Ogi first caught our attention with her No I.D.-produced single “I Got It,” which she followed up shortly after with “Envy”— and that was essentially the sum of her releases at the time. Both records preceded her debut EP, Monologues, out today, finally offering fans more of her uniquely jazzy and lush R&B.
Ogi signed to No I.D.’s ARTium Recordings after the producer found one of her PJ Morton covers on Instagram. She’s quickly earned high praise from him, as he calls her a “once in a generation talent.”
“She has her own unique perspective, which makes her music and art very quickly stand out as special. Me and my ARTium team are proud and excited to embark on this journey with her,” No I.D. says of the midwest-born singer.
As far as the new six-song offering, Ogi says, “These songs are my outlet to say what I really felt about something but didn’t say because my feelings didn’t fit the script. I was afraid of looking cocky or unruly (‘Looker’) or being overly resentful (‘Bitter’) or too apathetic (‘Let Me Go’) or being too affectionate (‘IKYK’). These are performances of songs by a person who feels like she’s performed all her life. How meta. The most relatable thing about my experience is that I tried to be something that I’m not to fall in line with an internalized notion of myself. In other words, I performed the expectations that I was given. And everyone can relate to forgoing the fullest expression of themselves for the sake of the crowd – the audience. But now I’m putting myself display and staging those thoughts I never intended for people to hear. We love radical (maybe too specific) honesty.”
The quirky, horn-littered “Bitter” received an official music video release alongside the EP, which keeps in theme with the retro sound of the record thanks to a vintage lens, as Ogi bellows about her unrequited love.
Check out the new music video and the EP in full below. Let us know what you think of Ogi in the comments.
Monologues Tracklist
Let Me Go
Envy
I Got It
Follow Me
Bitter
IKYK