, and why for others it becomes emotional anesthesia
We break down how music affects the brain, why it helps some people heal, and why for others it becomes emotional anesthesia
Read now
As culture speeds up, burnout becomes inevitable — and strangely productive.
From Trent Reznor’s breakdowns to Lorde’s retreat, here’s why the most honest art emerges only after the flame goes out
From Trent Reznor’s breakdowns to Lorde’s retreat, here’s why the most honest art emerges only after the flame goes out
Read now
How music reduces stress
on a physiological level —
and why it has become a key tool
for emotional regulation today
on a physiological level —
and why it has become a key tool
for emotional regulation today
Read now
A data-backed dive into the ego boom — from studies showing a 30% jump
in self-importance traits
to the rise of
“main character energy”
as our favorite modern illusion
in self-importance traits
to the rise of
“main character energy”
as our favorite modern illusion
Read now
We chase teamwork for the spark, but meaning comes from being alone.
This is about why collective energy
inspires yet often dilutes, and how true creativity lives somewhere between noise and quiet
This is about why collective energy
inspires yet often dilutes, and how true creativity lives somewhere between noise and quiet
Read now
Unperformed:
A Series by THE OTO — where the performance ends and the person begins. Meet: Christopher Tait from Electric Six
and founder of Passenger
A Series by THE OTO — where the performance ends and the person begins. Meet: Christopher Tait from Electric Six
and founder of Passenger
Read now
From Beatles hysteria
to BTS devotion — fandom never died.
What happens when
“I love your art” becomes
“I live your life”?
to BTS devotion — fandom never died.
What happens when
“I love your art” becomes
“I live your life”?
Read now
In a world overdosed on noise and underdosed on meaning,
we’ve turned to rhythm as our last form
of medicine — self-prescribed,
algorithm-approved,
and surprisingly effective
we’ve turned to rhythm as our last form
of medicine — self-prescribed,
algorithm-approved,
and surprisingly effective
Read now
Back when celebrities
didn’t read
the comments,
and that was
their superpower
didn’t read
the comments,
and that was
their superpower
Read now
Crying, caffeine,
and a vague
sense of purpose
— that’s your whole
art therapy
and a vague
sense of purpose
— that’s your whole
art therapy
Read now
Resting is easy.
You just have
to schedule
it three
weeks ahead
You just have
to schedule
it three
weeks ahead
Read now
When 22-Year-Olds
Fear Aging,
the Joke’s on
All of Us
Fear Aging,
the Joke’s on
All of Us
Read now
Sunburns, Mosh Pits,
and Linkin Park’s Glorious Return
to Europe’s Biggest Stages —
Plus an Interview with Lorna Shore
for Our Documentary.
P.S. Yes, we’re also totally obsessed
with Falling in Reverse.
and Linkin Park’s Glorious Return
to Europe’s Biggest Stages —
Plus an Interview with Lorna Shore
for Our Documentary.
P.S. Yes, we’re also totally obsessed
with Falling in Reverse.
Read now
No, You Don't Need to Bleed
for Your Google Calendar
for Your Google Calendar
Read now
Modern art: genius, scam,
or just an expensive inside joke?
or just an expensive inside joke?
Read now
And Yes,
Every Group Chat Is On Mute
Every Group Chat Is On Mute
Read now
Insomnia, overthinking,
and why rest feels like a full-time job
and why rest feels like a full-time job
Read now
They Got a New Voice,
Dropped the Nostalgia, and Somehow Still Sound Like Linkin Park.
What the Hell Happened?
Dropped the Nostalgia, and Somehow Still Sound Like Linkin Park.
What the Hell Happened?
Read now
Letting go didn’t spark fireworks —
it gave me a blackout.
And I stayed.
it gave me a blackout.
And I stayed.
Read now
Unperformed: A Series
by THE OTO — where the performance ends and the person begins.
Meet: Aiko.
by THE OTO — where the performance ends and the person begins.
Meet: Aiko.
Read now
High-functioning depression in a world obsessed with "healing"
Read now
Mental health isn’t always yoga and green juice.
It’s almost always sad songs and total chaos.
It’s almost always sad songs and total chaos.
Read now
Turns out, the glow-up was a breakdown with better lighting
Read now
Mental health, bad b*tch energy,
and the art of not falling apart publicly
and the art of not falling apart publicly
Read now
Turns out, your brain’s just as obsessed
as you are – here’s the science behind
the craving
as you are – here’s the science behind
the craving
Read now
Stop Buying Solutions
to Problems You Don’t Have
to Problems You Don’t Have
Read now
Breaking News:
Love Isn’t Supposed
to Feel Like a Horror Movie
Love Isn’t Supposed
to Feel Like a Horror Movie
Read now
And Here’s the Science
to Prove It
to Prove It
Read now
Can you self-care your way out of depression, or is your skincare routine just really expensive denial?
