Australian singer-songwriter Odette has released her first single since 2024, and she is not holding back. Odette spoke with NYOTA about her new single, her advice to aspiring musicians, and what audiences should take away after listening to “AAAH!”

What made you realize music wasn’t just a hobby but something you wanted to pursue full-time?

I realized that music was something I felt deeply connected to when I was around 7 or 8, and I realized that the combination of piano and singing could articulate feelings inside of me that I couldn’t communicate just verbally. I was able to talk about what was happening in a way that felt freeing, empowering, and safe.

Since your debut in 2024, how have you changed not just as an artist, but as a person, and how has that shaped the music you’re making now?

I released my first album To A Stranger in 2018 and then my sophomore album Herald in 2021. These albums very much established my career and my voice. I’ve since become independent, and I would say that I have changed a lot as a person in how I react to the world around me and my inner thoughts and feelings. I’ve matured and become deeply connected to myself in ways that I haven’t been in my adult life. I recently celebrated a year of sobriety from alcohol and have found a lot of healing that was desperately needed. I feel more liberated in my music-making and in all aspects of my personal and professional life.

Which artists have most shaped your sound, and who would be your dream collaborator if you could work with anyone?

I have definitely been shaped and molded by strong female singer-songwriters growing up, like Missy Higgins, Fiona Apple, Laura Mvula, Joanna Newsom, Tori Amos, Lianne La Havas and Björk. My dream collaboration right now (because I have so many) would probably be with an artist like Annahstasia or Little Simz. They’re insanely epic!

If “AAAH!” were someone’s introduction to your music, what would you hope they understood about you as an artist after hearing it?

I hope people know that their life doesn’t have to end because they feel unworthy, if they’re somewhere they don’t want to be, or if they’re being someone they truly aren’t. I hope people feel uplifted by what I’m trying to do.

You’ve described “AAAH!” as “a cry to the universe.” What was happening in your life that inspired you to write it?

I was recovering from substance abuse, psychosis, and other mental health issues. I was a very difficult person to know during these times. I wrote this song in the middle of my mostly failed attempts to find sobriety. It took a while after that, but I did do it, and I’ve now been sober from alcohol for over a year. I’m so grateful to still be here and that I can share what I’ve learned with people who might be going through something similar. 

When people finish listening to “AAAH!” what’s the feeling or message you hope stays with them?

That people are more powerful than they think they are and that we can create our own hope inside of ourselves, in spite of everything. 

Your music feels deeply honest. As your audience has grown, has being that vulnerable become easier or harder?

It is a little stressful. Especially when I’m talking about the realities of what mental illness does to a person and all the darker sides of what being a human being can mean. I still feel very ashamed, but I think talking openly and honestly about how I’ve changed my life is my way of helping other people who might feel similarly, and knowing that they can change their lives too. Things don’t have to be endlessly shit. 

What advice do you have for aspiring musicians?

Tell the truth and don’t try to sound like everyone else. Everyone’s already doing it. Find your own sound and tell your truth with gumption, and it will give you a sense of freedom and empowerment.