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Oliver Cronin looks every bit 24 sitting on the couch, but in conversation, it’s clear he’s had to grow up fast. Meeting his now-wife at age 14 in Byron Bay, the couple navigated high school, early adulthood, and Cronin’s rapid entry into the music world side-by-side.
“We genuinely share a brain at this point,” he reflects. “We’ve gone through so much together that we know each other better than we know ourselves.”
Cronin initially planned to study engineering, leaning on his strength in mathematics. But encouragement from his mother, a musician who had played in local bands herself, supported a pivot to music, which, as it happened, was smart thinking. Fresh out of high school, Oliver was signed to a major music label and found himself learning the mechanics of the music industry as a teenager.
Following his 2022 debut EP Beautiful Nightmare and its breakout TikTok hit “Boys Don’t Cry,” Cronin amassed over 1.1 million followers, touring across North America, Europe, and Asia. But after years of juggling rapid social media output and algorithm-driven burnout, he stepped back to recalibrate.
His latest EP, Lost On the Way To Paradise (the follow-up to 2024’s Halfway to Paradise), marks a deliberate artistic evolution: trading content fatigue for R&B influences, organic instrumentation, and deeply personal storytelling. Oh, and of course, marriage and his very first modelling appearance.
Ahead, Cronin speaks with ELLE Man about growing up alongside his partner, surviving early industry success, maintaining a TikTok fandom and shooting his shot with Off Campus music directors.
In Conversation with Oliver Cronin
ELLE: What was the core inspiration behind Lost on the Way To Paradise?
Oliver Cronin:
A lot of it is about love, which has probably been the single most constant thing in my life. My wife and I have been together since we were 14 and got married last year. I’ve written so many love songs in my life, but I got to a stage where I felt it all sounded the same. So this time I made a point of telling my actual story. For a long time I thought it wasn’t special; I thought I didn’t have anything cool to say. But getting into writing sessions and talking about being in a relationship for a decade and getting married so young, people were like, “This is actually quite unique.”
I also talk about my journey in the industry — becoming a musician at a very young age and trying to navigate from point A to point B. Just a lot of things I haven’t talked about publicly before.
I was trying to bring in more organic elements with this album and lean back into my roots a bit, with real instrumentation and more personal songwriting. Writing from an authentic experience rather than trying to talk about what I think people want to hear. It’s a lot more vulnerable, which is harder to do, but I think that comes across in the music.
E: Fourteen to 24 are deeply formative years. How have you and your wife managed to grow together through all of that change?
OC: Fourteen is such a pivotal moment in your growth as a human, and we were able to experience that transition together. We really helped each other grow. The person I was at 14 is completely different to who I am now; I wasn’t even making music back then. And what she’s doing now isn’t what she imagined doing at 14 either. We think about it all the time; it’s really special to look back at our teenage years and think about how different everything was.
I think love drives everything, and we’re so lucky to have found each other at such a young age and still be so in love. Accepting change is really important. We know that we’re not going to be the same people in ten years’ time, given we aren’t the same people we were ten years ago. But I don’t think there’s a secret. We understand each other, we’re good at communicating, and we just got lucky.
Fourteen is such a pivotal moment in your growth as a human, and we were able to experience that transition together. We really helped each other grow. The person I was at 14 is completely different to who I am now; I wasn’t even making music back then. And what she’s doing now isn’t what she imagined doing at 14 either. We think about it all the time; it’s really special to look back at our teenage years and think about how different everything was.
Oliver Cronin on finding love at a young age.
E: Can you share your proposal story?
OC: I proposed on our seventh anniversary. I was 20 or 21 at the time, and she was dropping subtle hints like a lot of girls do! I knew I wanted to do it, I just needed the right moment.
I ended up booking out a castle on top of a big hill in Èze, in the south of France, with a private balcony overlooking the coastline. The custom ring — an emerald-cut diamond on a clean gold band — arrived from the jeweller just 24 hours before our flight! When I got down on one knee, she actually thought I was joking because she was so surprised. It was such a special moment, followed by three incredible weeks travelling through Europe together.
E: Which track on the new EP means the most to you right now?
OC: At the moment, “My Story,” the intro track. I’ve been wanting to write a song like that for a long time — talking about my journey in the music business — and I was never able to articulate it properly until now. It feels like the perfect way to start this new era.
