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GREENWOOD Dist. — OmaleyB is no stranger to hard work in the music world; he lived in Kansas City and would play his saxophone up to four hours on various corners of the city, even in uncomfortable temperatures.
He was Circle Cinema’s Black History Month featured artist. He performed each week in February before a film on Black Love. He has a music school and can play four instruments: piano, drums, organ, and saxophone. He says he uses his voice more than anything.
OmaleyB grew up in a musically involved family with 11 brothers and sisters. As a younger sibling, attention came few and far between. So, he would take advantage anytime the spotlight was on him.
“As a kid, I had 11 brothers and sisters, so the attention that I got was very minimal.” He continued, “I noticed myself when I got the smallest attention, I did so much with it. I mean, it could be anything…”
Life, Love and Happyness
He is actively working on a double album to be released later this year: “Live More” and “Love Sign Language”. Each album has its own theme, but “Live More” is the overarching message that connects both albums.
“Live more, it’s a statement. It’s a way of life. It’s a motto,” he continued. “Life happened to you, it’s going to happen to you whether you want it or not,” he said. “Live More is really about…you can make a decision in life, like, I want more. I want to complete what I was here to do.”
Meanwhile, “Love Sign Language” speaks to the highs and lows, the joy and pain, and all the experiences of being in love. His first single is entitled “Change Your Name,” a song about a man wanting to give his all to a woman. It was released on Valentine’s Day, accompanied by a challenge on social media.
“It’s about my experiences, as far as being in love and not in love. And similar experiences that I know you know people go through. I wanted to take that and give people a view into my world,” he continued. “So the album is meant to show the heartache, the love, the pain, but also, it doesn’t end there, we got more to do.”
Music School: Cultivating Young Creatives
In 2019, he started OmaleyB School of Music, where students between the ages of nine and 17 can receive private lessons. He was inspired to start his own school from the private lessons he received in his youth. He mentioned that the private lessons were “drastic,” and put him leaps and bounds above a lot of people.
OmaleyB strives to teach his students lessons that expand beyond the traditional classroom. “I teach them above what the middle school student is supposed to know,” he told The Black Wall Street Times. “All of them can play their major scales, minor scales, major chords, and minor chords, and they all do it blindfolded,” he added. He also mentioned they know how to write music.
“The last lesson you do in my classes, you are no longer a student, you’re a creator,” he said. Students use the software on OmaleyB’s laptop to create a song from what they learned. He is willing to expand his school in the future, with the right help. He says equality and efficiency are more important than numbers. He wants the teachers to care about the students’ outcomes as much as he does.
A Worldwide Vision
As an artist, OmaleyB wants to be a full-time musician and complete a tour. “The long-term goal as a musician is to tour,” he told The Black Wall Street Times. “I’m making sure the album goes worldwide. I want to go over to the UK. My streams are going really big over there in the UK.”
OmaleyB is featured on “Been Through It All,” a track from Fire In Little Africa’s self-entitled album. His hard work continues to this day, as he performs weekly at various events and venues throughout Tulsa.
He can be found on Instagram: @Omaley_B