18-year-old, Arizona-based popstar, Obai is making his mark on the world, capturing the minds and hearts of his neo-soul, Sudanese-inspired beats, all held together with rhythmic pop tunes. With two hit singles, ‘girls like you’ and ‘dance floor’, the songs shape a music allure accompanied by breathtaking visuals. Obai seamlessly clears the path forward to his upcoming EP release svnteen. With an air of excitement and humbleness, Obai embraces many things within him for this EP.
His sound comes from the influences he had growing up. He calls himself a melting pot, one that takes in everything and anything, to blend into something sonically warm. “My sister used to play hella Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, and my brother played lots of old R&B. Sudanese music is very soulful, it tells a story, and it’s very theatrical. When they hear my stuff, they’re so shocked that I’m Sudanese.“
We directly asked him one question.
Q: What does art mean to you and what messages do you hope to spread? What’s the power of storytelling in music?
“I always wanted my music to act as some sort of beacon. I want people to look at my stuff to see if he can do it, and so can I. I feel like art is a powerful gift for people to express themselves. The best way is to have a lot of songs that have relatability.”
With his song “The River,” being featured in Season 19 of Grey’s Anatomy, Obai admits that sync opportunities aren’t something he actively thinks of when creating music. “When I’m making a song, like when I’m making a certain hook or verse, I’m like ‘this would be dope with Spiderman swinging in the background’. But it doesn’t come to mind that I should be making this one for a certain show, but it comes to mind after.”
Still, he would like to be in the next Spiderman. He says he’s kidding, but to what extent? “There’s a lot of cool stuff coming out,” Obai says. “Another Toy Story or a Pixar movie would be cool. Pixar movies are always dope.”
As for his history, his first single ‘Goodbye’ was released in 2019. Obai knew he was super young, but had quite a penchant for the quality of music, so he would wait a year or even longer between releases. “I’ve always cared about quality and development towards artists, so I think I have a stronger voice, stronger songwriting, and I’m more sure about who I want to be.”
Being just 18 years old and in Gen Z, Obai is part of the future of music. Still, he looks before him to discover the artist he is today. “I gotta say like Frank Ocean,” he said when asked about his music influences. “But I take a lot of inspiration from Don Tolliver, and PartyNextDoor, in terms of melodies.”
But by keeping himself grounded as a young artist, Obai credits his family and friends, especially his Mom who comes with him on label trips. When citing documentaries and interviews of artists, Obai noticed they didn’t have a cut-and-dry answer on success because it was different. However, he noted that they did have big teams. “I am eighteen, and my mom has always been with me. My best friend is my creative director, so I keep my friends with me.”
It keeps him authentic. Authenticity to Obai is a powerful force that indicates who you are to other people. “If you’re already authentic and making music for yourself, then people will relate to that. It’s great to be your biggest self. Even if it seems so minuscule, it can be so strong. Listening to more music and gaining inspiration in everyday life, and sometimes I don’t want to listen to music, but you have to be alive.” Obai credits his own label, Geffen Records, for ironically keeping him out of the studio to make music, for his own inspiration on living to make life authentic.
When it comes to his new EP, svnteen from start to completion was brick by brick, according to Obai. “I was so excited about releasing music, and I have so much stuff I had been working on. I have been doing a lot of shows, so this is an introduction.”
But between choosing EP titles, it was either daydream or svnteen. “Seventeen was somehow my worst, best, and most ‘mid’ year and I went through a lot of stuff. I got to be in a bunch of different rooms and see some old friends, and I wasn’t able to capture everything, and I wanted to name it daydream. Seventeen hit harder because it can be a different year for people.”
Obai admits ‘Journals’ is his favourite song from the EP. “It’s the most personal for me. I talk about my mom, where I come from, and people who weren’t on the same page when I first started making music. I’m speaking from the heart of that song.”
But before ‘Journals’, there were three exciting releases in 2023, which Obai didn’t want to hold on to for much longer, so he got it out into the world. “To be honest, ‘dance floor’ is a song I’ve had since February, and holding onto music for so long can get overbearing. I felt like it was time, and I was making a lot more music, and it just simply felt like the perfect time.
For the creative process behind his new EP, Obai admits to being all over the place in terms of ideas. “It started in my room, and the ideas and voice memos and I would go to Miami to meet with team members. I tapped in with them and we started creating. Then one thing after another, we had a trip to Atlanta, and made ‘dance floor’, and it kept going.”
It was a beautiful day when the EP got put together. “I got these nine songs. I was very ecstatic and happy with the songs we ended up picking. Not a lot of things changed, except for one song I wanted on there, and I was happy. It was a bittersweet session, and the sessions slowed down after that, and I had to come home.”
Arizona to Obai is important, and its iconic sunset served as the backdrop for the music video for ‘girls like you’, in which he got to play “passenger princess” as he doesn’t have his licence. But Arizona is a creative hub of the universe. “It’s going amazing. It’s beautiful. So many people are out here, and I get to be a part of this group of people and interact with them. I just feel blessed, and I feel like we got our version of LA. We have great videographers, artists, and songwriters, so it’s our little hotspot.”
The universe expands with every release he works on, an expansion of the world brought to life with his music. With releases, Obai has more of the universe he works around. “When I look up to the greats, and I look at their releases, it feels like I’m entering a universe. Arizona itself manifests into its universe where everyone is tapped into each other.”
In 2024, Obai hopes to become a bit more experimental, building a bigger universe. Working with artists such as Cash Money AP and Bryson Tiller, Obai says he got to simply be with those people, absorbing everything like a sponge. “He has just been my biggest inspiration. I’m ready and excited to be in more rooms like that.”
He was also featured on CBS Mornings and cited it as a pivotal moment for Obai and his mother. “That was crazy. My mom cried, and I was out of the house, and I got a call and she was crying. It was a full circle moment, as I used to watch Gayle King with Oprah, and I was like ‘That’s Oprah’s friend’. It was a blessing for me.”
Obai said he would love to tour more and get himself out there, even in Madison Square Garden. “I have a show next month and I’m trying to do more. I would love to tour potentially the US or the West like I don’t care, like I could do a whole hotel lobby tour.”
This is just the beginning for Obai. Listen to his new EP svnteen wherever you get your music!
Moonbow Magazine 