Nick Folwarczny, an Ohio State student and self-made musician, was inspired by Noah Kahan and The Lumineers to create his alternative, folk-style tunes. He’s set to go on tour starting in April 2024, opening for Hans Williams. Credit: William Wark
For his ninth Christmas, Nick Folwarczny’s uncle gifted him a guitar.
When he unwrapped the brightly colored box that morning, the young Folwarczny didn’t know his life was about to change.
Now a second-year in psychology, Folwarczny is a full-time Ohio State student and self-made musician. This month, the up-and-comer is accompanying popular alternative/indie artist Hans Williams on his “More Than One Way Home” tour, during which Folwarczny will perform at four of Williams’ 22 total stops. With a long-lasting passion for making music, Folwarczny said this opportunity has felt incredibly rewarding.
“Music has always been a huge part of my life,” Folwarczny said. “From my first guitar lesson to my first piano lesson, I was hooked.”
After he was given that guitar, Folwarczny’s love for the art only grew. Throughout his childhood, Folwarczny said he stayed involved with playing, even though he was “the only musical one” in his family. Nevertheless, he said his parents are still his biggest supporters.
The summer after graduating from Olentangy Liberty High School in 2022, the Powell, Ohio, native started to get serious about his musical interests. In order to expand his social media presence, Folwarczny said he began posting Instagram Reels and TikToks performing some of his original songs.
Fast forward one year later to July 2023 and a TikTok of Folwarczny singing a self-made track, titled “The Weatherman,” acquired more online engagement than any of his prior content. At the time of publication, the post has amassed over 105,000 views and 17,200 likes.
“It seemingly gained traction overnight, which was insane to me,” Folwarczny said. “I started to get [direct messages] from people listening, and even from some people asking if I was signed yet. That’s when I decided I wanted to put in more time and money into making music.”
Not long after, in August 2023, Folwarczny released another single on Spotify called “Drive Slow,” which is now his most popular song on the platform with over 388,000 streams.
The album cover for Ohio State student and self-made musician Nick Folwarczny’s newest single, which is titled “Long, Long While” and was released on March 20. Credit: William Wark
One of Folwarczny’s managers, Perry Avgerinos, said he and his business partner Noah Schwartz were in the market for new clients around the time Folwarczny started to acquire more substantial online popularity.
One Instagram DM later, the pair began managing Folwarczny in September 2023.
“We were really impressed with his songwriting,” Avgerinos said. “His songs were pretty polished, especially for someone doing it all by themself at such a young age.”
Since then, Folwarczny has garnered over 26,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. This comes as no surprise to Avgerinos, who said he saw Folwarczny’s potential early on.
“He’s just an amazing kid and musician,” Avgerinos said. “We knew that once we got him working with others in the field, he’d only grow.”
Folwarczny is currently preparing to tour with Williams, who is also managed by Avgerinos and Schwartz. Though Williams’ tour will last through May 4, Folwarczny will play four shows in April, specifically in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Denver on Wednesday, Minneapolis on April 12 and Chicago on April 14.
The Salt Lake City and Chicago performances have sold out, but tickets to the other two shows can be purchased on Williams’ website.
“All of this has just been surreal,” Folwarczny said.
Beyond being a full-time student and touring his music, Folwarczny also directly engages with his passion on campus, though in a more collaborative manner.
In the fall of 2023, Folwarczny was involved in starting the Buckeye Entertainment Project, a student organization that brings a combination of community service and musical entertainment to local homeless shelters, retirement homes and hospitals.
Shivam Soni, the organization’s primary leader, said he has known Folwarczny since their freshman year of high school. After an introduction from a mutual friend and a realization of their shared love for music, Soni said the connection was instant.
“When we met, we really just clicked over music,” Soni, also a second-year in neuroscience and psychology, said. “Since then, he’s been one of my closest friends.”
However, for Soni, music serves as more of a casual hobby. He said he has been able to find ways to bond with Folwarczny over their joint passion.
“I play guitar, mostly just for fun,” Soni said. “Nick’s fully professional, but it’s nice we can share that, even on different levels, if that makes sense.”
Regarding what’s next for Folwarczny and his music career, Avgerinos said the sky’s the limit.
“I think he can take this as far as he wants to,” Avgerinos said. “Being a household name is a goal for a lot of artists, but I think he really can get there.”
More information about Folwarczny — including access to his music — can be found on his website.
