Review: Odette Performs Debut Album 'To A Stranger' | SZSW 2019

Odette is an Australian musician who became one of the most talked about artists at this year’s SXSW. Though her album consists of a pop sound, it still sees her steer away the traditional pop music, creating her own musical space around her.

Her set list consisted of tracks from her debut album ‘To A Stranger’ released just this February 2019. The album sees a track list formed of songs collected over a period of 3-4 years. To compliment her powerful voice, she also incorporates elements of spoken word in to her music, making for an intriguing composition that is really effective at conveying her messages. “Collide” is one of her most striking songs, and is also the album opener.

She performed a show at the festival’s outdoor stage by the Lady Bird Lake, performing to a space the size of a festival ground. It’s a hard size to carry performing just an acoustic set, but as her voice projects so effortlessly, it was mesmerising from all corners of the field. The clear Austin air helped her voice carry far and wide, even when walking up to the venue across the bridge.  

The keyboard she was using had the same effect of the grand piano that features on the album and made for quite a live experience, where the rest of the band didn’t even feel missing. It was actually a special opportunity to see Odette away from her pop set up and see her raw voice and melodic piano carry the set. There is now no doubt that her songwriting and vocal ability are both top notch. Check out her debut album here!