Meet The Unknown Osbourne, Aimee

Over a decade after opting out of early-aughts reality TV mega-fame, Aimee Osbourne presents her musical debut.

Years before the Kardashian clan reigned supreme, the Osbournes were the inaugural first family of reality television. Matriarch Sharon, former Prince of Darkness Ozzy, and their children Jack and Kelly became household names—but absent from the fanfare was eldest daughter Aimee, who famously (or not-so, depending on how you look at it) refused to be filmed for the show. “I always knew what I wanted, and I always had a very clear vision for myself and my career as an artist,” explains Aimee.

That vision has taken over a decade to manifest itself into the spookily serene, quasi-apocalyptic sound of Osbourne’s newly debuted musical act, ARO (pronounced “Arrow”). Drawing from the ’90s, ARO’s first song, “Raining Gold,” recalls a trippier Slowdive or Mazzy Star, with languid guitars and Osbourne’s smoky, swelling voice. The track was released in tandem with an ominous video that takes place inside of a blood-soaked diner, perfectly setting the stage for the mysterious project from the equally mysterious Osbourne. We can expect an EP out this summer.

It might have seemed a no-brainer for Osbourne to have introduced her work during the height of her family’s show and to have positioned herself as a singer-songwriter within the context of the MTV program. But Osbourne showed a type of prescience for the world of reality television and its penchant for overexposure—as well as the fickleness of the spotlight. “I don’t really believe that I could have been seen in the kind of light that I hoped,” she explains. “I remember sitting there and looking at [MTV execs] and, not rudely, just being like, ‘I’m not buying this. That’s great, works for you guys, but it’s not happening for me.’” Of course, Osbourne also points out that there’s nothing less rock ’n’ roll than having the entire country watch you interact with your family when you’re a teen.  

ARO has been a process of discovery for the 31-year-old Osbourne. “There are times when I think to myself, ‘Shit, I wish I had done this at 18,’ but then I would have been another super-young girl who, yes, has some talent, but really doesn’t know herself yet,” she says. Everything Osbourne touches is imbued with this sort of maturity, from the way she discusses her music to the powerful vocal control she wields behind the mic. 

“My mum actually pulled me aside and said, ‘You might not like this, but after you enter your 30s, you really understand what living is, and you get to meet amazing people and you know who your friends are,’” says Osbourne. “She told me your 20s are all about having to go through a lot of painful stuff to figure out who you really are. I definitely did that and paid my dues and am happy that it’s behind me, that’s for sure. Now I feel like I know myself and can really be in the moment and execute what I want.” And what Aimee Osbourne wants, it seems, is to create a world all her own.