Abi Ocia

With her brilliant and deeply vulnerable new single “30 Under Water,” Abi Ocia is experiencing a timely collision of her musical and personal lives.

“As I started writing the song, I found myself having an honest check-in with myself,” she says of the acoustic-pop track, co-written with acclaimed tunesmith and frequent Ocia collaborator Dan Holloway. “Questions like ‘Am I going anywhere creatively? What’s happening in my life?’ started moving to the front of my brain. As I explored possible answers, I then started thinking about where society says we should be versus where we are.”

“30 Under Water” is the latest salvo in a career that includes the lush 2022 single, “LTWYLM (Love the Way You Love Me),” a rhythm-rich pop gem that has amassed over 570k global streams to date. 

This point in her creative evolution is an intriguing place for Abi to find herself. Where does she go from here? The clues may be found along the road that she has already travelled – and it starts with her earliest musical influences, starting with being raised in a home rife with diverse sounds – ranging from Genesis and Phil Collins to Whitney Houston and Kenny Rogers, with an ample dose of gospel and reggae. This unique blend of influences meant being able to escape into a world of Abi’s own creation.

A pivotal moment was the creation of her debut record, the beautifully atmospheric 2016 single “Running,” which was borne out of a friendship forged in 2012, when she was introduced to a producer/songwriter named Draper. “He lived locally, so we started a working relationship. We wrote throughout my second year of university. From that period came the song ‘Running’.”

The recording, which elegantly merged elements of vintage soul and jazz with contemporary pop, struck a chord with the public, triggering over 8.8 million global streams to date. That success inspired further creative exploration and experimentation, leading to the adventurous 2019 EP, Where are You?

As an artist committed to guiding her audience through carefully crafted and enlightening worlds of music, art, and spirituality, Ocia is widening her scope with “30 Going Under,” which is accompanied by a video lensed by the artist’s ongoing collaborator Helena Coan, the BAFTA-nominated director of 2020’s Audrey. In addition to Ocia’s “30 Under Water” collaboration with Dan Holloway, she has several new songs co-written and produced by pop hitmaker Eddie Serafica in the offing that reveal a more direct lyrical quality, merged with sonic experimentation. Ocia is enjoying this moment of complete transparency.

Photos: © Prexa Shrestha