Q&A: Ogi on Vulnerability and Honesty in her Debut EP 'Monologues'
"These songs are my outlet to say what I really felt about something but didn't say because my feelings didn't fit the script," says Ogi. The Chicago-born Nigerian-American songstress exalts music as an extension of self, a medium of nourishing truth, of baring thought and perception in its naked form. In a time and space where paradigms of self fall part of habitual re-definition and rigidity, there grows an urge to surpass self-restraint, to conquer the inhibition imposed by expectation. Where this forms a vacancy, we find solace, or perhaps more suitably, reliance, in the minds of those less afraid of renouncing strength and control as a requisite of the other, rather, understanding vulnerability as strength, and expression as power. The release of Ogi’s debut EP Monologues forms a tether coated in this idea, where, from her soul to ours, between the temporal and eternal, and amongst the open-endedness of experience, she offers a voice that anchors itself in assurance, one that values sensibility not only in a binary of beauty and darkness, but in its fragments and contours, in the obscurity of it all.
“These are performances of songs by a person who feels like she's performed all her life. How meta,” Ogi says. Embedded, firmly and deeply, in an exploration of the internalized self, the six track EP grasps our emotional nature and marries the nether strata of this side of consciousness. "I was afraid of looking cocky or unruly ('Looker') or being overly resentful ('Bitter') or too apathetic ('Let Me Go') or being too affectionate ('IKYK'),” she says. She lends thought to the paradox that a mind capable of comprehending experience itself, can, so easily, become governed by a fear of falling out of line with no more than a notion,, a blurred understanding of what is ‘too much’. Sonically, she crafts a compassionate body of work that’s unencumbered by movement, refined production and songcraft, authenticity, and a distinct lyrical sharpness. This situates the project as one that invites an appreciation of presence, and welcomes the listener into a landscape contributed to by a historically rich musical foundation. Heavily influenced by early memories of gospel and worship, with vocals rooted in jazz, an affinity to Acapella, and an upbringing imbued with the rhythms and melodies of West African music; highlife and afrobeats; reggae, and later, hip hop, rap and RnB, Monologues lures energy in a natural exploration of harmony, rhythm and voice in its most organic and instinctive form.
Smooth and warm, there is a balance in her sound that sound akin to a simultaneous rough hum and comforting laugh, or a moment when the unbearably thick curtains of everyday performance lowers, and somehow, strangely, the abstraction of questions, doubts and desires that too often overwhelm depths of thought, become externalized, and with that, alleviated. Having toured with The Marias and Snoh Aalegra in just the first half of 2022, Ogi’s artistry further bears its weight as an emblem of music’s indissoluble linkage to culture, where throughout her discography, she proves the power of music as a salve for her own heritage and cultural identity. With Grammy award Winner No I.D on production of I Got It, and an accompanied live performance of Envy shot at Seattle’s Chihuly Garden and Glass, the EP powerfully reveals an artist at the cusp of her becoming; she is an observer that has mastered the architecture of thought and expression, a raconteur and conversationalist that reminds us of just how beautiful it is to be vulnerable.
Read on as Ogi unpacks her inspiration, process and journey of her debut EP Monologues.
LUNA: To be honest, Monologues reminded me why music is to be made. Thank you for letting us into your mind.
OGI: Aww thank you so much! I’m doing what I can.
LUNA: How would you describe your love for music?
OGI: It’s just fun man, I dunno. It’s like a little puzzle of intangible things that you still somehow put together, while not knowing what the finished “picture” looks like.
LUNA: Kind of like an endless vault of everything there is.
OGI: Yes, there's no real limits in music, which makes it all encompassing, metaphysical, you know?
LUNA: Oh definitely. Would you say this love of music is elemental to you?
OGI: For sure.
LUNA: So this connection to music and sound and everything it encompasses- how did this develop as you grew up?
OGI: My earliest memory or harmony came from my mom’s prayer groups growing up. They’d always start with a hymn, and I realized that people weren’t singing the same thing, but it didn’t bother me. From then on I pursued harmony where I could; I played the viola in middle school and high school, got into an acapella group in college, and started making little demos on GarageBand in my room for fun. Once I made an Instagram to show off some covers, things blew up from there.
LUNA: I love that- a pursuit of harmony. It’s evident in the product of your craft- your sound is transcendent, and you use the instrument of voice so powerfully. Are there any memories from these experiences that have made their imprint on your tracks and artistry?
OGI: I mean the whole a cappella experience was impactful, but my tenure as music director changed EVERYTHING. I had to do arrangements of so many songs in so little time, that it became easy to create them on the spot. Four of my six songs on Monologues came from acappella demos that I would do for fun; the technique I developed from being an MD made a world of difference.
