Modest Oda

Giving it up today

Q&A

Modest Oda is…?

… an austrian indie/electronic musician with roots in alternative rock.

Who inspired you to make music in general?

The most influential person was definitely my grandmother, a classical pianist, who always tried to make me fall in love with music. It didn’t work out first and kind of needed the movie School of Rock (odd, I know) to make me pick up the guitar we had at home and start playing.

…and especially to „Giving it up today“?

The song is actually not about a certain person, but more about realizing, sometimes setting oneself limits is very wrong. It is about starting to believe in yourself. So I would say that feeling inspired me.

When do you say or decide that a song is ready for a release?

The benefit in producing my songs by myself is curse and blessing at the same time. I don’t have to worry about hourly rates in a studio, but on the other hand I have the possibility to invest as much time in a song as I want to, which definitely costs some efficiency, maybe even lots of it. At some point I just go for it.

What is the most useful talent you have?

My girlfriend would probably say, it is my ability to remember the names of people I have met even only once, huge amounts of time ago. We haven’t met in person, but I will remember yours too! 😉

What do you prefer more, a live gig or a studio session?

Both is great, but I think nothing beats playing live. Most of the time my music has not been very „energetic“, so for me it’s not really about the energy of a live concert. It’s more about having an instant emotional connection with the people listening. I believe that is something only music can create.

Who would you most like to collaborate with?

There are so many great artists, but i have to go for Bon Iver. Huge inspiration, great musician and I think a cool guy as well. I don’t really believe this is ever going to happen, but there will be some collaborations with amazing austrian artists in the future! 🙂

If you could change anything in the past, what would it be?

I should have taken piano lessons from my grandmother everyday.

How do you feel the Internet (especially Social Media platforms) has impacted the music business?

Huge impact. I think, if you are a newcomer the impact is really for the better. The possibility to connect with people all around the globe is simply incredible.
I started making music as Modest Oda in March 2020, two weeks before the first lockdown in Austria. So I haven’t really had the chance to play live with these songs so far. However, there is already a bunch of people (which I do not know personally) listening to my music and that is super cool.

What’s next for you?

I will definitely be releasing music constantly. In the past weeks I have been rehearsing with three great musicians (shoutout!), who will be forming a live band for my songs, so eventually there will be gigs and I am really looking forward to it! 😉