“I’m A Very Intuitive Individual” OneDa Interviewed

It’s one thing for an artist to promise to give back to their community – it’s another thing to actually do it. Manchester rapper OneDa practises what she preaches – turfed out of school in her teens, she’s been forced to find her own path in life, and she’s ready to create support systems for those who need it.

It’s all part of the worldview which drives her impeccable debut album ‘Formula OneDa’. As an MC she can spit over practically anything, and her debut album is driven by all facets of system culture – from pulsating DNB to rugged jungle loops via soulful hip-hop aspects and beyond. But it’s more than that; there’s purpose to what she does, with OneDa’s flows becoming spoken word artistry in places.

Trailed by a handful of essential singles, OneDa is the real thing – she’s ready to change the world around her, one song at a time.

CLASH caught up with OneDa to find out what’s what.

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When do you think you fell in love with words, and poetry as a medium? Was there a moment when it clicked for you? 

There wasn’t a particular moment, it was part of me as a kid, I used to write stories, songs when I was 9/10 years old, it was always a part of me. Poetry, rap, messing around with words is something I’ve always wanted to do. 

You had a difficult time at school – what do you feel those institutions could have done differently? 

I believe they could have promoted individuality a lot more, and promoted the child’s voice a lot more. I believe I didn’t do too well in the behavioral sense, but I was good in my studies, it didn’t matter how many times I got kicked out, I’m a very intuitive individual. Studies weren’t hard for me, but behavioral wise I didn’t like being told what to do. So it’s giving children more freedom and autonomy to make their own decisions. I believe naturally we are supposed to make our own decisions. 

You’ve spoken eloquently about manifesting – what does it mean to you? And how can we practice it? 

Manifestation means everything to me, it’s my way of life. It’s a way of believing your way into life situations that you want. Believing anything you desire can come into your physical. When I say believe your way into it, it means wanting something no matter how far-fetched it seems to yourself or others around you, just believe you’re gonna get it no matter what, one track belief that you are going to get what you want and desire, it will eventually come into your physical reality. Anyone can practice manifestation but you have to believe in what you want and that you deserve things. A lot of people don’t believe they deserve things on this earth so they don’t get it. It’s that sheer belief with zero doubt. And that’s how you manifest things into your life. 

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You’ve worked with mentoring organisations such as Herchester, how important is it for you to give back? What have those experiences given you, in turn? 

Oh my days, it is so important for me to give back. Giving back is something that I do naturally, I believe I’m a natural giver. I receive internal joy from helping another individual, I’ve been like that since I was a kid. So Herchester is a platform for me to help female and non-binary rappers and individuals with my skills and my talent, which is a beautiful thing. It gives me a lot, I get a buzz from helping people, or placing people. Giving them a chance to get to where they want to be in any way I can is very rewarding, it is internally rewarding for me. 

Things seemed to click for you when you began working with the Mouse Outfit, before meeting your manager. What was this time like for you?

The time working with Mouse Outfit was fun, it was different because I was working with a whole live band, it was a mad time. I was on the road with my hype man now, Superlative, so it was fun and we played with a live band all the time. It was sick, it was a good time. I used to still perform my own songs as well as jump on Mouse Outfit classics, so it geared me up for my own time on the road, doing shows back to back, that was the first time I’d ever done anything like that. It geared me up for the position I am at now in my career. I guess there’s a time for everything and everything in your life has a purpose. I learned so much from being on tour with Mouse Outfit and generally how to conduct myself as an artist on stage. 

‘Formula OneDa’ is a hugely impressive album – did the idea of an ‘album’ intimidate you? Or inspire you? What does the form mean to you as an artist? 

Thank you! I put blood sweat and tears into that album (well maybe not blood). It did intimidate me to the point where I was adamant on calling it a mixtape. I would tell my manager I’d make an album in the future but for now I’m making a mixtape, because for me an album just has a next level weight attached to it. I don’t know why as it was going to be the same amount of tracks, I just believed it was a mixtape. My manager and label, Heavenly Recordings, convinced me it was an album and I felt weird inside, but I am getting used to it now. So I can’t lie, it did intimidate me a little bit at first, I didn’t think I was ready for an album, but when i deeped it I thought, OneDa you’ve been wanting to rap your whole life, you’ve been preparing for this your whole life, you are ready. So I had to double back and think yeah you got Pussy Power, you are ready for an album, come on. 

This form means so much to me as an artist, i see this as the true beginning of my career, everything else was building the foundations to have a career in music. Now I believe with this album I’m laying the first bricks, I’m building, and by the time I’m finished I will have built a mansion. But this album is the first bit of brickwork. I’m saying this is my plot, I deserve some land in this industry. This album means a lot to me. 

You draw on all areas of system culture – from hip-hop to DNB and grime, and beyond. How does a song start for you? With the beat, or the words? What’s the seed? 

It’s different every time, especially now that I produce. Sometimes it can be with a beat, I produce a beat, or someone sends me a beat, or I sit and make a beat with someone. I hear the first 4 bars, 8 bars, first few chords and that will spark something. That could spark a whole verse. Sometimes I get a 4 bar or 8 bar loop and it’s the most basic of production but because it’s got something I can write to, I can run away with and build around the lyrics that I wrote. 60% of the time I’ll write lyrics because I can’t help but write, i’ll be out somewhere and a lyric will come to my head and I’ll write it down. I’ll be sitting at home or doing housework and a lyric will come to my head, chilling with my bredrin, a lyric will come to my head. Writing is something that has to happen all the time, it’s something that I can’t stop. That’s like a reflex reaction to life, I have to write down what comes to my head because something will pop up. It can be a metaphor, rhyme or a melody. I have to hum the melody, or write the rhyme down. That’s the life of an artist.

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The album is terrifically broad, but also feels unified – how did this unity come into place? 

I think the unity came into place because of the energy that I’ve pumped into the album, the feeling and emotion that I’ve pumped into every track and what I want them to evoke. That’s power, that’s Pussy Power and that is what I feel unifies the whole album because each track is guiding you to the same mindset, to the same emotion, that same energy. Even though each track is talking about different things, different sounds, flavours, different collaborators, beats, the power and myself on each and everyone of those tracks and the intention is what unifies it. 

What did making your debut album teach you that other projects did not? What did you learn about yourself from its creation? 

It taught me a lot. I can’t take anyone – that’s made an album, or the process of making an album– for granted. This is a lot of work, the organization that goes into it, the thought, the planning. I’ve never had to do this before, I’d only ever done a 4 track EP. Never at this magnitude. It started as 18 tracks and we whittled them down to 12, so the journey and the collaboration that I’ve experienced making this album is beyond anything I’ve ever experienced as a musician and artist in my whole career. I believe I’ve leveled up. This album is just dropping and I’m already excited to create. The process was challenging but it was mad exciting. You know when you’ve been on a rollercoaster and it terrified you but you loved it at the same time, so you jump off and it’s crazy but you wanna go back on again, that’s what I feel like with this album. I’m just gonna ride the high of the last 2 years, chill for a bit, I may make the odd few things as I can’t help it. But for now I’m just going to ride the high. I think I deserve to do that. 

What do you feel more proud of from your achievements in the past two years? 

This album is an accumulation of everything, my hard work, my time, energy, my tears. I cried making this album, I cried to my girl, my manager. Even to Buddha. It was challenging, I can’t lie, so I’m proud that it’s out there for the whole world. Making an album I can be proud of is crazy, and also to make music that I can finally put an emotion behind.

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‘Formula OneDa’ is out on October 4th via Heavenly Recordings. Stay in touch with OneDa on social media.

Words: Robin Murray

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