One of the most fascinating things about Odeal is the diversity of his cultural background. The 23-year-old singer was born in Germany and spent time in Nigeria, Spain, and the UK over the years. In turn, that granted Odeal an artistic palette that many would dream of. He’s collaborated and excelled with UK artists like Nines and Enny. The same goes for afrobeats artists like Gabzy. Odeal proved that he could wear many hats and wear them well. Additional proof of that can be found in his 2023 EP Thoughts I Never Said.
Released back in November, the project is a 20-minute confession of the raw emotions and heart-wrenching feelings felt in romance. Overall, Thoughts I Never Said captures Odeal’s rise and fall from love to loss in a moment-by-moment account detailed through the EP’s nine songs.
It begins with “Landmine,” an enchanting intro that details the unmatched feelings he has for the significant other in his life. The EP continues with “Bedroom Weather” and “Water” which both capture the euphoric intimacy that lives between partners whose chemistry is sky-high. Odeal’s love takes a turn for the worse on “Rigamortous” and another vulnerable moment on the album is instead, now used to showcase pain and anger. By “Fine By Myself,” acceptance amid the pain has set in as Odeal finds the silver lining within rain clouds.
Just a couple of months removed from the release of Thoughts I Never Said, Uproxx caught up with Odeal to discuss how Burna Boy inspired him, a feature he needs in his career, and what he’d be doing if it weren’t for music.
What is your earliest memory of music?
My earliest memory of music would have been me listening to Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange. At the time, Facebook was prominent, and I thought, you know what? As I moved around quite a lot, I had loads of friends in different places, so I posted a video of me doing a cover of Frank Ocean’s “Thinking About You.” Once I posted it on Facebook, everyone was like, “Yo, this is crazy. You should do this more. When did you start singing?”
Who inspired you to take music seriously?
I think it was Burna Boy. I went to his first show when he came back to the UK in 2016. It was his first time back in the UK in 6 years after not being allowed to perform here for a while. He came back and did a show, and I saw how everyone came together to listen to him. Bear in mind he wasn’t the biggest Afrobeat artist at the time; it was Wizkid, Davido, and maybe some others. So, for him to come back from Nigeria, just the same way I came back from Nigeria, and then he was having an immense amount of love. I saw so many different people there to see his performance, to see everything. From that day, I was like, yeah, man, I need to take this seriously. Before that, it was just a hobby.
Do you know how to play an instrument? If so, which one? If not, which instrument do you want to learn how to play?
The only instrument I can play right now is my voice. I play keys, but I just figure out the chords as I go along. If I could play any instrument, I would love to know how to play the keys even better than I know how to play now.
What was your first job?
My first job was working in Subway at a highway service station.
What is your most prized possession?
My hard drives and my laptop.
What is your biggest fear?
My biggest fear is not achieving all my dreams.
Who is on your R&B afrobeats Mt. Rushmore?
D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Brandy, and Usher.
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location where it would be held.
Tems, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Santi, and Rema. I’d love for it to be held in the Sphere in Las Vegas!
You get 24 hours to yourself to do anything you want, with unlimited resources: What are you doing? And spare no details!
First things first, I’d have a massive breakfast. Next, I’ve been blessed with unlimited resources, so I’m praying. I’m going to give God thanks. And then, what else am I going to do? From there, I think I’m going to chill, taking in the scenery in my huge kitted-out house somewhere in Spain. I’ll hop on a private jet because I want to hop on a private jet. I’ve always wanted to. Eat fried rice from this spot in Ghana that I love. So, I’ll have fried rice from Ghana on the plane.
We’re going to take the jet to Tanzania. We’re going to take the private jet to Tanzania where I’ll get on an island where there’s like lunch or dinner prepared, then I’d have a studio session in a hut on an island. For the rest of the evening, soak in the scenery and make crazy music! And then sleep in a huge, you know, them extra-large king-size bed I want to sleep in. That’s how the day ends.
What are your three most used emojis?
What’s a feature you need to secure before you die?
Tems.
If you could appear in a future season of a current TV show, which one would it be and why?
Power, as I’d like to see how serious I could be in it, and it’s an all-time great series for me. Sex Education – I feel like the chaos of the school matches the energy that I’ve got.
Which celebrity do you admire or respect for their personality and why?
Vince Staples, he doesn’t care, and Odumodublvck matches that energy as well.
Share your opinion on something no one could ever change your mind about.
I genuinely haven’t missed in my music. Ever. I don’t think I’m missing any time soon!
What is the best song you’ve ever heard in your life and what do you love about it?
“Rock My World” by Michael Jackson. The lyrics, melody, and feel of the record speak to my inner soul!
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform, and what’s a city you’re excited to perform in for the first time?
My favorite city I have performed in is London, and I’m very excited to perform in Lagos, Nigeria.
What would you be doing now if it weren’t for music?
I’d be a film director. Or a creative director. Or a fashion designer.
If you could see five years into the future or go five years into the past, which one would you pick and why?
I’ll go into the future. See the future, yeah? Yeah. And why? Because I want to prepare myself. For good, for the bad, the ugly. At least if I know, I can, like, just prepare myself for what’s about to come.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
I would say, it’s going to work out, just stay consistent.
It’s 2050. The world hasn’t ended, and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
I’d like to be remembered as someone who brought different kinds of people together, music-wise. I want to be remembered for having made people’s favorite songs in my lifetime.
Thoughts I Never Said is out now via OVMBR. Find more information here.
