GRUNGECAKE

Tag: Michael Odokara-Okigbo

  • Interview: Michael O, the esteemed multi-talented musician and actor who worked alongside The Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason, Jr on ‘Japa’

    [media-credit name=”Photos: Courtesy of the artist; Nike Art Gallery, Lekki Lagos” width=1000 align=”center”][/media-credit]

    Approximately two weeks ago, I talked to a multi-talented individual named Michael O—real name Michael Odokara-Okigbo—about his journey in the entertainment business as a music maker and an actor. In 1990, the music maker-performer was born to Nigerian parents in New York City, one of the most populous and diverse places on the planet and grew up in Maryland until he was twelve years old. Then, a young Michael moved to Portland, Maine, where the African-American population was 0.4% and is currently 8.62%. Six years later, the performer and producer was accepted to the private Ivy League research university Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

    During his time there, he doubled as a Global Health and History major. It was then he joined The Dartmouth Aires, and it led them to a second-place finish on NBC’s ‘The Sing-Off’.

    [youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=petdL88Oucw&h=315]

    Weekly, there were over 6.5 million eyes on the a capella group, wowing audiences and positive feedback from the likes of Ben Folds of Ben Folds Five and Shawn Stockman from Boyz II Men, according to his biography online. His online portfolio also reveals, that in 2013 after graduation from college, Michael O relocated to Los Angeles, releasing his debut extended play, ‘In the Beginning’ which sounds vastly different from his latest work. In 2015, Michael was in ‘Picture Perfect 2’ portraying the leader of The Singboks. For the motion picture, he performed a solo on the song ‘Anywhere You Want It’ for the American Music Award-winning soundtrack. Also, his profile says he has featured on several records as a vocalist, performed in multiple countries and venues like Merill Auditorium, The Lincoln Center, Caesar’s Palace, and performed live for President Obama at the White House.

    [media-credit name=”Photos: Courtesy of the artist; National Theatre, Nigeria, Iganmu, Surulere, Lagos” width=1000 align=”center”][/media-credit]

    With a list of incredible accolades to list, I wanted to get to know the artist better because I think he could be on the cusp of gaining more recognition for what he’s doing since he’s recently collaborated on a record with the current CEO of the Recording Academy Harvey Mason, Jr for the remix of his song, ‘Japa’. But before we get into that, let’s start from the beginning.

    [youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diulU73AoN0&h=315]

    As I learned more about Michael O through online research, I needed to get into the mind of someone who spent most of their life in a place I am not familiar with. I don’t know many people who live in or visited Maine, so I asked the ‘Japa’ singer about his experience. He answered, “Maine was really quiet. It was super chill. Not a lot… You know, it was a really peaceful state, but I was definitely looking forward to branching out. It’s a great place that I could call home because it’s super quiet. It’s really peaceful, so whenever I need some type of tranquility, to escape the noise, whether the noise is internal or external, I go back to Maine.”

    And since there are stark differences between Maine and any city or borough in New York City, I had to ask which dwelling place his mindset is most like to which he laughed and replied, “That’s a really interesting question. I’m a hustler by nature. Maine is very quiet, very chill, so I do have those aspects, but right now, it’s fitting that I’m in New York City.”

    Since his debut release titled ‘In the Beginning’, Michael O’s music has evolved. As far as his production choices, he is a world away from where he began. I asked Michael O to describe his transformation. He explained, “It’s been just a process of growing up and elevating and finding my own sound. And that takes time. You know… I’m an independent artist, so it takes time to find out who you are. So, I’ve definitely done the steps, done my homework, and the sleepless nights trying to figure out how to pay for this and this artist life. So, I’ve done the backend to get my own sound where it’s heading and I’m really excited to where I can go, too because now, I’m getting to a place where I don’t give a f*** about what people have to say about my music. I am a person of genuine creativity from my heart. And that’s something I’ve been searching for for a very long time. I’m proud that I’m getting to that point.”

    GRUNGECAKE: Your sound has changed tremendously from the release of your debut in 2013 with ‘In the Beginning’. In your own words, how would you describe your evolution? If you can remember, what was the direction then?

    Ah, okay, so I see your questions. You ask some really good questions! So, I was told back in 2013… I had just started writing music, just got out of college, and I started having some meetings and I was told that my work wasn’t good enough… just from having those meetings. It was for me to prove myself that I could write and produce my own work, and just do my own work. So, it was mainly just a mission for me just to make music that I was connected with, so I was really inspired by R&B music, Soul music. I’ve also been really inspired by Nigerian music. Even, there were some aspects of that that I didn’t know how to best do at that time, that were even in my first EP. But it was mainly for me to prove to myself that I can actually to write and produce.

    GRUNGECAKE: You’ve had some moments in the past, namely appearing on NBC’s ‘The Sing Off’ with The Dartmouth Aires in 2008 and ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ as the lead singer of The Singboks in the 2015 film. Looking back at those moments, how did you feel about them now?

    Good ways to expand and get better as an artist, and also, good betting points to see where I want to go, where I want to push. I have big dreams, man. Big, big dreams, and sometimes, those dreams are very, very scary. So, those are just good benchmarks to know, “Yeah, I can achieve and manifest the goals that I set forth and hopefully, go higher.

    GRUNGECAKE: I’m told you’re currently in Lagos, Nigeria. Are you currently promoting your music when on ground? Are there plans to shoot an official music video for the remix to ‘Japa’ produced by Recording Academy CEO, Harvey Mason, Jr?

    Yeah, potentially, but we just also finalised the EP, which we will be releasing this coming Summer, and we shot two music videos for the EP itself. As you know with artists, we’re always on to the next one, onto the next one. So, I’m like already onto what’s next. I’m onto pass 2025-2026, so, I’m excited to release this EP for people to connect and to vibe into who I am. It’s definitely been an elevation from my previous work to this upcoming project, and ‘Japa’ as well. I’m proud of how that’s elevated—my sound and where I’m going.

    GRUNGECAKE: How was it working with Harvey Mason, Jr on that record?

    Yeah, he’s the man. Good, good dude. He’s also like a great mentor that I go to for advice, that I ask to hear songs to see what he has to say. But the fact that he loved this record and jumped on this record is incredible. And he did it, just cause he liked it, liked the record. It’s crazy!

    GRUNGECAKE: Anything else you’d like to let the readers know?

    I mean, I’ve been on this vibe… just trying to continue to self-discover. I’m always asking the hard questions and what’s next. So, I hope people who read this—not even so much about music or tech or anything—I just deplore them or hope that they can search within themselves and keep pushing. If it’s something that they want to do within their lives, there’s something that’s etching them to do… just make sure that they get to it, and start it because #1 life is very short, and #2, you never know what tomorrow brings. So, hopefully, that can just inspire people, whether it’s through my music or what I do with technology.

    In April, Nigerian-American artist Michael O released the official remix to his song ‘Japa’ with fellow Nigerian artist Egar Boi. The smooth Afropop production finds the artist singing about greed and envy, hoping and wanting a better way to climb the ladder of life or success. Stream it below. ‘Japa’ was co-written by the Recording Academy’s current CEO, Harvey Mason Jr.