“25/8” is another favourite just because of how different it sounds. It leans into the R&B side of my style that I’ve had tucked away for a while. That one’s obviously about love too, so it comes very naturally to me.
E: You signed a major deal right out of high school. Looking back, what was that early entry into the industry really like?
OC: I signed when I was freshly 18 and hadn’t even released a proper song yet. I got thrust into the major label system very young, under a different artist name and making different music. It was eye-opening, and I struggled a fair bit at the start when things didn’t go according to plan. When you’re 18, you sign a deal and think, “I’m going to become the next big thing in two months”. When that doesn’t happen, you ask yourself what you did wrong. But I’m actually really grateful to have gone through that learning curve early on.
E: You built an audience of over 1.1 million followers online, but you’ve mentioned the fatigue that comes with it. How do you balance content creation with actual artistry?
OC: When I started blowing up on social media, it was an exciting time, but it brought a whole different type of stress that I really wasn’t prepared for. It’s an entire second creative job. At first, I figured out how to work the algorithm to push my music. But then I got so deep into the content machine that I almost forgot how to make music.
Your brain gets wired to view numbers as success, and I started basing my self-worth on daily views and metrics. It’s an unhealthy reality of the industry. I’m really grateful for the platform because I wouldn’t be in this position without those numbers, but it’s definitely a gift and a curse.
E: How does this new project reflect your evolution away from being labelled a “content creator”?
OC: We focused heavily on organic instrumentation and being meticulous with every single detail of every track. There’s a fine line between people knowing you as a TikToker they see on their feed versus an actual musician, and I want to be recognised as an artist. This EP was made with the mindset of showing off real musicality, creative depth, and vulnerability.
Your brain gets wired to view numbers as success, and I started basing my self-worth on daily views and metrics. It’s an unhealthy reality of the industry. I’m really grateful for the platform because I wouldn’t be in this position without those numbers, but it’s definitely a gift and a curse.
Oliver Cronin on TikTok fame
E: We noticed you’ve been pitching your music to the team behind Off Campus. What’s the vision?
OC: When I wrote “I Feel You,” it instantly gave me Off Campus vibes. I thought, “Let me shoot my shot and see if the music directors see this”. What I didn’t expect was for people in the comments to start passionately debating which characters the song belonged to — whether it was a Logan and Grace song or a Dean and Allie song!
I’ve left it up to the internet to decide, but in my head, it’s a Dean and Allie song for Season Two. “I Feel You” is about that exact moment where you get overwhelmed with love and realise, “Hold on, I’m deeply in love with you”. I picture it playing over a montage of them looking back at everything they’ve overcome together. That’s the vision.
Who are the most inspiring women in your life?
My wife, first and foremost. We grew up in very different situations, and seeing the person she has become today is so inspiring to me. My mum, as well — I wouldn’t have pursued music without her. She was in bands when I was a kid and was so supportive when I decided to pivot away from academics to pursue a creative path full-time.
My grandma is another incredible light in my life, along with all the incredible women on my management and executive team. I genuinely wouldn’t be anywhere without them.
E: What is the most romantic date you’ve ever planned?
OC: Besides proposing in France, I love planning spontaneous escapes. We both grew up in the country and have lived in the city for five years now, so getting away is crucial for us. For our recent 10-year anniversary, I took her away to the Blue Mountains for a few nights just to disconnect from the hustle and get back to our roots. Surprise trips and gift-giving are definitely my main love languages.
E: You recently walked the runway for Christian Kimber. How was that experience?
OC: I was wearing Christian Kimber during this interview, actually! It was an incredible experience, but I don’t think I’ve ever been that nervous in my life. I’ve played massive shows and gotten married, but walking down a runway for 30 seconds had me terrified.
You have to get to the venue at 4:00 AM for hours of hair, makeup, and rehearsals until you start overthinking how to walk naturally. When my turn came, my mind went completely blank and I forgot to hit my pose at the wall of photographers! I turned straight around thinking, “Oh my god, don’t look freaked out!” But I’d love to do it again, massive respect to professional models.
Oliver Cronin’s EP Lost On The Way To Paradise is out now. Stream on Spotify or Apple Music.
The post Oliver Cronin Talks Finding Paradise With His New EP appeared first on ELLE.
