The Soulful World Of Odeal
For YAMS Magazine's debut issue, British sensation Odeal takes center stage.
What is R&B music? Today, you could ask this question to 20 people and receive 20 different answers. Some people are narrow in their definition of R&B – it has to sound like “what we grew up on.” It has to come from someone raised in the church. It must be reminiscent of Mary J. Blige, Boyz II Men, and Luther Vandross.
Some have expanded their understanding of “rhythm and blues” to include a wider diaspora of sounds and subgenres (check out our piece on the rise of alternative R&B). Artists like Janet Jackson, Beyoncé, and D’Angelo have championed the blending of genres into something unique and freeing. While still being rooted in “rhythm” and “blues”.
In the mid-2010s, we started to see an emergence of African superstars on a global scale, thanks to songs like Drake’s 2016 hit “One Dance” featuring Wizkid. Today, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Davido, Tems, Tyla, Amaarae, and more are known internationally, bringing their sounds and culture to the mainstream. We see artists of African origin in countries like England and the U.S. embracing these sounds more than ever before. Mainstream Black music has become one big gumbo pot of delicious-tasting soul food.
Enter: Odeal. Born in Germany, Odeal lived in Spain, the UK, and Nigeria before settling in London. He is now signed to the American-based label LVRN, home of acts like 6LACK and Summer Walker. This sort of upbringing is bound to heighten one’s sense of adaptability and desire to build community. And that’s exactly what it did for Odeal. When he started making music as a teenager in Nigeria and London, he dabbled in afrobeats and eventually settled into more of an afro-fusion sound.
His growth and success over the past few years would not have been possible without the community that he’s built. At university, Odeal formed a collective called OVMBR (which stands for Our Variances Make Us Bold & Relentless) after falling very ill and wanting to create a way to build legacy beyond himself. “Every day we’d just link up after lectures. My room was like the hub where all of my friends would come to,” he explains. What started as a goal to release music every November has evolved into a community-led collective that champions art and throws epic parties across continents – an energy that Odeal and his fanbase welcome.
In 2020, OVMBR released the ‘OVMBR: Roses’ project to rave reviews. They became leaders in the UK’s growing alté scene (which blends afrobeat with reggae, hip-hop, and dancehall). 2022’s “Coffee (Don’t Read Signs)” is where I first came across the globe-trotting artist. The song is beautiful and relaxing in its melodic approach, and it allowed Odeal to shine without having to try too hard.
But it was in 2023 that Odeal started shifting his approach to a sound that’s more reminiscent of what we hear from the singer-songwriter and producer today. 2023’s ‘Thoughts I Never Said’ project put Odeal on a global scale of attention thanks to performances and cosigns from popular digital platforms like COLORSxSTUDIOS. The project’s standout is the song “All That It Takes”, which borrows from jazz, 90s hip-hop/soul, and afro-fusion to create a magical sonic atmosphere. It’s the song that made everything click for me, and when I knew that Odeal would be around for a long time.
“Three words to describe my music: Euphoric, Ethereal, and Soulful.”
Today, Odeal seamlessly skates between afro-fusion, alté, and contemporary R&B/soul music. He showcases that the artists of tomorrow aren’t meant to be bound to one particular sound or genre.
In the summer of 2024, he released the EP ‘Sunday At Zuri’s’ – a reference to the beach house of Zuri Awela, where he spent time in Lagos, Nigeria. Thematically, the four-song project feels like what you’d envision from summer in Lagos. The tracks make you want a cocktail and to whine your waist, bounce your shoulders. The vocals are sweet and infectious – flirting between English, West African Pidgin, and Swahili on some tracks. Afro-fusion and alté energy are at the forefront of this project. And it spawned the viral hit “Soh-Soh” (which helped him to win a 2025 MOBO Award).
In the fall of 2024, Odeal released ‘Lustropolis’ – a longer project that feels much more introspective and R&B in sound. It’s a departure from the Odeal that spent the summer with “Zuri” in Lagos. On “Temptress”, he interpolates Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody?” on top of production that feels both dark and cinematic. On the single “You’re Stuck", Odeal receives help from his new LVRN labelmate and the current queen of moody R&B: Summer Walker.
“Lustropolis is a state of mind, which I personified into a city to represent where I was mentally and physically after leaving Nigeria (on ‘Sunday at Zuris’).
I spent time back home in Lagos, Nigeria, and my experiences there brought me feelings that I bottled up into the ’Sunday At Zuri’s’ EP. Leaving Nigeria and heading back to the Western world in preparation for my tour came with its own emotions and experiences. The weather was different, the relationships were short-lived due to me being on the road. Relationships from the past resurfaced. It all seemed like a world of its own, a world that was dark and forced me to look within every day with no escape. That world felt like “Lustropolis”.”
Odeal’s music has a propensity for feeling conversational. His lyrics are pretty direct, which he says he does purposefully. “I like my songs to feel as close to home as possible. Whether it be a conversation with yourself, a letter to an ex, to a friend, or a lover.” He says there are easy ways to say certain things, but he likes to focus on the how more than the what. “That’s the challenge for me. I’m always trying to make things sound new or different.”
You can hear that directly in songs like “Modern Day Suicide”, where Odeal talks with an ex-lover (now that he’s back in her city) about their soured relationship. In “Blame U”, Odeal is self-destructive, passing blame on a “gorgeous, gorgeous girl” instead of taking accountability for his actions. On “SHOWBIZ” he speaks about the fictional city of Lustropolis and details how the city gleefully has taken so much from him, including love. Each song on ‘Lustropolis’ peels back another emotional layer that makes up who Odeal represents as an artist in today’s diverse R&B landscape.
Taking things a step further, Odeal dropped a “no drums” version of ‘Lustropolis’ entitled ‘Melody Avenue.’ Each song on the project is accompanied by its own visual, helping to paint a story of love lost in exotic locales. The stripped production allows the listener to focus even more on the melodic conversations being had across the 7 tracks.
In his spare time, Odeal says he listens to fellow artists like Elmiene, Kelvin Momo, Chase Shakur, KAYTRANADA, Tems, and Cleo Sol. “I love Jungle, The Weekend, D’Angelo, Miguel, Frank Ocean, Wizkid, Fela Kuti, The Cavemen… there are so many.” His eclectic taste in music has one common denominator: soul. And all of the different ways that soulful music exists today – from the danceable sounds of KAYTRANADA and Fela Kuti to the spiritual sounds of Cleo Sol and Tems. And that feat is evidenced by Odeal’s music alike.
When I asked where he gets his creative inspiration from outside of music, Odeal lists travelling, new experiences, movies, and scents as a few things he draws from. “I always feel like a new scent makes you see life differently.”
“What makes me happy? Peace. Doing things that fuel my soul. And also seeing my family happy.”
What’s next for Odeal? Musical evolution. He’s been in the studio with artists like KAYTRANADA, Jordan Ward, and Wale recently. He has aspirations to collaborate with the likes of Billie Eilish and Wizkid. And if the music released in 2024 is any indicator of what’s to come, we’re in for a worldly treat. I hope you join me for the ride.
Written by Dante Nicholas
Photography by Eric Hart Jr.
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nice
A great write up, here! I’ve added Odeal’s music into my Apple Music library too, as a result of this conversation. 🙌🏿✨