LUNA: Oh wow. So, throughout everything, is there any single thing that remains constant?
OGI: For sure, I would say the thing that has stayed consistent throughout is the importance of harmony. I know that I should never say never, but I feel like I will never be harmony- less in a song.
LUNA: I heard someone describe the beauty of harmony once as the alignment between the material and immaterial, and that the ordering of sound is the ordering of the soul. Very cool that by nature, our minds can perceive these correspondences as representative of something intrinsic, or emotional.
Would you say your music aligns with who you are as a person?
OGI: Yeah, I think it aligns with my interior more than my exterior. I generally like to choose my words too carefully, but my lyrics are pretty direct and to-the-point. As I’ve developed my stage persona, the bubbly, colorful parts of me are definitely coming to the surface, so it’s forced me to get more comfortable with shedding the layers.
LUNA: And that kind of turns into a process of mutual cause and effect? Parts of you shape your music, then your music generates newer parts of you, that sort of thing?
OGI: Yeah, it’s cyclical. Obviously, as I explore more parts of myself, the more that journey will be discussed in my music, and so on and so on.
LUNA: Are there any moments where music tends to make its way into your conscious space? Does it come in increments? It seems like it is quite natural.
OGI: The thing that leads me towards music the most is having quiet but active moments to myself. Like taking a walk or having a shower; it gives me a time to reflect on the day or just let my mind wander. I think that openness allows for melodies to kinda fall in my lap.
LUNA: That’s so interesting, I was just going to say that each track of yours replicates the mind, and I guess life, at its different paces- very naturally too.
How would you describe your music if it was its own world?
OGI: If my music was a world, I’d describe it as bright and warm. Oh and it would always be fall.
LUNA: Your visuals for the EP, and all your single releases mirror this world well, maybe capture is a better word, or embody. What’s the process of creating a body of work with you, from the very seed of an idea to its execution?
OGI: It first started with me searching for inspiration on Instagram. I then stumbled on this collagist named Ian Woods and his collages really clicked for me. It resonated with “Monologues” because this project stitched different feelings and expressions together, so it felt like a perfect match. Long story short, we got in contact with each other and he worked his magic on some beautiful photos taken by Kanya Iwana.
LUNA: Oh yeah, monologues indicate fragments of a whole, like collage, that’s beautiful.
Continuing from the idea of music in your life at quiet but active moments, in these gaps of everyday, are there any unexpected sources of inspiration that fall part of your process?
OGI: I mean as of now it’s just the usual suspects. I’m interested in finding weirder references, like maybe an off color joke or a cheesy ad. We’ll see what happens.
LUNA: You said your earliest memories of music stem from gospel- your mom’s prayer group. How have you been inspired further by aspects of family and culture?
OGI: Oh yes, well, my family is Nigerian, so high life and Fela Kuti were played in the house all the time. Going to school near Chicago also influenced me because of all the jazz friends that I had gotten along the way. They introduced me to a lot of artists like D’Angelo and Curtis Mayfield and encouraged me to listen to Stevie Wonder.
LUNA: You’re reminding me again how revolutionary the 60’s and 70’s were. You know, in the same way the birth of highlife jazz was more than just a sonic experience, though undoubtedly one of the best at that, I appreciate the freedom in your sound, there’s an authenticity in everything you say and why you’re saying it, how you’re saying it.
Would you be able to put into words what your space within the dialogue of music and culture is?
OGI: To be honest, I don’t actually know yet haha.
LUNA: Big question haha.
I guess, in creating music that is a product of you, within a timeline of things being constantly created, you know; music, art, history itself, there’s an inherent contribution to social discourse, sometimes intentionally, and a lot of the time, just naturally.
OGI: Yeah. I’m really just dipping my toes in and figuring out what type of space I want to occupy. I’m proud of the fact that I get to be visible as a Nigerian artist because a lot of West African children are really just given three options for career paths: doctor, lawyer or engineer. So I’m happy that I get to be an example of an option that might be the farthest left.
LUNA: That’s such a beautiful thing, I feel you.
How about your sound, did you find that your sound developed as you did?
OGI: I guess so. It’s weird for me to think about my sound evolving because it kind of just got here but I’m allowing my process to be a little freer than it was and I think my lyrics in particular are gonna benefit deeply from that. I’m also learning how to use different DAWs and synth textures so I’m excited.
LUNA: You released your debut EP Monologues a few months ago, and toured with Snoh super recently too. How do you feel?
OGI: It’s been wild!
LUNA: Lots of revelations?
