Omar Courtz

Biography

Joshua Omar Medina Cortés (born October 11, 1997), known professionally as Omar Courtz, or Ousi is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter.

Early life

Born on October 11, 1997, Courtz is a native of Carolina, Puerto Rico. During his adolescence, he worked at a clothing store known as Change, which gained popularity among reggaeton stars. Among the notable figures he encountered during his time there were his major inspirations, including Farruko, Anuel AA, and Ozuna. Courtz later found himself collaborating with some of these artists in his music career.

Career

Courtz's debut, a SoundCloud track titled "Volvemos Otra Vez", released in 2017, swiftly gained local popularity, marking a significant early success in his music career. He persistently released music while simultaneously pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering at university, where he had been recruited for track and field. He garnered attention with releases like his viral single “En Tu Nota", released in 2020 amid the COVID-19 quarantine, and his four-track EP Invierno. This eventually led to a deal with Cuban-American singer Pitbull’s record label, Mr. 305. Courtz is the second Puerto Rican artist to be signed under the label.
Early in his career, Courtz secured a significant collaboration with the track "Ten Cuidado", featuring Pitbull, Farruko, el Alfa, and IAmChino. The song entered Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart in 2021. Alongside collaborations with emerging artists like Young Miko, paopao, and Dei V, he has garnered recognition from more established acts, including Natti Natasha, Lenny Tavárez, and Justin Quiles. In 2023, Courtz collaborated with Daddy Yankee on "Beachy", Tainy on "Pasiempre", J Balvin on "En Alta", and Wisin on "Cuerpo a Cuerpo". In January 2024, Courtz released "Una Noti" via Mr. 305 Records.
In July 2023, it was announced that Courtz was among six artists chosen by TikTok for its "Elevate" music program, an initiative launched to support emerging artists that had gained substantial attention on the platform.
In May 2023, Courtz was nominated at the 2023 Premios Tu Música Urbano in the category of Top New Male Artist. Later that month, Billboard highlighted him as a rising artist to watch to watch. In January 2024, he was nominated for the Premio Lo Nuestro award for New Male Artist.
Courtz performed at the Latin American Music Awards of 2023 and at the 2023 Premios Juventud. In November, he took stage at the Coca Cola Flow Fest in Mexico City and headlined the "Ousi Fest" in San Juan, his first massive concert in Puerto Rico, marking the end of his tour in the United States.

Artistry

Billboard has described Courtz as "versatile and innovative, backed by distinct deep vocals." Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny has similarly labeled him as "very versatile" and has highlighted Courtz's skill in channeling a polished sound reminiscent of urbano music's 2000s era. In reflecting on his musical approach, Courtz conveyed to Puerto Rican newspaper El Vocero, "I consistently direct my music towards women; there's a wealth of themes related to women that I find intriguing and personally resonate with."