Facebook/Michael O
Amazing, breathtaking and awesome, are amongst a few words that can best describe up-and-coming R&B singer-songwriter and philanthropist Michael Odokara-Okigbo, aka Michael O. Since leading his collegiate a capella group the “Dartmouth Aires” to a second place finish on NBC’s “The Sing Off” in 2011, Michael O, 23, has ventured out on his own as a solo artist and has proved to be quite a success. O was born in New York, raised in Portland, Maine and attended Dartmouth College in Los Angeles, Calif., where he currently resides. His EP “In The Beginning,” has garnered positive reviews since its release on August 13, 2013 and peaked iTunes’ R&B sales charts at number 5 within 24 hours of its release. Written and co-produced by Michael O himself, the six-track EP sounds like an extraordinary fusion of classic R&B, Soul and Electronic with courageous anthems like “Champion Love” and “Invincible.” During a phone interview, THZ USA gets to know a little bit more about the man behind the music.
You did a rendition of “Bottom Of The River” by the band Delta Rae. Would you credit the band as one of your musical inspirations?
I think Delta Rae is an incredible band and I am definitely a huge fan of them. It’s really cool how they bring a really soulful vibes to kind of very simple, simplistic music. I really like their story as well so I think Delta Rae is a really dope group.
Who are your other musical inspirations?
There are so many….I actually love a variety of music; I was raised listening to a variety of music. I mean I love hip hop and R&B, so of course I love Kanye and Jay and with R&B it would be Luther Vandross, Michael Jackson, James Brown; but also my mother played The Carpenters, she played Dolly Parton. She used to pay me money to learn Celine Dion songs to sing back to her; I would make cash [chuckles] to sing Celine Dion songs back to her. I have a whole variety, I love all music; because if you feel it, it doesn’t matter what genre it is. But of course I love R&B and hip hop and that’s kind of where my music is going towards.
How would you classify your style of music? What’s your musical style or what musical style were you aiming for on this EP?
Well, this EP I called it “In The Beginning” because I just kind of wanted to show different aspects of me and what I could do, so I did a couple different genres. I did pop, I did R&B, I did trap, I did more ambience, and I did minimal with “Invincible,” so there are a couple different styles. But I see myself representing myself as a soul singer who loves ambient, trap music. I am excited to start working on my up-and-coming album; we’ve been doing some stuff on it. It’s a bit different than the EP because it’s soulful but it’s still hip hop but still like very vibey. The root of it is soul music but modern soul is what I call it.
You founded the Mugadi Foundation when you were 14-years-old following one of your trips to Nigeria after witnessing the living conditions of impoverished children. How does your music play a part in the foundation?
Yes, I started it when I was 14. Since then we have helped kids with their education in Nigeria and also in India. The cool thing about this EP “In The Beginning” is that part of the proceeds made from sales goes to the Mugadi Foundation and that directly 100 percent, helps kids who are in need of books and assistance paying school fees in those two countries. I think the cool thing about this EP is that it’s been doing pretty well and because of its success we have been able to help people that are in need.
Why do you think that it’s important to give back?
Giving back is so important, not only does it make you feel like you are accomplishing something in your life but it just feels incredible to know that you can make a difference in someone’s life. And it’s always interesting to hear people talk about who influenced them. There’s not one person on this earth who has not been influenced by someone who has given a part of themselves to them; whether it’s a teacher or a neighbor. We’ve all felt thee awesome feeling of getting something from somebody, so it’s really a great feeling to be able to also give back to someone who is in need or in pain or is needing some help, so that’s why I do it.
Is the Mugadi Foundation planning to expand to other countries anytime soon? I read that the foundation may be planning to expand to Ethiopia.
Yes, that’s what we are trying to do. Right now we are doing Nigeria (Lagos) and India (Tamil Nadu) but we want to expand to Ethiopia. That’s hopefully the next step.
I know that you are of Igbo Nigerian descent (Lagos, Nigeria). You have received a lot of positive reviews in the U.S. from Dispatch Magazine, Billboard, MTV and JoonBug and also looking back at clips from ”The Sing Off,” you received great praise from the judges. Given that you visit Nigeria often, have you developed a fan base? Are they responding well to your music?
Actually yes, it’s growing really rapidly which is really interesting, so yeah. I’m going over there also to work on some tracks with producers. I’m having more of a following over there. It’s really great to see how Nigerians come out and embrace me. Nigeria, is like my second home. I have a lot of family over there so it’s always cool to chill and vibe with people there.
Is there a specific artist that you see yourself working with in the future?
I have always loved Kanye’s work. I’m really drawn to artists that push boundaries and are kind of bigger than their genre. I think that Kanye is a modern day example of that so it would be really great to work with someone of that caliber. That would be really cool.
What’s next for Michael O? You mentioned earlier that you’re working on your first LP so when can we expect that?
Hopefully next year. I am in a couple of negotiations right now, so I’m excited about that. I am heading to Nigeria tomorrow; I am also excited about that. You can check out my EP “In The Beginning” on iTunes or at Bull Moose stores on the east coast. It’s $2.99 for 6 songs so its really super cheap which is awesome and part of the proceeds go to charity.
Video Credit: YouTube