This year, musician and songwriter Valerie Omari will be releasing her highly anticipated second EP titled “Closure”.
Omari was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo but now lives in Portland, Texas in the United States. She got her big break in the music industry in 2018 with the successful release of her first single, “Just Like The Rain”.
Making sure she doesn’t keep her fans hungry for too long, the songstress will be releasing a new single “For You”, featuring Atlanta-based artist Smahlo, a connection she made before moving to the US, this February.
The artist has given fans a tease of what they can expect on the EP with the release of the first single "If I Tried" in December 2022 featuring The Rabbi Himself.
She explained to IOL Entertainment that “If I Tried” was inspired by a previous relationship as life experiences always do make the best songs.
“The song was inspired by events that took place before me ending my previous relationship. The entire song sums up how I was no longer compatible with someone who I thought was capable of fulfilling my needs,” said Omari.
“Women often have a take away on how we could’ve/should’ve done things differently and think, this song briefly breaks down that conception while still keeping it very assertive and soulful.”
At the core of Omari’s sound is R&B, a genre she grew up around and is now making a name for herself in.
“I often fuse it with different sounds, be it hip hop, soul or even pop. Up-tempo or not, you'll hear R&B at every foundation. There's just something so profound about the genre,” she shares.
“Closure” is expected to release in March and Omari explains that it is really just that: closure.
“To be honest, the name just came to me. There was no profound moment that happened, that made me go "Oh damn. This is closure". It really was simply how I felt in that moment,” she added.
“I compiled songs that best described every emotion that I felt towards me concluding my relationship. Most importantly, the songs provided me with some sort of escapism, and in essence, gave me closure.”
When it comes to her creative process, Omari feeds off her experiences as inspiration, but can find this challenging at times.
“Most of my inspiration is driven from experience, which is kind of weird at times because I tend to isolate myself often and I have to remind myself that being in social environments and going out to experience the world creates stories and ideas,” she shared.
“I wish I had a mentor to guide me through my creative process because I do sometimes get clogged. I do however have amazing friends within the music industry that I always lean on for advice.
“I am always looking for ways to evolve, and in order to do that, I have to be a student first.”
Having been named in 2020 by OkayAfrica as one of the African female R&B/Soul artists to watch out for, there are a lot of eyes on the talented musician.
One would expect that to give the musician jitters, but not Omari, whose biggest aspiration in 2023 is to expand her reach.
“My purpose is simply to convey/provoke thoughts and emotions to men and women. To be able to put out relatable work that will reach millions of people and being exposed on the right platform would do just that,” she explained.
As an artist, she is also hoping to collaborate with others from all over the world.
“Every single continent if possible. I want to focus my energy on live performances as well and so I will hopefully be taking my music to new stages and booking festivals. Let’s wait and see how the year unfolds,” Omari added.
With the digital world allowing artists to connect easily, collaborations are certainly possible and this allows artists to also be able to connect with their fans from all over the world.
“Thank God for the digital world. Everyone is a text or click away, and for that, I am forever grateful,” Omari said.
Staying in a whole different country with its own time zone can however be a challenge.
“Trying to stay connected ON TIME. I make it work. It's not always easy but Instagram has made it less complicated for me to constantly stay updated with releases from my musical friends,” she shared.
Living in America has allowed her to make a vast network of connections. “I have been able to connect with people working for Billboard to Ne-Yo, to the guy on the street playing the trumpet .
“All these encounters, to me, are so important because building intentional relationships with people in the industry makes up for more than the talent, it is the driving boat to achieving my goal.”
Omari takes nothing for granted when it comes to her career, each little achievement adds to her dream of becoming the top artist she wants to be.
From experiencing her music climb up the radio charts, to being named Apple Music's artist of the month and joining the Platoon family, her career has been blessed.
In 2023, Omari’s fans can expect more from her and certainly only the best.