There is no shortage of inspiration when it comes to creating some type of hope in the form of music. Headlines read like horror stories on a daily basis, and while that can cause some to cower artists like Ozark Henry are choosing to take the pain and pen art. An appointed Goodwill Ambassador against human trafficking, Ozark isn’t just singing about change…he’s working towards it. We talked about what his life would’ve been if he’d followed the norm in Belgium, R&B and more with the singer-songwriter.
Kendra: What are some of the common careers people from Belgium usually wind up doing?
Ozark Henry: Lawyers or businessmen if you don’t have a talent for sport or art.
Kendra: Were those any that you were interested in, or have you always wanted to be a musician?
Ozark: I wanted to be sculptor before anything although I was really good at mathematics. But there’s nothing that beats that feeling of creating something.
Kendra: I have a friend from Belgium who loves R&B and you’ve also got an appreciation for the likes of Marvin Gaye. Is American R&B pretty prevalent over there?
Ozark: Yes it is, but my interest in Marvin Gaye is mainly because he was living in Belgium, Ostend when he was making his most successful work. He was known and appreciated as one of us. That’s why I wanted to refer to him and pay tribute to his talent.
@ozarkhenry
Kendra: Other than Gaye, what was inspiring you when you penned Us?
Ozark: What’s happening in the world: climate change, migration, war, inequality, and human trafficking.
Kendra: Your latest single from the album, “A Dream That Never Stops,” has a very poignant political message. Over here we’re constantly watching the president ruin things. Is Belgium that interested in the US’s failure of a presidency?
Ozark: Yes because it frightens us.
Kendra: Lastly, what else do you have going on this year?
Ozark: I’ll be performing at TEDx San Francisco. I’m a pioneer in immersive sound and passionate about anything that blurs the lines between the digital and the physical.
