Musical Roots and Early Influences
Creative Philosophy and Approach
Dmitry Volynkin, aka Øneheart, comes from a lineage of music enthusiasts. His grandfather, a trumpeter, performed in a Russian orchestra, while his father, better known as leadwave, attended music school for eight years, mastering acoustic guitar and piano. So, aged 5, it was no surprise when Dmitry began fiddling with a piano, one kitted with synthesisers for kids. Here, he created the early imprints of what would become his emerging sound. It wasn’t until he was several years older, rummaging in his parents' garage, that he got his hands on a few discarded CDs and some easy-to-use apps. Curious, he downloaded HipHopper - a drum machine - and began playing around with loops, driven by a fresh-faced creative instinct to “just have fun.”
While the 19-year-old’s ambitions have grown, his ethos has remained consistent. A student at college, he still spends time tinkering away with tracks, making time around his classes. “It's always hard to find any kind of balance for it. I make music when I want to and when I feel like I can make music,” he says. “Music was around me from my childhood; I think there was my dad’s influence as well.”
Career Emergence and Persona
Artistic Vision and Key Projects
Øneheart might be the stage name the teenager has run with, but Dmitry has been plugged into music for years, even creating songs under a now-discarded artist name. “I started making music when I was 11 years old. It was 2017, I was 11 years old, and I started with Dubstep and house music, and I had a different name,” he says. Since then, Dmitry has shifted into TikTok virality and early fame (with over 6.3M listeners on Spotify). “I didn't really like words like success and popularity – I just love to make what I make,” he says. “Russia is familiar with sad music, but there are not many people listening to this kind of music. It's very, very underground here, but we do have a lot of viral songs you can hear on TikTok made by a lot of Russian musicians who, just like me, are sitting in the room and making music.”
Speaking on the intention behind his music, Dmitry aspires to create a kind of cinematic, digital mirage – an escapist feeling through his grand, sweeping instrumentals. “My previous [artist] name wasn't a good fit. It didn't capture what I really wanted to make, so I changed the name in 2018, which began the start of Øneheart,” he explains. “It's about blending a dreamlike atmosphere with futuristic energy of the Y2K era and digital aesthetics.” Having selected his name and built a DIY portfolio on SoundCloud – spanning genres of future garage, hardwave and wave – he’s now stepped into an experimental era of fusing sounds which reflect how he’s feeling. His latest project, Samsara Passengers, is a collaboration with Leadwave and electronic producer Dean Korso. The release captures their varied perspectives and life experiences, which harmoniously shaped the album’s core idea: a journey through the different stages of life, the accumulation of experience, and the pursuit of wisdom. It's a bold, mystical exploration of reality, growth and spiritual insight.
Achievements and Mainstream Recognition
Creative Process and Inspiration
Future Direction and Evolution
“I try to share my emotions with the people who are listening to it. I'm very happy to see how my music resonates with so many people – I didn’t expect it,” he shares. His hit song ‘Snowfall’, made with collaborator reidenshi, unfurls with gentle twinkling and soft melodies, has earned a staggering 1 billion streams, while a slowed reverb version has 200 million streams on Spotify. And, that’s not all, he’s also been awarded a Forbes 30 Under 30 nomination in Russia. “I'm just trying to share my emotions and my music with the world, while releasing what I love. I’ve tried to show people that I can make more than ambient songs. I’ve also created Crystal Castles and Pastel Ghost-inspired songs called ‘next to you’ and ‘touch’. I’ve tried to mix all the genres and build something on my own,” he says.
Dmitry’s behind-the-scenes process is fluid: he locks into a feeling or moment and begins creating. A process that came into focus in 2020 when he found an intriguing ambient song online, which became a reminder of the world-building he aspired to create. “I found a song called ‘Sommersonnenschein’ by a mysterious German musician under his alias Novisad. He doesn't release music much, but I used to listen to it on repeat. I could listen to it all day, and it helped me,” he says. “I don't know how to explain this feeling, but I was feeling like I was floating and escaping reality, and I was trying to make the same music.” Dmitry’s inspiration might’ve begun from listening to formative atmospheric tunes, but now, he’s hooked on another realm of music: hyperpop (and Charli xcx). Pushing the scope of sound, the musician began listening to a lot of Russian rock bands, which soon gave way to electronic music and EDM. “I recently discovered Hyperpop. I've been listening to Charlie xcx for more than a year and I fell in love with her music.
As he closes out 2025 with billions of streams to his name, Dmitry is looking back on how he’s grown from his SoundCloud era to a cross-platform viral artist. His wins are notable, including creating a soundtrack for the huge gaming title Atomic Heart, but he’s ready to reimagine what Øneheart can be. “I’m still making atmospheric electronic music, but also dance songs and house songs. I'm trying to build myself more as an artist and try to tell a more interesting story,” he says. “I’m also focused on myself as an artist because I want to step away from my usual style and try mixing it with hyperpop or Botanica.”
