The Summer That Saved Me

After a childhood spent living across Europe, British Nigerian singer Odeal moved back to London in 2017, putting a stop to a phase of his life that had been largely defined by moving between countries and experiencing life’s joys and fluctuations from several locales. “I think what makes my music special is where the inspiration comes from,” Odeal tells Apple Music. “That shift—from being constantly exposed to the world to being limited—shaped the way I saw things and the way I made music.” Yet putting roots back down in London didn’t dull his sense of wonder and craft. Since 2017’s *New Time*, the singer has been making music that pays homage to the sweeping confessions and lilting melodic underpinning of neo-R&B influences within Afropop. In characteristic Odeal fashion, *The Summer That Saved Me contends with the dynamics of modern romance, adding an unavoidable sense of cosmopolitanism to the mix. The aptly titled “London Summers” affectionately references the communal nature of his home’s warmer months. It all works in service of an intention to celebrate a recently renewed zest for life: “This summer was the first time I really had the freedom to move how I wanted—to go wherever, connect with different versions of myself, and just live,” he says. “This is a project about what it feels like to finally have that access to explore, to feel, and to be free, and every song on it is an extension of that energy.” Below, Odeal walks us through The Summer That Saved Me, track by track. “Miami” (feat. Leon Thomas) “‘Miami’ captures the beginning and the end of a certain moment in summer. It’s about someone I met out there \[on my travels\]. The first half of the song describes the moment we met: that infatuation and that spark. But the other half reflects what they gave to me: their presence and their honesty. It’s like they became my therapist without even knowing it.” “London Summers” “Summer in London brings out the best in people. There’s this collective mood shift. You see smiles, music in the air, parks packed, and a kind of joy that feels rare and real. This project has the feel of a summer spent around the world, but this track brings it home. It highlights London and how the city lights up when the sun comes out.” “My Heart” “While ‘London Summers’ and ‘Miami’ take a broader, more cinematic approach, capturing locations, energy, and movement, this song narrows the focus down to a single scene. It’s intimate, emotional, and raw. It’s that intense attraction, that heart-pulling moment where logic goes out the window. You’re just letting your heart take control because it still remembers.” “Obi’s Interlude” “This is the most vulnerable point in the project. Obi is what my mum calls me, and in Igbo, it means ‘heart.’ This track is me speaking from that place. No mask, no performance. Just me. It’s a moment where I’m trying to love with my full chest, trying to reach someone who’s been hurt, who’s scared, who keeps pulling away. There’s something painful about offering something real and still not being let in. Like there’s something deeper trying to stop two people from connecting.” “Monster Boys” “‘Monster Boys’ taps into that playful, confident energy. The delivery is light but intentional, and it brings that nostalgic energy of those older Odeal records into the present. It comes right after ‘Obi’s Interlude,’ which is heavy and vulnerable, so this track lifts the mood entirely, but it’s still part of the same journey. The chase isn’t just emotional; there’s also that sweet, exciting side when things start to feel like they could work.” “Patience” “It’s about learning to appreciate someone who’s taking their time—a woman who’s slow and intentional with how she moves. At first, it frustrated me. I wanted things to happen quickly, just to dive in. But over time, I started to understand and admire her patience. She’s careful, she’s grounded, and she’s not rushing into something just because it feels good at the moment. In the chorus, I refer to her as Delilah, drawing from the biblical story. Delilah made Samson change his ways and made him do things he wouldn’t normally do. In the same way, this woman’s patience made me slow down and rethink how I move.“ “In the Chair” “It captures the tension between love and absence, the heartbreak of being far from someone who once felt like home. I’ve been moving, traveling the world, chasing purpose, but in doing so, I lost touch with someone I deeply cared for. This song is me finally owning up to that. I wasn’t present when it mattered most, and maybe that absence made her feel like I didn’t deserve her love. The painful part is that I still need it. I still believe in it.”***