Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone & Building a Community with Odqin

Odqin discusses his musical journey, the importance of stepping outside your comfort zone, and building a community through music creation. His upcoming EP, 'Fragments of Self,' features a diverse range of artists from different parts of the world.

Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone

This decision came from Odqin's realization that in this day we're becoming a lot more self-reliant. Making music has unfortunately become a very solitary activity with time. Normally he would wake up in the morning, make his coffee and start working on music until going back to bed at night. He wanted to force himself to step outside his comfort zone and see what the result would be.

Part of it also comes from his personality and values — over the years he has become a very communal person, needing to always have his people around him, checking up on them, and making sure they're good.

Fear of Failure as Motivation

Odqin has always had this self-imposed pressure to create, and it is one of the main reasons why he's pushed to stay consistent and to continue creating. This fear of failure has allowed him to show up every day to practice his instruments and get work done.

Staying Authentic

It's very important to be mindful and aware of the trends these days, whether new styles of music or new sounds that people are gravitating towards. But at the same time, it's also very important to stick to your own sound and to put your head down and create the type of music that you enjoy creating, not the one that everybody else is making. Things always go in cycles.

Building a Community Through Music

This philosophy has been really helpful for Odqin's growth so far. It taught him to let go of perfectionism, to trust the process, to stop trying to take control over the work and to trust that the music will flow naturally. In order to get the best results, you have to truly let go of any expectations and just show up and start working with the other person with mutual trust.

The EP: Fragments of Self

It wasn't an initial idea to have people from different parts of the world on the project. Odqin initially started looking for like-minded people to work with. Even though the project has very talented musicians from Alexandria, Cairo, Copenhagen, London, and Detroit on it, all the songs (with the exception of one) were made through in-person sessions. Through these sessions, he got to know the artists better, had conversations about music and art, shared personal issues, and grabbed food together — all of that contributed to the warmth of the music.

500 Loyal Followers Over 50,000

The modern art industry is obsessed with numbers. The vast majority of venues and record labels check your followers count before even checking out your music. Growing up, Odqin had a lot of niche musical interests, and his favorite artists were always labeled as "underground." He would much rather be labeled an underground artist but have loyal and dedicated listeners with some sort of connection and bond, than having a big number of followers that passively listen.

Middlemen in the Egyptian Music Scene

A big problem is formula-following. Hip-Hop is relatively a very young genre in Egypt still. A big problem is observing what worked for the bigger artists and trying to emulate it and expecting to get the same results. You can't have shortcuts in art. You need to put in time, dedication, and attention to your craft.

Creative Freedom in Collaboration

That happens when you're working with people that you trust. You need to have trust in their vision and their taste first and foremost while having confidence in what you can bring to the table. You also have to let go of any expectations and make room for mistakes and errors.

Breakthrough Through Discomfort

With each and every track on the EP, Odqin was challenged to step outside his comfort zone and try out things he would've never tried if working by himself. Every single time, the end result would be a lot better than what he initially had in mind. This happens by truly being present in the moment and by allowing space for mistakes and by completely letting go of your ego.

Community Over Competition

By continuously pushing boundaries and experimenting with each other and by truly understanding the power of community and the power of people working together. Competition is often glorified within society, but what can happen if we let go of the idea of competition and start working together is definitely a lot more powerful and impactful. Community over competition, always.

A Bird's Eye View

With Fragments of Self, Odqin tried to touch on the different musical sides that he likes. The project explores various facets of his musical identity by blending different genres and production styles, ranging from Sound Design, RnB to Jazz, Hip-Hop, and classic beat making. He wanted the project to present himself to the world.

Looking Ahead

Fragments of Self has definitely changed the way Odqin approaches music forever. He is planning on continuing to expand his circle of artists and musicians, continuing to include them in his music and building his community of artists. He hopes the project inspires listeners to apply the same values in whatever their field of work or lifestyles, to reach out to their immediate community, and to be comfortable and courageous enough to ask for help whenever they need it.