OUDi blends experience, edge, and emotion into something entirely her own
OUDi — formerly known as Chrystal Leigh — emerges as a compelling new voice in alternative pop. With a career that spans industrial pop, charting country success, and mentorship from some of the industry’s biggest names, her debut solo project marks the culmination of years of evolution, creativity, and fearless reinvention.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is OUDi and this is my debut solo project. I write and record industrial-pop music, think Robyn or Madonna meets Nine Inch Nails.
You’ve evolved from Chrystal Leigh into OUDi—what did that transformation represent for you personally and creatively?
Evolving from Chrystal Leigh into OUDi wasn’t necessarily a rebrand but a return to “self”. It marked the moment I stopped shaping myself around other people and started creating from a place of full honesty. OUDi is darker, louder and more intentional.
What does the name OUDi mean to you, and how does it reflect the artist you are today?
OUDi is a reimagining of my last name, it’s familiar, but transformed, kinda like me. As an artist, it reflects who I am now, raw, reflective and unfiltered.
Tell us about the writing process for “Only Tattoo.”
It’s funny, I sat down at the piano, started playing with chords, and the concept of love fading like my only tattoo just poured out of me. But the original piano version is nothing like the recorded version, the lyrics and melodies are completely different. I might share it online someday. I took the idea to a trusted writer, James Smithells, who is nothing short of a musical genius and someone who can tolerate my wackiness. As he always does, he took the song to the next level musically, and then my producers added all the synth sounds that make OUDi what it is today.
You’ve worked alongside incredible names like Dave Ogilvie, Dan Huff, and Nikki Sixx—what’s one lesson from those experiences that still guides you today?
Dave is one of my most trusted and closest friends, we’ve done so much together, and that relationship has set the bar for the kind of collaborations and friendships I allow in my life. He has a generous spirit, always wanting to share creatively and genuinely get to know people. He also has a low tolerance for BS, which I really respect.
I worked with Dan Huff and Nikki Sixx briefly while taping for CTV’s The Launch. That experience reminded me to always remember when I’m mic’d.
When you sit down to write now, what drives you most—storytelling, emotion, or sound?
Emotion, always has been. Sound has the ability to pull feelings and memories out of me, which then inspires a story but I’m so easily moved by music and have always needed to express my feelings through song.
What’s one word that defines this era of OUDi?
Cinematic
Lastly, if you could collaborate with anyone in the music industry right now, who would you choose?
HEALTH, it’s my dream collaboration.