Esoteric Singer Obii Speaks About Life, New Music and Evolution

Immersing from Reggio, Emilia (Italy), Obi,  is the Frank Sinatra to Jazz, and the Smokey Robinson to R&B. He brings rousing tones, and opera-like harmonies that's high-pitched and tender -- He transitions between alto, with seductive control on his octave- He's a polished vocalist, no doubt, that doesn't need much effort to enchant a crowd. 

Obii has an eloquent mannerisms that is just as grand, like a British Gent who's captivating by default,l. He’s confident, but not too much, and remarkably sincere. He's the best of both cultures, Nigerian and Italian, ringing forth these creative compounds, to create beautiful music.

The singer and songwriter takes delight in kindling songs written and performed by pioneers from the 60's to the 90's, like the rendering "Strange Fruit (Billie Holiday)," or the beautiful R&B song "I Just Want (Denise Williams)," depicted as "Sweet Love," a Jazz and R&B ditty.

"Other than being a singer, I guess, I'm just a human going through life like a soul," Obi spoke thoughtfully."I was born with a propensity with an inner desire to express myself with ways that de-voided letters and numbers. I feel like for the most part, the way that we are taught to express ourselves and communicate with one another is through words and numbers, and I always found a beautiful infinity with expressing myself in ways that's outside of that-- Through melodies, through notes, through artistic experience; so, of course music is a huge companion in my life, a beautiful companion, a loving companion, a toxic companion, a heartbreak companion, to be completely honest which I think is description that another artist used to talk about their art. The artistic experience can be lifegiving but can also be heartbreaking. I think it's important we talk about both of those movements."

Obi is accountable for all of his negative conclusions in life, as well as the positives although he did experience repercussions from his parents for having a high octave.

Growing up in Italy, Obi,  said he came from a small town where he didn't get the cultural experience of singing in church, but he was always mesmerized with dramatic singers.. "I always had an affinity for female singers because I feel like many times, female singers don't have that restrain that perhaps male singers have in terms of , "Theres only so much you can do, because you'll be called dramatic, extra, or whatnot. Many times, female singer don't have that, so I was always drawn to female voices. I always sang in that higher tessitura, if you will, but I think my voice dropped when I hit puberty; so, that high tessitura became a falsetto type of singing. I still wanted to sing up there, I just couldn't do a full chest voice. I was singing that way, but I would be a liar if I didn't say I was kinda ridiculed for that. I was ridiculed for that register. I was told, 'You sound like a girl. You sound girly.  You sound effeminate, a feminine alto."

Even with harsh criticism, Obii still sang in high octave, but he coward in his room, practicing in secrecy until he moved to London at the age of 18, and someone close to him, said to keep singing in high notes. That signature note became Obii's remarkable sound for the last 15 years. Obi confirms that London grew him the most as an artist, especially as a mainstay for 10 years at the prestigious Ronnie Scott Jazz Club.

Obii performed at Ronni Scott Jazz club where it was much like Apolo. The spectators were neither biased nor overly warm. Acts were ignored if they were lackluster in their facilities, where the audience talked and chortled over the singers onstage. They didn't do that with Obii. Each and every performance, you could hear a diminutive pin drop-- He'd captivated audiences, and survived to perform week upon week, in front of the toughest crowd in London.

Once Obii honed his craft, all bets were off- He shifted into a suit of resilience refined by armor-- He never doubted his talents from that day onward although he matured his sound, with every rebellious year... "We thank God for improvements," he said.

Although Jazz is his base, Obii sang blues as well as R&B... "I've learned to sing in soul music, so sixties and seventies (music). Also, I've learned those soulful inflections; but jazz is really where I discovered my identity, and jazz is honestly where I feel like I sound the best," he said. "It's a comfort zone. It's my safe zone. I just feel really good when I'm there. I love the tradition of R&B especially when it comes to the Neo soul side of things. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, I wish I could make another album like that-- Maxwell, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Ledasi; and a lot of Neo soul, there's a lot of jazz in that. There’s a lot of jazz in the neo soul movement, and perhaps that's why I have such an infinity with it. 

Speaking of infinities-- Obii has two live albums that he released in 2025, Obii Live, a 12-track compilation of jazz, soul, blues and R&B. The album has the beautiful, "Strange Fruit," as the buzz single that went viral. Obii released, "Live at Brunos," acoustics LP. 

Obii seems more of a perfectionist, who looks to improve with each performance instead of the studio recordings. Therefore, he's improvising on his octave during each masterful set so that it is passionately performed on one take. You cannot fail if you are conditioned to do a stellar performance on the first try.

"For me it was such a no-brainer, because all of my favorite artists have live music. All my favorite artists have extensive material," Obii explained the reasoning that he prefers live performances. 

Obii retired in 2022, and attended school to get his Masters, and he is currently working on his PhD. There is no ending to his pursuit of learning new things. Obii plans to leave the world as an empty vessel, ensuring that he wasted not one talent perusing his dreams, and fulfilling his purpose, whatever that may be. 

Coming from two different cultures, and living in several countries, Obii is still in search of his tribe, the grouping of humans that will love his artistry and him, for what it is. 

"That's my storyline. I'm Italian, but most italians don't look like me. I think that people know in Italy, if you're born in Italy, you're not Italian by default. Italians didn't look at me as if I were Italian because they saw me as Nigerian. Nigerian folks didn't see me as Nigerian because I've never lived in Nigeria. I'm the kin, of immigrants," Obii reflected. “I moved to London; I was an immigrant. I'm here in the states (Texas). The states is a third country I call home, and because my parents were immigrants in the first place, I'm so used to no rooting myself somewhere for too long. Once you hit your thirties, I think that's when you start looking back a little bit because you have thirty plus years behind you. I started thinking, 'Do I find it hard to call someplace home for real?"

The 30 something year-old  singer, is still doing life on his own terms, and he'll live in the space of music until he finds a physical place to call home.

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Website:  thisisobii