Meet Odanzy

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Odanzy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Odanzy below.

Odanzy, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.
I can say it stemmed from the moment I realized that I was truly known and loved before I even knew what love was. I had always grown up in the church, knew the right things to do, what to say, and how to act ‘Christ-like’ in front of fellow believers and friends. But when I had a personal encounter with God after high school, I knew He had His hand specifically on me and it wasn’t until college that I began to walk in that grace. This affected the way I was around people from all walks of life and how I gave my time, energy, money, resources, affection, silence, and music to those around me who needed it, regardless of whether they ‘deserved it’ or could pay me back. I can’t pay back the blood shed for me on Calvary, so the best I can do is pay it back to the ones He loves by loving God and loving others. I do not give to receive or out of obligation, I want to give because He gave and I have to be a light, even when I do not feel so bright.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a Christian British-born singer-songwriter in Greensboro, North Carolina, originally from Ondo State, Nigeria. I am an artist who sings a variation of gospel afrobeat, rnb, hip hop, and soul. I just dropped an Afrobeat R&B EP album called Marrow on all media platforms and I am currently recording my first full album in Greensboro, North Carolina. I am a worship leader at Definition Church, NC and although I am in the studio a bunch, I love singing/performing live, in the US or other countries. I am also a biomedical engineering Ph.D. student at North Carolina A&T State University, trying to solve medical problems from an engineering standpoint. I am an extroverted introvert, love sports, all round fun to be with and I am someone who sings ‘standing on the promises’ & doesn’t go ‘sitting on the premises’

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Thinking back, three key areas of knowledge that truly impacted my journey were putting God first, failing proud, and becoming a mini-boss. Once God is at the forefront and the root, everything else can be planted and spring from that, it does not work putting my 100% faith or trust in anything else. I learned to fail hard at things (voice breaking live, mics going out during a show, releasing a song style that I do not like after production) and not run away from them or act like it did not happen. This really helped me grow, develop, and improve early in my journey because I realized I was not perfect but could get progressively better, that I could still put in work if I am tired, that the worst-case scenario does not always play out and when it does, it isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Finally, I wanted to collab with a lot of amazing producers, photographers, editors, and stylists (and still do) but if I can learn a little bit about what I want to collaborate in, I can slowly start building that skill/acquiring that technique (which would be a golden ticket in the years to come), as we enter the age of the super 5-in-1 artist who can write, sing, edit, draw, design, mix, and master if they wanted to.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents helped me foster my love for music and because they were typical African parents, they thought it was a nice ‘hobby’ till I got serious in school. When I got to college, we made a deal that if I maintained a 3.0 GPA, I could do whatever I wanted with my music without their interference. This was super impactful, especially being a young international black kid, because I felt like I was carrying the weight of my family on my back, and at the same time, I had freedom in a gift that was just mine to carry and share. This allowed me to understand I did not have to choose and I could have both my academia and music if I put in the extra work. Fast forward to the present day, I love being a scientist and I love being a musician. That would not have been my story today if it wasn’t for my parents.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Iyanuoluwa Alonge (IG @throughtheeyesofecko)

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