Born into a musical family in Compton, Ca., Loren Oden grew up in the church. This served as an incredible training ground for Oden, where he not only studied gospel, but secular greats like Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke. Being that those icons were bred in the church, Loren discovered sanctity in using his voice as a spiritual guide for love: a way to express his vulnerability, passion and struggles with handling reciprocal affection. Oden’s transpa­rency, or in other words, connection to people is what makes him one of the most captivating vocalists of the modern era.

Oden’s fledgling career gained momentum as a prominent background vocalist for Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Kirk Franklin, Erykah Badu and Neyo, to name a few. Within a couple years, his long-time colleague, composer Adrian Younge, enlisted him as the lead vocalist for the cult classic, Black Dynamite, a blaxploitation parody theatrically released in 2009. This was the beginning of Oden becoming the melodious bedrock of Younge’s psyche­delic sound.

Music has allowed him to transcribe his emotional tussles; it’s one of the reasons why Oden sings lead on most of Younge’s melancholy catalog, including but not limited, to The Midnight Hour, Something About April, and Marvel’s Luke Cage (scored alongside Ali Shaheed Muhammad). This is also the reason why Younge has decided to produce Loren’s debut LP, My Heart, My Love. Their collaborations have served as a means for Oden to not only harmonize his story, but to travel the world doing it with extensive touring. Loren has also written and recorded for many artists such as Snoop Dogg, Common, The Delfonics, Ghostface Killah, and Bilal.

Oden strives to vibrate frequencies relatable to lovers from all walks of life: a forgotten tenet derivative of classic black soul. His on-stage performance is empowered with the ability to captivate audiences with mellifluous delivery and acceptance. Be sure to see Oden as he tours with The Midnight Hour this fall.