Oozeela

Oozeela

Given the name Oozeela by childhood friends who often said he had a "slippery" flow, Oliver “Oozeela” Severin is a versatile singer-songwriter and musician. While many claim to be a triple threat by rapping, singing, and dancing, Music For Mavericks Entertainment recording artist Oozeela has raised the bar up a few notches. Be it spitting 16 bar verses, soul-crooning on an R&B track, or hyping up a crowd of reggae fans, Oozeela has it all under control.
What’s refreshing about Oozeela as a singer-songwriter is his ability to narrate stories of his personal struggles. But instead of making you depressed, his lyrics empower and encourage you to soldier through turmoil. A wordsmith who romances the paper with uncommon concepts and theories, Oozeela’s songs explore the many things we have taken for granted.
Performing with purpose, Oozeela feels it's his is duty to share what he's been through for those less fortunate to articulate their struggles. "Everyone has a different level of intelligence; a common example is Street Smarts vs. Book Smarts, or Street Smarts Vs. Ancient Wisdom. Despite the fact there are different levels of intelligence some people are unable to articulate this in a way that is musical", explains the Canadian-born, Dominican raised musician. "I feel I have a talent to put it all together in a way that makes it something worth purchasing".
Responsible for a majority of his own production, Oozeela describes his music as “a cross between mainstream and soulful, but you can pick out the Caribbean accent in the sound itself.” Oozeela’s sound is appealing and has a certain warmth that will have you feeling like you’re in the West-Indies. But as a proud Dominican, Oozeela does not water his music down in order to gain ears. With his honest lyrics complimenting his Caribbean grooves, Oozeela hopes to express emotions that uplift listeners while they dance. You don’t have to be a fan of Caribbean music to appreciate Oozeela’s melodies or feel the need to want to move while hearing him.
A self taught musician, Oozeela plays numerous instruments including piano and drums. While living in Dominica, Oozeela was constantly touring the West Indies and the East Coast of the US with popular Soca-bands like Partners In Kryme, Windward Caribbean Kulture (WCK), Raw Riddim International, and Ruff & Ready Band. While in these bands Oozeela played lead keyboards, sang lead vocals, and wrote and produced music.
Oozeela credits WCK as a major influence because of where they took Dominican culture and music. Prior to joining the band he watched as they incorporated mainstream Calypso and Soca and urbanized it. WCK’s ability to literally move a crowd impressed young Oozeela.
Since returning to Canada, Oozeela has opened for Elephant Man, Saul Williams, and In Essence. Taking music one step at a time Oozeela has begun to build his discography with appearances on albums of artists like Hi-Calibre, Politic Live and Peep Game. His collaboration with Hi-Calibre lead to an appearance on a 12’ Vinyl called Home Grown 2. Pressed and distributed by Universal Music Canada, the compilation was serviced to DJs in both Canada and the US.
Oozeela is presently working on his solo debut.