Isolated Together: How 18-Year-Old Øneheart Is Shaping TikTok’s Ambient Music Revolution
The algorithm that trained us to crave instant gratification is now feeding us its antidote, thanks to music producers like Øneheart.
Thanks to his breakout track "snowfall," the teenaged beatsmith is on the cusp of joining Spotify's elusive billion-stream track club, where electronic music greats like Avicii and Swedish House Mafia reside. Rooted in a nascent genre called "liminal ambient," his haunting soundscapes have captivated a young audience still reeling from post-pandemic isolation.
Led by "snowfall," which he created in collaboration with fellow Russian producer reidenshi, the genre itself occupies a deliberate space between comfort and discomfort. Many producers of liminal ambient music employ granular synthesis to create ghostly, stretched textures, evoking a dreamlike or distant quality. They also incorporate field recordings and elements of biomusic—like rustling leaves, empty hallways, HVAC hums and cassette tape hiss—to enhance the sense of vastness.
Somewhere between the eerie glow of a forgotten shopping mall and the warmth of a childhood lullaby, liminal ambient music marks itself as distinctly Gen Z. To that end, what makes the genre's popularity so remarkable is its primary distribution channel, TikTok.
A platform designed for rapid consumption and constant stimulation, TikTok seems fundamentally incompatible with music designed to be absorbed slowly—but that tension might explain its appeal. It's like a digital oxygen mask, offering meditative space amid an otherwise claustrophobic and overwhelming feed of brain-rot content.
Awash in reverb and languid soundscapes, liminal ambient's rise on TikTok seems paradoxical. The platform thrives on rapid-fire dopamine hits, but the music demands patience. The faster we scroll, the more we seem to crave Øneheart's digital slowness.
His "snowfall" audio has been used in nearly five million TikTok videos, generating billions of impressions and influencing young producers across the world's bedrooms to craft soundscapes that feel like memories of places they've never been. The same goes for Øneheart's sublime Vertigo project, his new EP produced alongside influential lo-fi hip-hop producer SwuM.
"I tried to ride various TikTok trends a few years ago," Øneheart, whose real name is Dmitry Volynkin, tells EDM.com. "But now I realize it’s better to do what you really like because trends come and go, but your discography is eternal." It's a refreshing take from an 18-year-old artist who could've easily chased clout.
Regardless of commercial outcomes, liminal ambient stands as a fascinating cultural phenomenon, a sound specifically calibrated to provide relief from the very digital environment that made it possible. And in Øneheart's hands, it's evolving into something timeless.
We sat down with the electronic music prodigy to unpack how his eerie, contemplative beats have found a home in TikTok's hyperactive digital metropolis, and where this genre might drift next.
c/o Kurate
EDM.com: Many artists in your position might have pursued more mainstream electronic genres with established audiences. What convinced you to venture into relatively uncharted musical territory at such a young age?
Øneheart: When I started making electronic music at 11, I never imagined so many people would end up listening to my tracks. Back then, I was inspired by EDM artists and dreamed of following in their footsteps.
Over time, I've realized that the most important thing is to create music that I genuinely enjoy making and can put my heart into. That shift really shaped my journey to where I am now.
EDM.com: Your music has been described as both nostalgic and futuristic—looking backward and forward simultaneously. Why do you think your sound has been so closely associated with the concept of escapism?
Øneheart: In my music, I try to reflect on my life's memories, experiences and ordinary happenings. I think that people feel that in what I do, and that's the reason it resonates. If my tracks help someone deal with or feel an emotion, even for a moment, that means the world to me.
EDM.com: The term "liminal" implies being caught between worlds, neither here nor there. In what ways do you see your generation existing in liminal spaces beyond just music, and how does this influence your sound?
Øneheart: Our generation is living in the information age. We are constantly stressing out at the endless hustle-and-bustle, overthinking, and feeling like we are everywhere and nowhere at once. That sense of disconnection is something a lot of people my age relate to.
For me, music is a way to translate those emotions into something tangible. And when people tell me my music has helped them navigate those feelings, it a reminder of why I do this.
EDM.com: TikTok has been crucial to the spread of liminal ambient music, yet the platform's algorithm-driven, rapid-fire nature seems almost contradictory to the slow, contemplative nature of your soundscapes. How do you navigate those conflicting ideas?
Øneheart: I'll be honest with you: I tried to ride various TikTok trends a few years ago, but now I realize that it's better to do what you really like because trends come and go, but your discography is eternal. I'm grateful to all the people who use my music on there—without them I probably wouldn't be close to where I am now.
c/o Kurate
EDM.com: Your rise coincided with a period of profound global isolation. If liminal ambient is a response to the loneliness of the modern world, where does it go next? Does it become even more isolated, or does it transform into something more hopeful?
Øneheart: I really hope these genres evolve rather than becoming repetitive or overly commercial. There's so much room for this style of music to grow in unexpected directions, whether that’s through collaboration, new textures and sound or ways to make it feel even more immersive.
EDM.com: Your music exists in this fascinating space between comfort and discomfort. How much of this tension is intentionally crafted versus being an organic expression of your own emotional state during the isolation of the pandemic?
Øneheart: It wasn’t something I set out to create on purpose. I was just pouring emotion into the music, and that contrast happened naturally. I think music is a reflection of what we feel, even when we don’t fully understand what we feel or how that occurs.
EDM.com: The electronic music world often prioritizes club-driven sounds. Do you think the industry fully understands or respects the growing power of ambient and introspective electronic music?
Øneheart: Yes, yes and yes again! Lately I've been seeing more and more often that quite famous and important people in the electronic music industry release ambient albums.
For example, there is Secret Life, a collaborative album between Fred again.. and the father of ambient, Brian Eno; or Moby with his Long Ambients series of albums. I know ambient music is not for clubs—it's music that you want to listen alone at home to relax. I know an example of cool live shows like Malibu does, so I'd really like to do a similar thing someday.
EDM.com: You’ve crafted a signature sound at just 18—how do you evolve without losing the identity that made you stand out?
Øneheart: For me the key is always staying curious and open-minded. I listen to a wide range of music. Lately, I’ve been really inspired by artists like Charli xcx, Instupendo, Jaron and Oklou.
As my sound evolves, I try to focus on keeping that emotional core consistent—I think thats what ties my catalog together.
Follow Øneheart:
Instagram: instagram.com/oneheartisok
TikTok: tiktok.com/@oneheartisok
Spotify: tinyurl.com/234f78tj
