Omar Alhindi

Catch up with singer-songwriter Omar Alhindi, listen to his new single "Lust" off his album Bedhead Part 1, out now, and look for much more to come soon. Read more about Omar in our last interview here.

Tell me what you've been up to since we last spoke, since you released the Back To Me EP.

Omar: Oh my God, is that the last time we talked? [Laughs] Let's see. I've shot various music videos, one of them just hit a million views two days ago which I'm pretty excited about, it's my "My Intentions" music video. I realized an album called Bedhead Part 1 and I'm promoting that right now as well as trying to make a music video for every single song off the album; just like full ideas, more-so than big production videos, it's going to be like, 'oh that's a cool idea, it's artistic'. I've been talking about a reality TV show with a producer so that's in the works right now and I'm getting calls from a director for a movie so I'm looking forward to all of that and hoping that comes through. Just a lot. I've been keeping myself busy. I'm in college right now and I have a job with my parents - they hired me - and I don't really go anymore [laughs] but I used to go all the time. I've just kept myself busy with that and, right now, my focus is 100% on my music so I'm slowly getting away from my normal life to try and focus on that.

Is there a musician that you're hooked on now?

Okay. My favorite artist at the moment is John Bellion. He's just phenomenal. Lyrically he's really cool, I like what he writes about. The way he produces his songs and structures everything, he's just amazing. I'm a big fan.

Do you have a guilty pleasure song?

[Laughs] I'm a big fan of this show called Adventure Time on Cartoon Network and I'll be listening to this song Marceline's mom's song "Everything Stays". I really like it and I leave it on loop when I do stuff, it's kind of funny [laughs].

If you were to make a playlist that you shared with your fans, what are a few songs you'd have to add to that?

Ooh, I'd have to add John Bellion. I'd want them to listen to songs that are kind of similar to mine so I'd probably add in covers as well like from Conor Maynard. Then there's these two guys that are doing really well right now, William Singe and another guy that he always collabs with. Probably people like that around my age group who are doing similar styles of music. I can't tell you specifically because I don't listen to a lot of music, surprisingly, but yeah.

Do you have a favorite place to get coffee or lunch?

I'd say my favorite place to go out for lunch is just Panda Express, to be honest. The food is great - even though it's not great - and they're very generous with their servings. I'm not a big fan of coffee so I like to make my coffee at home.

Dogs or cats?

Oh, it's so hard. That's such a hard question because I like cats a lot because they're independent and you don't have to worry about them, they just want to cuddle up with you, but dogs are just so much more fun. But they need your attention and they need to be taken out to the bathroom and constantly and what animals eats like that?? [Laughs] I don't know. I think, just because I don't like to go 100% percent out of my way, it's probably gotta be cats. They're independent.

Kendrick Lamar or Drake?

Kendrick. I really like Drake and the way that he writes his stuff, but Kendrick is more political and I really like what he's doing with his flows; he's just unique. There's a million and ten Drakes right now.

Adele or Beyonce?

To be honest, if it's the old Beyonce I prefer Beyonce but Adele 100% now.

Panic! At the Disco or Twenty One Pilots?

Oh, depends on the song. I grew up with Panic! At The Disco and Twenty One Pilots is pretty new so I'd probably have to... I don't know! I like both, I've just gotta say both.

How does your sound now compare to your previous releases?

Bedhead Part 1 I wrote at the same time I wrote my EP Back To Me. Literally, the EP was just four songs that I wrote for the album that we decided to release early because we had to start to get a buzz and they just wanted to put that out so we had something. As far as Bedhead Part 1, it's pretty similar in that childish stage because I was around 15/16 at the time except for one song which is "Lust" which I wrote in 2015. It's a very sensual song and it has the newest sound to it and it changed the whole idea of where I wanted to go with my sound. Right now I'm working on a mixtape and I'm really looking forward to it; every body that's listened to it has really liked it. There's a couple songs on it that I think are going to be kind of shocking for people to listen to. One of them is called "Daddy's Angel" and it's very graphic in the sense that it's a very visual story and it's kind of like, "whoa, what the heck? Are you okay, Omar?". [Laughs] I've literally had people go, "are you okay? What's going on? Talk to me," but it's just a story. Then I have one that's more relaxed and I'm just honest with my music, more-so now than I was back then. That's who I was back then, but I always wanted to portray myself with this image and now it's like, well, I don't want to look like anything I'm not, this is how I really am. This is how I've been. It's hard to explain, you have to listen to it when it comes out so get ready [laughs].

What were your inspirations behind your new single "Lust"?

It's actually kind of funny. I wrote that with my friend Joe. He turned on some bedroom lights - those Christmas lights that are white - in his room and it's kind of funny because we're just two dudes but we totally have a bromance and so he set up those lights and he lit those candles and turned on incense so he had it all set up. Then his mom called him over and so he left the room and I had this room to myself and he had played the first chord on the guitar and had been like, "is this a chord?" and I was like, "nah, but we can make it one". So I altered it and wrote a song in the fifteen minutes that he was away. He came back and I was like, "yo, check this out," and he was like, "you already wrote!". I sang it and he was like, "bro, that's your best song yet". It's just a sensual song and I wanted to write something different than the rest of the album. I was 19 at the time and I had just turned 19 and I was like, "yo, I really just want to branch out from all this kid stuff that I have been doing and I want to be viewed as an adult," and this is a statement, in a sense. It was never about an actual situation, it was just like lust in general. If I lust for somebody, this is what I want to do with them, I guess maybe. I went into detail in the song and it's not too graphic, but it's pretty graphic.

