Odie Leigh, known for her honest, raw and thoughtful musicianship, will be flying into the Felton Music Hall on Dec. 7 as part of her “Carrier Pigeon” tour.
Leigh began her career in music as a bet with her roommates. She’s come a long way in the last four years, from independent tracks on Tik Tok to releasing her debut album, Carrier Pigeon, in July.
Now on her third national tour, Leigh spent her early career as a photographer and filmmaker. She credits her first steps toward building a music career to the Covid pandemic, when she spent her downtime making music for herself and eventually sharing it as part of that bet which kick-started it all.
“I grew up singing in church choir and school choir but never really imagined myself as a musician. I just never really thought it was a possibility. It wasn’t until the pandemic, when I had a lot of time, that I started making songs for myself,” she says.
“At the time, I was living with these two rappers and DJs and they were doing this little game because there was nothing else to do, so we made this little bet to see who could go viral on TikTok first,” Leigh recalls. “I just posted this random song and it did well. Then another and it did even better, and then another that did even better—and now I am miraculously a musician.”
One of Leigh’s biggest influences as a “miraculous” pop/folk musician is Fiona Apple, whose conversational tone and blunt poetry she greatly admires and strives to build on through her creative process.
“I love Fiona Apple. She’s a huge influence on everything I’ve done. I remember being so blown away by her lyrics when I first heard her music. What I took away was her honesty, the conversational truths, and I took that with me through my music,” Leigh says.
Often after a triggering event we feel like we need to get our emotions out, and often we do not get them out in a healthy way. One of Leigh’s goals as a songwriter is to use music as a platform for sharing those “crazy emotions” as art without being destructive.
Songwriting “starts with an event or conversation that sparks a feeling that I need to get something out, before I’m self-destructive,” Leigh explains. “Music is a safe space for me where I can turn those crazy feelings into art rather than send a really long text.”
Leigh believes that every concert is an invitation for the audience to explore the joys of the human experience and come away from it having had a great time and feeling like they have the agency to be active in their own lives and embrace the joys of everyday life.
“I always hope I can help everyone have a good time and leave the show feeling more like themselves. My songs really romanticize the little things, and I want the audience to come away feeling like their life could be a movie,” Leigh says.
Odie Leigh plays at the Felton Music Hall, 6275 Hwy 9, on Dec. 7 at 8pm. Tickets are $22 at the door, or purchase online at feltonmusichall.com.
Kupo Victoria