Pulse Music Magazine Odie Leigh would never have called herself a musician before the depths of the 2020 pandemic when her rapper roomies made a bet: Whoever records a song that goes viral first, wins. Slightly ticked off that they hadn’t included her in the wager, she decided to hit them with her best shot, and Leigh was crowned the victor when a track she wrote blew up on TikTok. “I was like, ‘I’m gonna show y’all. I’m gonna win.’” Four years after posting what she calls “that silly joke song,” Leigh has continued to transform and evolve as an artist — from what she calls “acoustic, ethereal folk sad girl music” to harder-edged tunes that flirt with early Noughties pop-punktivism.
Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she sang in the church choir— her grandfather built the building, after all, and her family attended three times per week. But after moving to New Orleans to study English, she fully intended on making her bones in the film industry. That 2020 wager changed things when she realized that she could win hearts in addition to bets. Her first real single, “Ronnie’s Song,” followed in 2021, a sweetly silly track she wrote to cheer up a friend. Coming from the film world, she found songwriting freeing, unbound from the rigidity of screenplay, and discovered that simplicity can be a strength.
Releasing her first EP, How Did It Seem to You? in 2022, about a situationship gone wrong, and dropping her second in 2023, Odie has since been gaining steam on social media and hitting stages hard, touring Europe, North America, and playing numerous festival gigs.
The folk singer-songwriter’s latest song, “No Doubt,” is out now via Mom + Pop, and was produced by Bay Area producer/musician/engineer Derek Ted, and Runnner, along with the track’s official music video directed by Anthony Simpkins.
“I’m not used to people liking me for me; to people meaning what they say and standing by it,” says Odie Leigh about the new single. “When I found this, I couldn’t help but feel like the rug was about to get pulled out from beneath me. I always overthink the details, but sometimes it’s just simple: He’s got me. No Doubt.“
“The verses are my insecurities, my overthinking, and my worries (I’m always worried that I come off as too foolish, and self-obsessed). The choruses are my truth (‘If you want me to be there / Then I’ll be around’).“
“Sonically, I wanted the song to build and feel bold and confident by the ending. I knew from the start I wanted horns on this track because being from Louisiana horns sound like home, and home is as grounded as I can get. Recording it, Derek and I kept adding to the end wanting to capture the feeling of a parade – driven, grounded, a celebration.”
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