Read now
Therapy myths, debunked—prepare
to be mildly offended
to be mildly offended
Read now
2025 beauty trends are here to make you glow (and question everything)
Read now
How Music Became Our Antidepressant
An end-of-year editor’s column
by Victoria Olymp on building THE OTO, filming
a documentary,
and ignoring polite expectations
by Victoria Olymp on building THE OTO, filming
a documentary,
and ignoring polite expectations
Read now
How music reduces stress
on a physiological level —
and why it has become a key tool
for emotional regulation today
on a physiological level —
and why it has become a key tool
for emotional regulation today
Read now
Insomnia, overthinking,
and why rest feels like
a full-time job
and why rest feels like
a full-time job
Read now
No, You Don't Need
to Bleed for Your
Google Calendar
to Bleed for Your
Google Calendar
Read now
Resting is easy.
You just have to schedule
it three weeks ahead
You just have to schedule
it three weeks ahead
Read now
High-functioning depression in a world obsessed with "healing"
Read now
73% of indie musicians report mental health symptoms — but fans, too, are stuck on loops of aestheticized sadness, mistaking emotional escape for therapy
Read now
Sunburns, Mosh Pits,
and Linkin Park’s Glorious Return
to Europe’s Biggest Stages —
Plus an Interview
with Lorna Shore
for Our Documentary
and Linkin Park’s Glorious Return
to Europe’s Biggest Stages —
Plus an Interview
with Lorna Shore
for Our Documentary
Read now
Letting go didn’t spark fireworks — it gave me
a blackout.
And I stayed
a blackout.
And I stayed
Read now
They Got a New Voice, Dropped the Nostalgia,
and Somehow Still Sound Like Linkin Park. What the Hell Happened?
and Somehow Still Sound Like Linkin Park. What the Hell Happened?
Read now
Unperformed: A Series by THE OTO — where the performance ends and the person begins.
Meet: Aiko.
Meet: Aiko.
Read now
5 Minutes and Zero Gym:
Because Mornings Are Hard Enough Already
Because Mornings Are Hard Enough Already
Read now
Turns out, the glow-up was a breakdown with better lighting
Read now
Let’s Hydrate, Investigate, and Get That Glow-Up From the Inside Out
Read now
Acids on Your Face?
Don’t Freak Out, It’s Actually the Glow-Up You Didn’t Know You Needed
Don’t Freak Out, It’s Actually the Glow-Up You Didn’t Know You Needed
Read now
2025 beauty trends are here
to make you glow
(and question everything)
to make you glow
(and question everything)
Read now
Because Your Brain’s Drama Queen
Needs a Tangy Time-Out
Needs a Tangy Time-Out
Read now
Therapy myths, debunked—prepare to be mildly offended.
Read now
And Here’s the Science to Prove It
Read now
And Yes,
Every Group Chat Is On Mute
Every Group Chat Is On Mute
Read now
Mental health, bad b*tch energy,
and the art of not falling apart publicly
and the art of not falling apart publicly
Read now
From ancient eros
to Instagram elbows,
ownership never left
to Instagram elbows,
ownership never left
Read now
A data-backed dive
into the ego boom
as our favorite
modern illusion
into the ego boom
as our favorite
modern illusion
Read now
Let’s Hydrate, Investigate,
and Get That Glow-Up From the Inside Out
and Get That Glow-Up From the Inside Out
Read now
Digital meetings,
mental health,
and a guide to keeping
your sanity intact
mental health,
and a guide to keeping
your sanity intact
Read now
Unperformed: A Series
by THE OTO — where the performance ends and the person begins.
Meet: Aiko
by THE OTO — where the performance ends and the person begins.
Meet: Aiko
Read now
5 Minutes and Zero Gym:
Because Mornings Are Hard Enough Already
Because Mornings Are Hard Enough Already
Read now
Because Your Brain’s Drama Queen
Needs a Tangy Time-Out
Needs a Tangy Time-Out
Read now
Acids on Your Face?
Don’t Freak Out, It’s Actually the Glow-Up You Didn’t Know You Needed
Don’t Freak Out, It’s Actually the Glow-Up You Didn’t Know You Needed
Read now
The Art of Doing Absolutely Nothing (and Loving It)
Read now
Because the best time to work out is whenever
you’re not scrolling through Instagram, right?
you’re not scrolling through Instagram, right?
Read now
Sweat Less, Get More
Read now
Who’s the Real Hero Here?
Read now
Stop Waiting for a Guru, Coach Yourself to Success
(or at Least Stop
Screwing It Up)
(or at Least Stop
Screwing It Up)
Read now
We Miss the Stars Who Didn’t Text Back
As culture speeds up, burnout becomes inevitable — and strangely productive.
From Trent Reznor’s breakdowns to Lorde’s retreat, here’s why the most honest art emerges only after the flame goes out
From Trent Reznor’s breakdowns to Lorde’s retreat, here’s why the most honest art emerges only after the flame goes out
Read now
The Art of Doing Absolutely Nothing
(and Loving It)
(and Loving It)
Read now
5 Minutes
and Zero Gym:
Because Mornings
Are Hard Enough Already
and Zero Gym:
Because Mornings
Are Hard Enough Already
Read now
Stop Waiting for a Guru, Coach Yourself to Success
(or at Least Stop
Screwing It Up)
(or at Least Stop
Screwing It Up)
Read now
Because the best time to work out is whenever
you’re not scrolling through Instagram, right?
you’re not scrolling through Instagram, right?
