We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ouida. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ouida below.

Hi Ouida, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

My EP “Come Rain, Come Shine” is the most meaningful project I’ve worked on thus far. I won a grant from Balay Kreative in San Francisco to record it, so from writing to arranging to recording, I got to work with friends and creatives from all over to bring the project to life. My favorite sessions were recording vocals in a treehouse studio in Montana, engineered by one of my oldest and dearest music pals. Every morning I’d wake up to deer and the sound of running water from a stream outside the treehouse. I hadn’t really anticipated needing that kind of peace to record some of the most heart-wrenching songs but in retrospect, I don’t know if I could have done so many songs back-to-back without that space and time in between to be in nature and feel still.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name’s Ouida (wee-duh) and I’m an r&b/soul singer and songwriter from San Francisco’s Portola “Garden” District. I began playing piano when I was six and writing songs a few years later when I was nine. Today, my music blends elements from old r&b, jazz and rock records my parents used to play when I was a kid, and is influenced by the pop and hip hop music I was exposed to growing up. My songs are the way I make sense of the world around me – the people I’ve met and the places I’ve lived – often reflecting on relationships and love, identity, nostalgia, and the journey of life through the lens of my mixed cultural experiences as a “hapa” from San Francisco.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I started out in music, I thought the only way to make the art I want to make was to sign to a major label.

There’s been a handful of pivotal moments for me working in the music industry, meeting and working with all kinds of people. It can be like a mine-field trying to find your footing and determining the “right path” to go down. But since I started releasing music in December of 2020, I’ve learned that there isn’t just one way to do what you love.

I began self-releasing music and finding an audience and community that resonated with my songs. At that same time, I started making music videos that were almost even more fun to make than the songs because of how collaborative a visual production can be. As a byproduct, I began expanding my creative network, building a team of collaborators that I’d be able to call friends.

Recently, I signed to Bolo Music Group at the end of 2023, an artist-led music label and artist collective led by artist Ruby Ibarra and producer Angelo “LASI” Macaraeg, both of whom I’ve worked with in the past and really admire and respect.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

At this moment, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is getting to create with friends. One of my oldest friends, Cara Nicole, is also a songwriter, and we’ve partnered up for a load of new music that hasn’t been released yet. It’s been such a rewarding experience getting to work with her “formally” in this way for the first time, and see how much she’s grown as an artist and woman. It’s also been really invaluable for me to work with someone who knows me so well, and can get me to a brutally honest place so effortlessly.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ouidamusic.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/sfduchess
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/ouidamusic
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ouidamusic

Image Credits

Karen Santos
Gianpaolo Pabros
Maybeleif
J.CASTAE
Nico Belasco