Interview: Odd One Out Talks About Her Newly Released Third EP, "Alone"
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“Whenever there’s a group of people, I’m usually the one that doesn’t fit in. But I always found comfort in music...”
What does the name "Odd One Out" represent to you as an artist?
Throughout my whole life, I have always felt like the odd one out. At home, at school, everywhere. Whenever there's a group of people, I'm usually the one that doesn't fit in. But I always found comfort in music, and being a fan of bands and going to gigs, I finally felt like I belonged. This is why music has become such a big part of my life.
This is one of the reasons I called myself Odd One Out, another reason is that in the music industry, you have to stand out, so it's good to go against the grain and not conform or be a sheep. It's a double entendre I suppose.
Congratulations on the completion and release of your new EP, entitled "Alone"; tell us about your creative process for the development of the five songs, especially the one in Korean.
Thank you very much! I have thousands of notes on my phone, most of them are poems or just sentences which I put into my phone when I feel the need to. When I begin a new EP, I think of what I want the theme to be, then I will search for that word in my notes and gather all of the notes that mention the theme.
For the EP 'Alone' I had about 14 notes to begin with and whittled them down to 5 songs which represent the different ways someone can feel alone. Alone in the way they think, alone physically, alone because nobody seems to want them, but the ending song "Always With You" repeats "I am not alone." This conclusion to the EP emphasises that nobody is ever truly alone.
The Korean song 여기서 밤새 (Here All Night) was originally written in English and is about how I spend most nights alone, staring at the clock and waiting for it to be morning again. I have been learning Korean since I became a fan of the K-Pop band BTS in 2020. So I translated the song into Korean and moved a few bits around so it rhymed when sung in Korean. I am really proud of this one.
Your music has been described as "Spectral Pop"; what does that mean?
When my music was first described as this I actually didn't know what it meant myself! When I searched what the word "Spectral" means I found out it meant "spooky" and "ethereal". My friends have said that my music has a unique sound to it, so I guess that unique sound is a scary ethereal one.
How would you say that the "Alone" EP differs from your prior two EPs, "Eyes", and "Dreams"?
I think (and hope) that my production skills have improved significantly since my first EP "Eyes". Practice makes perfect and whilst making each EP I have learned thousands of things that I didn't know before.
I have also become a lot more confident with my own singing voice, whereas in the previous EP's I tried to hide behind effects a lot.
With "Alone" now released, what are some of your goals musically for the rest of 2024?
I really want to put myself out there more. I am a very reserved person, so the thought of doing a gig terrifies me, but also I really want to perform in front of people. So hopefully by the end of this year, I will have come out of my shell and performed in front of people for the first time.
Stream and Share “Alone” on: Spotify | Bandcamp | Soundcloud