Jeff D'Agostino is an American actor, singer, songwriter, and musician; professionally known as the recording artist Oekiin (stylized as OEKIIN; pronounced "owaken" or "awaken"). After becoming an established TV and film actor, D'Agostino began a career in music. He signed to Rock Mafia Records in 2011, and was signed to Interscope Records by Co-Founder and former Chairman/C.E.O Jimmy Iovine in 2012. He has collaborated on songs with artist/producer Timbaland and DJ/producer Illenium.
Jeff D'Agostino | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jeffery Frank D'Agostino |
| Born | September 5, 1982 Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S. |
| Genres | Electronic Rock, EDM, dubstep |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2002–present (acting) 2011-present (musician) |
| Labels | Interscope Records, Rock Mafia, Dilemma Music Inc. |
| Website | http://www.oekiin.com |
Early life
editBorn and raised in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, D'Agostino started singing, acting, and performing in theater when he was eight years old. While taking local acting classes, a visiting talent agent from Los Angeles offered him representation. At age thirteen, he landed the lead role in the television pilot, Skwids. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting full-time at seventeen.[1]
Acting career
editTelevision
editD'Agostino has appeared in commercials and television shows including CSI, Weeds, CSI: Miami, Veronica Mars, Malcolm in the Middle, Without a Trace, Good Morning, Miami, JAG, Judging Amy, Phil of the Future, MDs, The Brothers Garcia, and Medical Investigation. Other television shows include Ghost House Pictures series Zombie Roadkill with Thomas Haden Church, ABC TV movie: The Wonderful World of Disney, and DreamWorks Television Pilot Hench at Home (2003) directed by Michael J. Fox. He was recognized for his standout performance as a series regular on David E. Kelley's The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire (CBS) with co-stars Randy Quaid, Elizabeth McGovern, John Carroll Lynch, Ann Cusack, and Chris Penn.[1]
Film
editD'Agostino landed his first lead role in a feature film in 2002, playing the character Joshua "Toast" in Mary-Kate and Ashlee Olsen's Getting There. Other feature films include When Do We Eat? starring Ben Feldman (Mad Men, Silicon Valley,) Pound of Flesh with Malcolm McDowell, The Sasquatch Gang (2006) by the creators of the cult classic film Napoleon Dynamite with cast mates Justin Long, Joey Kern, and Jon Heder, and indie-horror film Underground (2011) with co-stars Christine Evangelista and Sofia Pernas.[1]
Music career
editD'Agostino began writing songs as a hobby and was eventually discovered by Rock Mafia Records' Co-Founder and record producer Tim James. Before working with Rock Mafia, D'Agostino was the lead singer of a pop-punk rock band. His bandmates included Jake Pitts, lead guitarist of Black Veil Brides. They toured regionally and were offered a record deal at Stand and Deliver Records. The band broke up before signing.[1]
2010–2011: Rock Mafia Records deal
editD'Agostino wrote new material for a solo project and signed a production deal with Rock Mafia Records, Tim James, Antonina Armato, and Paul Palmer (Co-Founder, Trauma Records). After recording at Rock Mafia Studios in Santa Monica, CA, D'Agostino formed the live band with several friends. They toured the West Coast and built a strong fan base. Their music was a mix of rock, electronic, and hip hop.[1]
2012–2017: Interscope Records deal
editRock Mafia Records presented D'Agostino's music to Interscope-Geffen-A&M Chairman/CEO Jimmy Iovine. Timbaland accompanied Iovine to the meeting and loved what he heard. He asked to be featured on a song with D'Agostino, which he later recorded. After the meeting, Iovine offered D'Agostino a deal with Interscope Records. D'Agostino signed and recorded one album with the company. Timbaland and Jimmy Iovine left their roles at Interscope and the album was never released.[2][3][4] The deal was terminated in 2017.[1]
2018–present: Oekiin, song "All Together" with DJ/EDM producer Illenium
editD'Agostino then wrote and recorded new songs independently, which allowed him to maintain creative control and ownership of his recordings. He re-branded his artist name as Oekiin and showed Tim James at Rock Mafia his new project. James then played one of Oekiin's songs to EDM DJ/Producer Illenium (Nicholas D. Miller), whom he was working with at the time. Illenium loved Oekiin's song "All Together," and asked to add some production to the track.