Could you tell us more about Bedhead Part 1?

Bedhead is like a pop R&B love story where it's not even about a love story, the whole central theme is 'break-up'. Break-up/make-up, good life/bad life. No matter what, it's about love in that sense. Except for "Stay Strong" which was supposed to be a bonus track but I was like, "no". It's a song that I wrote for my grandma so I was like, "let's just put it in there as one of the songs". It's just relatable. When you listen to it you're like, "yeah, I've been heartbroken before, that's real, I wish this worked out or I'm glad this didn't work out". When you're in love with somebody like in "Neverland", it's like, "let's go to Neverland, let's fly away there so we can stay young and by ourselves forever". It's just about love for me.

You're working on the mixtape now but are you also going to release a Bedhead Part 2?

Yeah, I'm going to releasing this mixtape before Bedhead Part 2. Within the next month I'm going to start releasing songs one at a time and the music videos that go with them. The first one I'm going to shoot for the mixtape is called "Daddy's Angel" and it's the dark graphic one that I talked about and it's going to be crazy. It's just going to be crazy and I'm so excited to shoot it. I think it's going to get a crazy reaction from all my friends and family and fans, so I'm looking forward to it.

Would you say you have a favorite track from either Bedhead Part 1 or the mixtape?

Off Bedhead it's going to be "Lust" but off both projects together, I don't know. There's a song called "Reflect" where it's literally just a full four minutes of me rapping and I'm not a rapper but I'm rapping and I'm talking crap about myself and my habits and it's one of the lows that I really went through and I like how it came out. It's probably my favorite just because I feel so honest on it and the fact that I'm telling my fans that I'm not doing this and I'm not as brave as I thought I'd be because this shit's hard. It's just different. I'm excited about it because, like I said, it's completely different. There's no hook, I'm just literally rapping. It's maybe not going to be other people's favorites, but I enjoy it - not to sound conceited or anything! [Laughs]

How would you sum up the new mixtape in one sentence?

The mixtape is honest. [Laughs] It's different, it's honest, it's very genuine.

What do you hope listeners are able to take away from your music?

I'm hoping that they get to know who I am. More-so than relating to my music or anything like that, I want them to know me and I want them to fall in love with me - not in that "oh my God" way, but in that 'this guy is real, I respect him as an artist and a person'. Growing up in the industry, I always got made fun of based on the kind of music I was doing and every body around me was doing stuff and getting somewhere with it - although none of them have gotten anywhere with it - and it's crazy. My whole goal when I was younger was, 'I wanna show you, you're gonna see how well I do,' and until I'm very successful I can't really say that. And I wanna be better than I was three years ago and I'm always reaching for, like, "ten years from now, how good am I going to be?" and I want to be better than him today.

Is there anything you want to add?

Make sure to follow me on my social media @wewantomar on my Instagram and Twitter; my Facebook is omarmusicx, give that a like, it really helps me out. If you guys ever get a chance, check out Bedhead Part 1 and get ready for the mixtape. I love you guys.

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Omar Alhindi

Catch up with singer-songwriter Omar Alhindi and watch the video for his single "Twisted" (featuring B. Wash) from his debut EP, Back To Me, out now.

What first got you interested in music?

Omar Alhindi: Oh my gosh, that's the age-old question. It's kind of funny, what got me into music was video games. I was a big nerd when I was a kid and I loved Zelda and I wanted to learn how to play the song on the keyboard I had so I just kinda sat down and I learned how to read music and all that BS through video games.

Do you remember the first song you wrote?

It depends on what you mean by the first song. The first one's kind of funny. The first one I produced on GarageBand: I looped a beat that was already on there and I started playing acoustic guitar to it and I just tracked in the guitar through the computer microphone, so it wasn't good quality but, to me, it was like, 'oh my God, I'm doing it!'. The song was called "Blow Me Away" and I was 14 and I talk about having kids and I talk about being married and it's just really sappy and it's really just such an annoying song, but I listened to it the other day and I was like, 'oh my God'. Like I said, I was tracking everything through a computer mic, so I was whispering into the mic to sing so that I didn't distort it at all and get feedback and so I was basically just whispering into the mic and it was really creepy. So, that song's bad.

The very first song that I produced with Tyme is called "Back To Me" and it was based on a relationship that I had with my ex and that song was relevant - it still kind of is relevant, not emotionally, but it's a relevant song that can be applied to a lot of people - and the song is basically about loss and how you want somebody to come back into your life because, even though you guys resent each other, you can still work it out somehow. It's a cool song but it's not my favorite.

Which musicians would you say that you have been influenced by?

