South-East London's Odeal is Pioneering the Alté Wave in the UK [Interview]

Photography by Carlos Arbe

Ask anybody in the UK what the undisputed musical capital of the country is and only one place will leave their lips: London. Despite the weekly Twitter beef between all four corners of the diverse, innovative city claiming that their side is superior, no part of London has pumped out such successful black artists as the south.

When we speak of South London, we speak of trendsetters whose forward-vision, determination and execution has made them renowned across the country, people like Giggs and Section Boyz, who made waves in the grime and drill scenes respectively. However, in one corner of the South is an artist who’s spearheading the UK’s rising alté scene. The artist in question? Odeal.

Odeal is an enigma. A crooner who jumped between Germany, Spain and Nigeria in his childhood before settling in the UK, his art is drenched in the sounds of the many cultures he’s seen. Like a kid in a candy shop, his eyes opened brightly to the possibilities of music from an early age, but his mind became firmly cemented in following the path of song after spending some time living in Nigeria. Having been exposed to the home of Afrobeats and the newly developing Afroswing, Odeal came to London and soldered all his influences together, being one of the most prominent examples of the alté style (alternative Nigerian music) in the UK.

But to pigeonhole Odeal is to deny him the creative freedom which he so wishes to possess. He is a visionary who can’t really be boxed into any one musical niche. His 2020 8-track EP, OVMBR: Roses, is exemplary at establishing how Odeal manages to glide through different styles; the second track, Answer, is a dance, garage type ditty that you’d hear at a club or maybe an H&M store, then you’re plunged into the emotional, heartfelt R&B ode that is 24/48. Odeal has an intense flair for songwriting and even has production abilities under his belt. Creativity and innovation are part of him.

New Wave caught up with the renaissance man himself, as he continues on his journey to immortalise his sound.

NW: So first of all, how are you Odeal? Has life been treating you good?

It's been alright you know. I’ve just been trying to finish off my project for November, so that's where a lot of my energy and focus has been for the past couple months. Yeah.

NW: We’ve been out of lockdown for a while and everyone’s been living their absolute best life. How has the freedom affected you mentally and creatively? Do you feel like you are creating more or better music now than during lockdown? Or was that more of an introspective, personal time for you?

I feel like it was a time for me to find myself more through music. When you’re out with people, you can feel their vibe and energy towards the music, but during lockdown it was just me and my friends. Whatever was in my head at the time, I’d just write down. Making music during lockdown was great.

NW: You classify your music as alté, a type of afro-fusion melting pot of genres. What influenced this new genre? Is it more a style of music?

It’s a sub-genre. If your music fits the vibe or if you’re in that place to make that music then go ahead. It’s something that even more people could do and call their music, you know.

I used to make Afro beats and R&B. But you know, listening to more music that was popular, the emerging Nigerian alté scene and just music in general, I eventually realized that alté sounded a lot like what I was making. It’s like the fusion of afrobeats with all these other elements of other genres. I just went with it.

NW: You’re from South-East London, namely Greenwich, which when compared to other South London boroughs doesn’t get as much musical recognition. Are there any artists from around your area that you think deserve more love?

My guy Dizzilo, he’s an amazing rapper and soon he’s gonna be dropping some more music, but people really need to take him in. I only really know about my team and the people I work around because they’re the people I’m with all the time. Obviously, there’s Enny as well, who’s from Greenwich too and she’s been taken in really well. I’d say R.A.E as well, she’s not from my bits but she’s definitely someone to listen to.

NW: So outside of music, what else do you do that really keeps you grounded and creative? What keeps you motivated and able to constantly make such high-quality art?

To be honest, I don't really do much other than music. I like to design certain things, I like graphic design, sometimes I like to do courses and read on other things apart from music, you know?

But I do remember this book that basically teaches you that when you take your mind off doing whatever it is you usually do, for me it’s music, is when the best ideas come. So when you’re like ironing or something or doing any random chore is when one of the best creative thoughts will come into your mind. I always think about that.

NW: Let’s talk about your new song, Mr Workerman. When doing music videos, do you like to have a say in what the direction is? Is it a joint effort in terms of conceptualising and execution?

Yeah 100%. From how I want the shots to look, to which camera I want to be used, even going so far as looking at specific lenses that can offer a certain feel or vibe. I’m always involved. I do a lot when it comes to the music videos. I'm very hands on. But of course, it’s important to have the specialists, the directors and people on the team who are trained in this stuff. It’s great to have them tell me what works and what doesn’t work, so it's a collaborative effort.