Oekiin's song "All Together" was released August 16, 2019 on Illenium's third album, "Ascend," distributed by label Astralwerks/Capitol Records/Universal Music Group.[1][5][6] "All Together" reached #41 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic chart, and the album "Ascend" hit #1 on Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic albums.[7][8]
Oekiin's EPs New Design and Rebel Minds are scheduled to be released in the summer of 2019 through his personal label, Dilemma Music Inc.[1] Oekiin's music is a mix of electronic rock, dubstep, and EDM.[1]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| I Am Borderline | 2016 | Jeff | Short film |
| Searching for Katie | 2014 | Jeff Daniels | Feature film |
| Underground | 2011 | Eric Abercrombie | Feature film |
| Potter's Field | 2010 | Daryl Hexler | Short film |
| Pound of Flesh] | 2010 | Tom | Feature film |
| The Sasquatch Gang | 2006 | Dagan | Feature film |
| When Do We Eat? | 2005 | Shaffer | Feature film |
| Getting There | 2002 | Joshua “Toast” | Feature film |
Television
edit| Title | Year | Role | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Destroy the Alpha Gammas | 2013 | Scott | YouTube | YouTube series |
| Zombie Roadkill | 2010 | Nate | FEARnet | Series regular 6 episodes |
| Private High Musical | 2008 | Shoe | MTV, YouTube | YouTube series, MTV series pilot |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | 2005 | Gerald 'Blinky' Allison | CBS | Episode "Room Service" |
| Weeds | 2005 | Bobby | HBO | Episode "Higher Education" |
| Veronica Mars | 2005 | Tad Wilson | The CW | Episode "M.A.D." |
| Phil of the Future | 2005 | Myron | Disney Channel | 2 episodes |
| Medical Investigation | 2004 | Randy | NBC | Episode "Little Girl" |
| JAG | 2004 | Chris | CBS | Episode "Take It Like a Man" |
| Hench at Home | 2003 | Richie Previtt | ABC | DreamWorks TV series pilot |
| The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire | 2003 | Malcom Shaw | CBS | Series regular 4 episodes |
| Good Morning, Miami | 2003 | Ty | NBC | Episode "I Second That Promotion" |
| The Brothers Garcia | 2003 | Dalton | Nickelodeon | Episode Sisters Garcia: Part 2 |
| Judging Amy | 2003 | Andrew Lanteri | CBS | Episode Shock and Awe |
| Without a Trace | 2003 | Calvin Fuller | CBS | Episode "Victory for Humanity" |
| CSI: Miami | 2002 | Timmy Diehl | CBS | Episode "Camp Fear" |
| The Wonderful World of Disney | 2002 | Heavy Metal Kid | ABC | TV movie Nancy Drew |
| Malcolm in the Middle | 2002 | Student #5 | FOX | Episode "Humilithon" |
| MDs | 2002 | Frat Boy | ABC | Episode R.I.P. |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Jeff D'Agostino". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
- ^ "Jimmy Iovine Leaves Interscope Records". Complex. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
- ^ Alexis, Nadeska. "Jimmy Iovine Leaves Interscope And Names His Successor". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 1, 2014. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
- ^ "Jimmy Iovine Leaves Interscope Records". BET.com. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
- ^ Meadow, Matthew (2019-06-11). "BREAKING: Illenium Reveals New Album "Ascend"". Your EDM. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
- ^ Marcano, Maria (2019-06-15). "Illenium announces his third album 'Ascend'". We Rave You. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
- ^ "Oekiin". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
- ^ "Illenium". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-06-29.