Kylie Odetta has been one of the Upstate’s busiest and most promising musicians for over a decade now. Odetta exudes a dreamy, timeless sound by blending soft, raspy vocals with organic instruments and studio magic. She’s graced the stage at hundreds of shows, released eleven projects, and toured the country. She even gave her own TedX talk.
Her beguiling but down-to-earth pop sound and vibrant, intoxicating presence have caught the attention of many. She has earned more than a million streams on Spotify, and she’s even captivated renowned musicians, sharing the stage with artists including Gavin DeGraw, Colbie Callait, and Mat Kearney. And now, Odetta wants to tell you a story. Several of them, in fact.
Odetta’s about to release her first-ever all-acoustic album, Stories. Odetta typically works with more modern pop music, but Stories is a deliberate change-up for her, an effort to bring her songwriting more into focus.
Stories Worth Telling
“I just wanted to get back to my roots and when I was growing up,” Odetta says. “I wrote songs a cappella mostly, and when I started playing keys a little bit better, I started adding piano. But I feel like when I write just bare bones—piano and vocals—it allows the story of the song and the lyrics to have a bit more emphasis.”
Odetta is still in her twenties but a local music veteran; she’s been playing in public since childhood. She was eleven years old when she told her parents that she wanted to be a professional musician, but the roots of that decision go back even further.
“When I was a kid, my parents would sing us to sleep every night,” she says, “and they were always playing music around the house. When I was six, they were like, ‘Alright, you’ve got to pick an instrument, you have to pick a sport, and you have to try and see what you like and what you don’t like and go for something.’ And so I picked piano and really fell in love with it.”
Odetta has spent her entire career as an independent artist, meaning she doesn’t have a major record label backing her. She says it takes work to be independent. “Because you’re doing it on your own, you have to be disciplined,” she says. “You have to be really on top of things, and it can be overwhelming.”
For Odetta, artistic freedom is ultimately worth the discipline required to be an independent artist. “I get to come up with all the visions for my projects; I get to choose who I work with. I get to do things in my own time and my own way, which is so freeing and fun.” With her diligent work ethic and artistic innovation, the young artist promises to continue enchanting her listeners with ethereal sounds and storytelling.
Listen Now
Check out Kylie Odetta’s latest release. Featuring three brand new songs, “HENZË” is a cinematic alt/pop debut featuring three songs that weave an epic story. You can also follow Odetta on Instagram @kylieodetta
