OSHN | Interactive Music and Original Soundtrack
Oshn | Intercative music
Oshn is a project I am deeply proud to be part of. Developed by BFB Labs, the app helps young people lift a low mood and rebuild motivation by reconnecting with the activities, values and relationships that matter most to them. As the composer, I created an original soundtrack and interactive music system designed to support the player's emotional journey through the experience. Using gamified CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), Oshn encourages gradual engagement in meaningful, rewarding activities that help break the cycle of low mood and depression.
The mental well-being of young people has become an urgent concern in recent years. In response, Oshn seeks to harness the positive potential of digital technology, encouraging players to connect with friends, spend time in nature, practise gratitude and engage in healthy behaviours that support long-term wellbeing.
As the composer for Oshn, I aimed to create an original soundtrack that felt calm, hopeful and emotionally supportive. Rather than writing music for individual moments, I approached Oshn as an environment with its own emotional identity, focusing on how the soundtrack could support the atmosphere as a whole. The music was designed not only to establish a welcoming atmosphere but also to function as an interactive experience that could evolve alongside the player's progress through the app.
The soundtrack was designed to evolve alongside the player's progress through Oshn's virtual world.
Working closely with the development team, I created a series of musical stems that could be layered dynamically in response to activity within Oshn's virtual world. As players explore the ocean environment, new layers of music emerge. One musical layer accompanies schools of fish as they appear on screen, while additional instruments are introduced as the ocean becomes deeper, richer and more populated with plant and animal life. These dynamic music systems allow the soundtrack to grow organically alongside the player's journey, creating a stronger sense of progression, discovery and engagement. Many of the techniques used on Oshn draw on principles commonly found in adaptive music for video games, where the soundtrack responds dynamically to the player's experience.
Projects such as Oshn highlight many of the same creative challenges found in game music composition: shaping emotion, supporting engagement and using music to strengthen a player's connection to the experience. Working with the team at BFB Labs was very rewarding, and a reminder of how powerful music can be in creating meaningful, healing and positive experiences for players.
