Odette ProfileAccomplished, critically-acclaimed Sydney-based artist Odette is gearing up to release her third album, Blink, this week.
Having joined the industry as a teenager, now nearly a decade into her career, this album is independent, emotional, and nuanced. A big part of this album was built on the recovering of a significant health issue, one that Odette is open about but also one she wants to build on musically and advocate for.
“I’m pretty open with my mental health journey, it’s been quite a difficult one, but I think it’s important to talk about because we still have a long way to go before we have quality, accessible mental health care, especially for young people who fall through the cracks,” she explains.
There’s her strong voice to carry the album with a collage of sounds, drawing on the acoustic and traditional songwriting to more ambitious stories and textures.
A standout single from Blink is Don’t, a track that showcases Odette’s ever growing range as a singer/songwriter. “It’s reflecting on a loss of loved ones and a yearning to connect, almost an awareness of the growth and leaving old cycles behind,” Odette explains.
“Don’t is very close to me. … And I think often people who resonate have amazing and difficult stories. I think we’re in a time, and maybe I’m wrong, I’d love to be wrong, but because of all the big things happening in the world I think there’s a resurgence of people feeling they have to just put their heads down and get through, to not talk about things, blah blah blah.
"And I think that it’s important that I’m being open about my journey because I don’t think there’s not enough people who realise that they’re not on their own," she adds. "It often takes people with lived experience to open up a conversation, and honestly, one day I’d love to be involved in helping people more directly in that way.”
She describes it as a necessary contradiction, “It’s finding the beautiful and wonderful in the things that happen everyday, the unremarkable … To stand in the middle of all this movement, being an individual and part of the collective all at once, it’s an incredible thing.”
“I’m in love with mundanity right now, too," she adds.
There seems to be something in the musical waters at the moment when it comes to amazing artists who are going independent.
Big voiced women who come to mind are local icon Jessica Mauboy or British powerhouse Raye, both of whom Odette is very happy to be compared to, albeit a bit bashfully. She jokes too that she’s asking ‘where the hell is my husband’, but very content with her girlfriend, thank you.
“I finally feel empowered coming into my musical independence,” she says. “I think there’s a very popular notion where women, young women’s careers in particular, have their musical lifespans cut short. And I’ve been looking up to artists like Caroline Polachek who’s just put out one of their best records, Welcome To My Island, at 41.
"And even though I love earlier stuff like Pang, she’s just getting better and better. She’s touring around the world, incredible, beautiful, talented, and it makes me think ‘OK, the culture is really starting to value women who have something to say and who have cultivated a great skill and matured it.
"And I do think we’re moving towards a time when we’re valuing women who are over 25, and I think it’s a great time.”
To support the album Odette is taking to the road, starting in Sydney and going around the country.
“I’m making a set, which I’m really excited about,” she says, getting up with a lovely smile. “I’ve made these big cardboard columns that are taller than me, both my parents are in the film industry, and they’re both in set design, so I’m trying to bring lots of my loves to light with this project.
"I just can’t wait for people to see this album brought to life.”
In case you’re worried you might blink and miss it (or worse, a cardboard might not travel really well), Odette is confident the lived experience will develop just fine.
“It’s packed down just fine, it’s cardboard!” she says.
We joke that the set should be saved when it’s done – if we don’t keep our history then who will? Imagine if Split Enz thought no one would care about their costumes after a gig, or if Kylie didn’t think to keep her hot pants after that video?
“That’s such a good point” Odette says, then dragged away briefly as her cat, also the interview star, starts to destroy her desk as we speak.
Listen to Blink, get out to see it if you can, and marvel at what sets have made it past the cat and onto the stage.
Odette's Blink is released on Friday, November 6th, with tickets to her album launch tour on sale now.
Odette – Blink Tour
Thursday, November 5th – Oxford Art Factory, Eora/Sydney, NSW
Saturday, November 7th – Brunswick Ballroom, Naarm/Melbourne, VIC
Friday, November 13th – Wild Village Festival, Wardandi Boodja/Southampton, WA
Saturday, November 14th – Lion Arts Factory, Tarndanya/Adelaide, SA
Saturday, November 21st – Blackbear Lodge, Meanjin/Brisbane, QLD
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