NW: So what does Mr Workerman really mean? What’s the song’s inspiration?

It’s from the mind of a guy who's infatuated with a girl, but he fears that she’ll be taken away from him by a guy who has everything that he doesn't. That's why in the video, the main girl gets taken away from me, but it’s funny cause she was never really with me, or mine, in the first place. It was just all in my head.

NW: Your music is oftentimes very vulnerable and intimate. Do you ever feel a hesitation to share such things with your listeners? Or is it now second nature to you?

I feel like as of recent, even with the music that hasn't been released, there's lines in there that’ll make you think “wow, that’s really personal.”

And It’s getting even more personal. But I don't feel a hesitation in doing that, because it helps people feel how I’m feeling and relate, so the music hits more.

NW: What's your personal process for the conception of a song? How do you go from start to finish? Is it the same for every song? Or do different songs have different processes?

Yeah, every song has a different process. I don't always have a certain way or method. Oftentimes when I hear a beat, I bounce off it with melodies, and I end up having the vision of the melody from the jump, so I'll know how the song should play out by the end of it and then work towards that. Or i'll just run different melodies randomly and eventually when I have enough, patch them into different sections of a track. Then we go into context and lyrics and the rest.

NW: And do the people around you have a say when you're creating the songs?

Yeah. Even down to the engineers who just mix the records. Everyone comes from different backgrounds when it comes to music, with different influences too. It’s always nice to have another ear give their opinion, so I can go back and forth with them to figure out what works, you know?

Everyone has a part to play in the music, even down to my friends. Some of them don't even make music, but they listen to a lot of it, so I trust their judgement. It's nice to have that feeling of community when you're creative, having like-minded people around you.

NW: Do you have a favourite song in your discography?

You or Me is my favourite as of recent. Karma as well, I have so many to be honest, it depends on my mood. I could be out here listing songs forever.

NW: In another interview you said you first got your feet into music while in Nigeria with your dad, and he really encouraged you to jump into it. Do you think music has always been your calling, or did you ever at one point have a different career path you wanted to pursue?

Yeah, when I was younger I was just into sports. I really wanted to pursue that mainly because I was athletic and good at them. But then as I got older and went to secondary school, sports just became long, like I’d come back from school and be tired and exhausted. But one thing I always loved was music, like just listening to it. Then after I’d heard so much of it, I realised I wanted to try out making some of my own, so here I am.

NW: Are there any other endeavours or paths you want to follow alongside music right now, for example fashion or creative direction? You said you like to do graphic design sometimes. Or would you rather be at a certain point in your career before you start pivoting?

Nah, I'd rather start as early as possible, and let everything else just fall into place, even if I'm just doing it on a low-key thing. Just to learn as much as I can and get inspiration. When you're doing more than one thing, you can bounce back and forth, you're never stagnant. I’d 100% like to do fashion, directing music videos and things like that. I wouldn't even wait for a certain time to come. I’d just start.

NW: As well as writing and singing, you produce some of your own music. Do you think that your music has taken like a turn for the better ever since you got into the craft of production? Do you think being able to produce has made you a more well-rounded artist?

Yeah, for sure. 100%. I feel like producers in general, they’re the vibe. Like they create the feeling, the tone of the song, the ball’s in their court. Knowing myself and what I want to hear, being able to produce just furthered my creativity and is helping me reach my potential as a musician.

NW: You were contacted to write some songs for Rihanna a while ago. How were you feeling when you got that email? What were the emotions rushing through you?

I really saw it as massive cause of the stage in my career I was at. Like I’m always my biggest critic, telling myself I’m not there yet or I could be better at this, so getting an email from her team was mad. It made me believe that I've got something good going, but at the same time, loads of people get called up for this, so even if nothing was to come out of it, it was still a blessing that I was identified among so many people.

NW: It’s amazing to have seen you grow and progress from a couple years ago to now. So to wrap up the interview Odeal, what you saying for the rest of the year? New music, a headline show perhaps? What's next for you?

Another project is coming out, the next OVMBR. The last one, Roses, was great, but I definitely think the next one is even better. The hours I've been putting into this one have been crazy. So yeah, I'm looking forward to you guys taking it in, and seeing the reactions.

Keep up with Odeal on his social media handles: @iamodeal on Instagram and Twitter.