When I was producing the Back To Me EP I think I was influenced by so many: Usher, Justin Timberlake, Tech N9ne; I was listening to a lot of different sounds, it wasn't all pop. I couldn't say I have a single or a top 3 influence, I don't have a list, I just listen to so much music - I listen to Tim McGraw and country and then I was listening to Snoop Dogg - it's completely diverse.

Is there one artist you're hooked on now?

Oh, lately, Shawn Mendes. I love Shawn Mendes so much. He's so good.

How would you describe your music?

My music is really diverse, I couldn't say it's one category. I rap a little in some of my songs; I have an alternative rock background; some of my songs have some slow ballads, like deep R&B; some completely pop songs. All my music is just really diverse and it's kind of a new take on music, I think. It's all coming directly from my mind, there was no help in this project, it was all me.

What were your inspirations behind the song and your video for "Twisted"?

Oh, okay. It's a huge song. This is the one song that I actually didn't produce on my EP and it's kind of a big deal because I was doing all the production and I was like, 'well, what do I do with this, what am I supposed to do with a beat this big?' [laughs]. I've never had a producer send me beats that I was thinking, 'yo, I'm going to use this,' so, writing that, I was actually going through something with my girl and it was on and off. She wanted me to stay and then go away - typical on and off - and, basically, I was just venting about that to my friend B. Wash. I had him in the studio with me and he liked the beat as well and I was like, 'yo, you wanna get on this track with me?' and he was like, 'yeah man, let's do it, what do you wanna talk about?' and I was like, 'I mean, we're kind of venting right now, we could write a song about that?' and he was like, 'fo' sho, let's go'. He started off with his whole verse and while he was writing his intro to the song I started writing the script and I was like, 'tell me what you think of this,' and he was like, 'yeah, let's go!' [laughs]. So, we recorded the hook right there and we didn't have to change the vocals or anything, so it was completely done right there and so the song is a big song because, sound-wise and the creation that went into it, when you get that vibe in the studio, it's like, okay, I feel you.

Also, the video. The video idea was kind of a collaboration. I was working with Dale Stelly and he was talking to me and he was like, 'Omar, what do you want this video to be about?' and I was like, 'I wanna hear what you want this video to be about, I don't write video scripts, so what are you thinking?' and he was like, 'I think the story should be like, you're on this helicopter and you're flying and then you're sad because she got you twisted,' and I was like [laughs], 'I don't understand, what do you mean? Why? That's an awful idea. Let me get back to you' [laughs]. I took a week and I was talking to a lot of people about what I thought the video could be and what different directions we could take and I ended up with this whole idea where I'm the one that's going crazy instead of her. She's telling me to come and go and she's indecisive and I'm getting crazy about it so, instead of being a normal person, I ended up breaking into her house at night and trashing the place and I was like, this could be something, this could be cool. I approached Dale and I was like, 'what do you think about this?' and he was like, 'oh, that's cool man, that's dope, that's a crazy idea, let's get it,' and then he added some twists on it; he got two models - which I wasn't expecting - [laughs] he got a helicopter which, again, I wasn't expecting that, but it was cool overall. I got to meet a few people, I got to connect, I got to network, and it was just a really cool process all together.

Could you tell us more about your Back To Me EP?

It's a story, a love story, for sure. If you play it in order of how I have it, "Kiss In The Rain" is a big pop song that's just all about love and youth. Just, I'm in love and I want to kiss you in the rain, it's just simple; it's cool, it's a simple song. Then, it goes to "Twisted" and she's getting a little bit weird with you and she's like, I'm not sure how I feel about this relationship and then, eventually, things end and, for a guy in a relationship, it takes him time to want to get back together; girls have that instant like, wait, no, come back but guys are like, I'm single, I'm cool, and that's when "Broken" came along. I actually wrote that in a hotel and the room that I wrote it in was really ambient, there was so much reverb. Then, "Back To Me", which was the first song I wrote - as I was telling you - and that's all about, I'm going to be fine. The EP is already out, it's already on iTunes and Spotify.

Is there a song from that EP you're most excited for people to be hearing or one you like to perform live?

Well, I mean, for me, the most personal song is "Broken", but the one that I really like to perform is probably "Twisted" because I get a really nice crowd response. I like vibing with the crowd, I especially like to feel what they're feeling; usually, when the beat starts, it's like, ooh, can you feel this too, let's go. And, there's rapping in it so that's a different factor that I don't have on the EP and they're like, 'whoa, that's dope!' and I'm dancing and I have choreography for it so it's really fun. It's a fun song to perform, for sure.

What do you hope your fans and listeners are able to take away from your music?

I just want them to know that they're not alone in a relationship. It might be hard but they're not the only one in it and I just want them to know that, if they ever need anything, they can rely on somebody else to be around them, because you're never alone.

Is there anything you want to add?

Make sure to check out the EP, my music video, "Twisted", is out, obviously, so make sure to check that out and if you guys would like to get to know me, you guys can follow me on social media @wewantomar and stay tuned for the new stuff, because I've got good stuff coming out.

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