OGI: I’m trying to look at my situation and recognize the novelty of the moment, and I’ve had to do that a lot in the past few months. Three years ago I didn’t think I was going to do anything remotely like this so I’m just grateful that I stumbled onto this path. I definitely came into this industry blind and at times it’s been baptism by fire, but I’ve learned so much and it makes me excited for what the next thing is.
LUNA: I like how you navigate novelty - new people, new places, new moments, also, new emotions with old people, old places, towards old moments. Unwanted ones too. Emotions that is.
OGI: It’s me parsing through my negative emotions and giving voice to the toxic parts of me.
LUNA: What ideas are you drawn to when writing?
OGI: Internal dissonance, I guess. It’s obviously cliché to say it but it is therapy.
LUNA: You read my mind, I was just going to ask if this relates to the role of music in your life.
OGI: Yeah, I also just like the struggle to make my jumble of ideas into a concise song or hook. I can be a pretty long-winded person so it’s a good exercise to try using as few words as possible—which is still a struggle for me but that’s the goal.
LUNA: I understand that completely. It feels impossible to condense so much activity, but you do it so well. I can see the directness in your lyricism, not to say that’s mutually exclusive with depth, the strength and vulnerability co-exist.
Was the creation of the EP freeing? Having a full body of work that is completely you?
OGI: It was super cool. It’s something I’m still getting used to, just because I’ve had these songs for a long time and now people are singing the lyrics back to me on stage. It’s a little jarring haha, but in the most lovely and electrifying way.
LUNA: Oh wow, I see that- people finally seeing, and more than just accepting but embodying these little pockets of you. How was the process of putting it all together?
OGI: It was really fun! I loved watching the process of making these dinky little demos into full-on records. Seeing No ID enlist people like Dammo, Omar, Steve Wyreman, and James Poyser was a master class in production. I learned a lot.
LUNA: Do you enjoy the process of collaboration? Or do you have a very independent and personal process?
OGI: I’m so used to creating by myself, but the success of this partnership warrants another go.
LUNA: Are there any tracks that surprised you?
OGI: Oh yeah. “I Got It”, which was the first single off the project, initially was my least favorite one. I made it jokingly, it felt overly braggadocious and it didn’t really feel like me. After Dion added new drums to the song it became one of my favorites haha.
LUNA: I saw your performance of “I Got It” on Zig Zag. You’re a magical performer. I love that track, I watched it and felt movement in stillness, peace in power, strange, but it makes sense.
OGI: Performing it has given new life to the lyrics, and it now feels like a song of empowerment and confidence. I really mess with it now.
LUNA: How was it having No I.D on production for that one?
OGI: I really liked working with No ID. He’s a big believer in exploration and allowing the artist to find their path. That perspective worked really well as I was still trying to figure out who I was. I’m so used to creating by myself, but the success of this partnership warrants another go.
LUNA: You said you had these songs for a long time, I can only imagine how special they are to you, or perhaps it’s the case of forgetting just how good they are and being reminded sporadically. Is there a distinct memory you’ll keep from the journey of creating Monologues?
OGI: Oh yeah. When Dammo laid the baseline for Envy. I had told him that he should dance on the track, and he went all the way there. It completely changed the song for the better and I couldn’t hold how excited I was.
LUNA: What would you tell anyone coming across the EP?
OGI: “Remember: this is just a teaser for what’s served next”
LUNA: Given your background in performance, there’s an added level of understanding you allow for your listeners when performing live. Are you particularly connected during these experiences?
OGI: The most special part to me is the exchange. I’m not just shouting to the crowd; the room is filled with people who can engage with me and vibe however they please.
LUNA: I see, kind of like harmony- there’s a correspondence, the idea that time is really truly shared.
OGI: Yeah, I look at performance kind of like a conversation. I set the tone and say the first word, but the crowd and I carry that interaction together.
LUNA: Is there any place you’d love to perform one day?
OGI: The Shrine, which is a venue in Lagos where Fela Kuti would perform all the time. My parents love Fela, so it would be a cool full circle moment.
LUNA: Legendary, I remember watching the launch of Confusion Break Bone, you’d dominate that stage, I can see it.
Quite markedly, you've grown so much in your artistry, it must be crazy to situate yourself and your own achievements as one. How does it feel- to have formed a connection with the minds and souls of so many people beyond you?
OGI: Overwhelming. I think the purest form of that is seeing people do covers of my songs. It always makes me emotional because it means that they loved the song so much that they wanted to put their own spin on it. THAT’S incredible to me.
LUNA: Last question, what can we and what are you looking forward to as an artist upcoming?
OGI: I’m just excited to see what’s next. I’m damn near as clueless as y’all are about what my next moves are gonna be, but I’m excited to be a part of the ride.
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