Read now
Sunburns, mosh pits,
and Europe’s biggest stage.
Plus an Interview
with Lorna Shore
for Our Documentary
and Europe’s biggest stage.
Plus an Interview
with Lorna Shore
for Our Documentary
Read now
Who’s the Real Hero Here?
Read now
Because Your Brain’s Drama Queen
Needs a Tangy Time-Out
Needs a Tangy Time-Out
Read now
But your mental health
has a screen time limit
has a screen time limit
Read now
Let’s Hydrate, Investigate,
and Get That Glow-Up From the Inside Out
and Get That Glow-Up From the Inside Out
Read now
Medieval charm, lazy sips
of French wine, and the loudest therapy session you'll ever attend
of French wine, and the loudest therapy session you'll ever attend
Read now
Acids on Your Face?
Don’t Freak Out, It’s Actually the Glow-Up You Didn’t Know You Needed
Don’t Freak Out, It’s Actually the Glow-Up You Didn’t Know You Needed
Read now
Sweat Less, Get More
Read now
Digital meetings,
mental health,
and a guide to keeping
your sanity intact
mental health,
and a guide to keeping
your sanity intact
Read now
Read now
Read now
Read now
Read now
Read now
Read now
Read now
Read now
Read now
Read now
Read now
Read now
Read now
Read now
Read now
Who we are? Read below
Subcultures once rewrote power from the streets up — through sound, style, risk, and real conflict. Now they survive as algorithm-safe moodboards: merch, playlists, and aesthetics that soothe but never shift anything. From Woodstock’s feral snarl and punk squats to endless streams where defiance gets monetized before it gets messy — this is how rebellion lost its teeth, dissolving into burnout culture, permanent self-control, and tired irony.
Read now
We chase teamwork for the spark, but meaning comes from being alone.
This is about why collective energy
inspires yet often dilutes, and how true creativity lives somewhere between noise and quiet
This is about why collective energy
inspires yet often dilutes, and how true creativity lives somewhere between noise and quiet
Read now
Music is everywhere — in our headphones, workdays, and nervous systems. Global anxiety rates rose by over 25% between 2019 and 2023, while nonstop streaming became the norm. This piece explores how constant sound, overstimulation, and algorithmic listening quietly turned music from refuge into trigger
Read now
Therapy myths,
debunked—prepare
to be mildly offended
debunked—prepare
to be mildly offended
Read now
5 Minutes and Zero Gym:
Because Mornings Are Hard Enough Already
Because Mornings Are Hard Enough Already
Read now
2026 beauty trends are here
to make you glow
(and question everything)
to make you glow
(and question everything)
Read now
Released in 2001 at the height of her fame, this seven-minute, near-chorusless track transformed intimacy into sonic architecture—built from whispers, micro-beats, and silence, rejected MTV airplay, anticipated ASMR culture by a decade, and reframed female desire as something both sacred and dangerous, securing its place as one of the most subversive moments in Björk’s career
Read now
And Here’s the
Science to Prove It
Science to Prove It
Read now
Let’s Hydrate, Investigate,
and Get That Glow-Up
From the Inside Out
and Get That Glow-Up
From the Inside Out
Read now
Because Your Brain’s
Drama Queen
Needs a Tangy Time-Out
Drama Queen
Needs a Tangy Time-Out
Read now
Acids on Your Face?
Don’t Freak Out, It’s Actually the Glow-Up You Didn’t Know You Needed
Don’t Freak Out, It’s Actually the Glow-Up You Didn’t Know You Needed
Read now
YOU:
So… who are you guys? 🌝
THE ото:
We’re The OTO — a team obsessed with music, mental health, and everything that happens between your headphones and your head.
We dig into why some songs feel like therapy, why burnout hits like someone pulled the plug on your brain, and why artists are always the first to fall apart and the last to admit it.
We dig into why some songs feel like therapy, why burnout hits like someone pulled the plug on your brain, and why artists are always the first to fall apart and the last to admit it.
We’re here to make it real 🙂↕️
YOU:
And what’s actually going on here?🤓
the oto:
We explore the connection between music and mental health — both through personal experience and through science. We interview artists and other creative people to hear honest thoughts about how creativity changes our state, our choices, and our minds in general. They tell their stories honestly, because the polished, fake versions are something we’ve all seen and read a thousand times already.
And right now we’re making a documentary about how sound hits the mind, mental health, and the brain — for real.
No staged “healing journeys,” no pretty endings — just real conversations with musicians and scientists. We believe music helps you understand yourself and feel less alone — whether you’re the one making it or the one listening to it in your headphones.
And right now we’re making a documentary about how sound hits the mind, mental health, and the brain — for real.
No staged “healing journeys,” no pretty endings — just real conversations with musicians and scientists. We believe music helps you understand yourself and feel less alone — whether you’re the one making it or the one listening to it in your headphones.
Let's do something amazing with THE OTO
