Amsterdam's very own Owen O. Welch, also known under the moniker o.Welch is back with another release from his upcoming debut album orfeo. We had a chance to sit down and talk for a moment about what was it about music that ignited his soul back in the days, what brought him here, and the vision he has for his sound.
o.Welch
West Amsterdam born, Owen's been raised around a lot of rap, growing up with an older brother in the 90s. Describing himself as a poet first, and a rapper by heart, his music taste has been shaped with a lot of influence from the likes of Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Tupac and his favorite artist Andre 3000 of Outkast. Writing raps and telling stories has become his therapy and a way of processing emotions as a young kid already and he's been at it til this very day, zooming into moments in life ever since, also dipping his toes into music production later on in life. Currently in his early 30s, he's now fully ready to unearth his creations and share his very personal and vulnerable music with the rest of the world. It's been a long time coming, but breaking through the boundaries of toxic masculinity and expressing himself authentically is of utter importance to him as he patiently climbs out of his cocoon, unrushed.
orfeo
The name of the album is identical to Owen's middle name, so you already know things are about to get real personal here. The release that is about to unearth later on this year will be a collection of ten enigmatic and intriguing stories that fully embrace honesty and fragility in its essence, according to Owen. Productions and music arrangements on the album taken care of in collaboration with Louis Thorig, Mick Langenberg and Thomas van der Werff, while the whole thing's been mixed and mastered by none other than Killing Skills.
zegeltje
The first single from o.Welch dropped back at the end of 2021 - the bubbly feelgood song Zegeltje, along with some real stunning visuals. The music video directed by Tom Sibma and Scott Kooken was shot on proper film, features gentle choreography, heartwarming sceneries and some very special cameos of dutch highland cows.
mooiste uitzicht
Freshly out, the second soulful single from the album written back in 2016, poetically discovers vulnerability, while reflecting on insecurities, fragility, courage and acceptance. Oh-so-relatable club interactions interpreted in ways leaving plenty of space for imagination. And all of that over a down-tempo minimalist soundscape slightly reminiscent of an early Frank Ocean or Steve Lacy-inspired joint.
These two tracks are bound to give you a slight taste of what's to come in the upcoming debut album of o.Welch. One more single is planned before the album drops in its entirety, and there are hints at some more visual works coming our way as well so let's keep our eyes and ears peeled at what's to come from the emerging talent from the Netherlands.
Photo credit: Jurre Rompa
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