[Intro Dance Floor by Obai]
AIDAN CHUNG: If you’re looking for new music, then look no further. Today we’re going to dive into the musical universe of Obai, an eighteen-year-old Sudanese-American singer/songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona, who’s been capturing hearts with his catchy hooks, contemporary beats, and relatable lyrics. WNUR was invited to Obai’s press conference ahead of the release of his debut EP, svnteen.
But Obai wants his music to be more than just a melody; he wants it to be a story. A story of his teenage life, humble family beginnings, and Sudanese cultural roots.
OBAI: I think I’m like a melting pot of just everything I’ve ever consumed. Like my sister used to play hella Backstreet Boys, hella *NSYNC. My brother used to play hella R&B, old R&B, 2000’s R&B, 2000’s pop. But then my mom and dad would play Muhammad Wardi, and you know, a bunch of other Sudanese musicians and stuff like that. So I think one thing I kind of take away from everything is, you know, little bits and pieces from every kind of genre that I’ve heard.
KARRAH TOATLEY: That was Obai
OBAI: Certain people can express themselves in certain ways. You know, with me, I can express myself through music, so I feel like the best way I can express myself to have relatability in that is through making a lot of songs. And you know, I feel like there’s certain stuff in the EP that people can tap into, to really hone in on that same thing.
CHUNG: The EP shares moments from when Obai was seventeen, which he defines as both the greatest and worst year of his life. In his own words, he really quote “had no idea what was going on.” End quote. Regardless of what’s going on in his personal life, there’s nothing else he’d rather be doing than making music.
OBAI: The label will tell me to like, get out of the studio. They’ll like, try to get me out. But like I literally just I’d rather be making music so I just, I don’t know, I think I just genuinely love making songs and I like, you know, trying to tell stories with music or trying to relate with people. I don’t know. I just, I love genuinely making music. [4:52 – 5:12]
CHUNG: Although he still has his favorites. For svnteen it’s, “journals”, the perfect example of his storytelling through music.
[Journals by Obai plays]
OBAI: It’s the most personal to me. You know, I talk about my mom and talk about where I come from. I talk about, you know, the people who weren’t so much on the page. [16:50 – 17:03]
TOATLEY: WNUR hosted a listening party after the launch of svnteen and got listener perspectives on the EP.
MIRIAM SOLOVE: I’m Miriam Solov, i’m a sophomore, accounting and analytics major. I really liked it actually, I was kind of surprised, because it’s not typically the music that I’d go for but I did really enjoy it.
EDEN GUARDO: Hi my name is Eden Guardo, i’m a sophomore and my major is finance. I honestly do not hate it. It’s kind of giving like Toy Lanez vibes. It just kind of it kind of sounded like something I’ve heard before. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad.
TOATLEY: “Something I’ve heard before” seemed to be a shared sentiment among listeners.
GABRIELA AVILA: My name is Gabriela Avila. I thought it was good. It sounds like a lot of stuff that I hear. Like, right now. It’s not like my personal taste, but I think like I can objectively see that like people would like that.
NINA KROLL: My name is Nina Kroll. I’m a sophomore, i’m studying environmental science, I like enjoyed the songs. I thought it was like a little generic. Like I think some of the songs I did enjoy a lot but like the I think the EP as a whole. It was a little forgettable.
TOATLEY: Even though many listeners found the music to be more on the generic side, reactions were generally positive and many were encouraging of Obai’s continued development as a musical artist.
KROLL: I like his voice. I could tell, Barbie for sure had definitely had like a different vibe than the other songs. So I think like him branching out it like it’s worked. Like when he’s done it. It sounds good. So I think he just should keep experimenting.
CHUNG: Obai recognizes he has a lot to improve upon. As he continues to dive into his musical universe, he wants to continue developing as a musical artist.
OBAI: I want to branch out to more experimental sounds. So I think I want to also build a bigger universe with everything. You know, I think I could always do better with stuff. [24:25 – 24:41]
CHUNG: And that’s all that matters deep down when it comes to artistry.
OBAI: I feel like art in general is just a powerful gift. [3:30 – 3:40]
CHUNG: For WNUR news, I’m Aidan Chung.
TOATLEY: And I’m Karrah Toatley.
[Outro: River by Obai]
