There’s a kind of uniquely scientific experimentation attributed to TobiMary’s work that doesn’t always calibrate with the conventional methods of describing an artist. Building “other-worlds” within her sprawling sonic landscapes and expert production, TobiMary’s artistic development has accelerated at breakneck speed in 2024, with the year ahead of us promising big things, in the good company of UD Music…

I’m reluctant to describe TobiMary as subverting any kind of image or genre that she takes the form of – her sound, presence, and production feels entirely new, and not the “reimagining” of anything we’ve heard or seen previously. Citing her expansive range, both in vocal reach and genre, TobiMary could be thought of as occupying a completely otherworldly realm, an effervescent kingdom often described from the outside, instead of from the pearly centre where the artist resides.
“Even though my sound was different to what is expected of someone who looks like me, I was so supported by UD”, TobiMary shares, finding herself within the just 2% of music producers that identify as women, an alarmingly small percentage that both UD and TobiMary are implicitly working to rebalance. Navigating the cross-pollination of a previous life in a lab as a biochemist with hours experimenting with her sound in UD Studios, TobiMary finds herself in a wholly different province these days, finishing the UD Level 4 course as a burgeoning artist at the cusp of greatness, with untold treasures to offer her avid listeners.

For someone who doesn’t know your music, how would you describe your sound?
I always get the word “ethereal” thrown at me. When I first came to UD, that was the first word – like “otherworldly”. I would say it pulls from indie, with some elements of rock, soul, and electronica. I feel like those four.
Do you have any core musical influences or artists who inspire you?
I literally listen to everything. Coldplay for me is a band that I hold very dear to me, I always loved their music growing up and I think they’re part of the reason that I’m really passionate about music. I’d also say Imogen Heap as I played cello growing up as a kid, and my cello teacher was the first person that introduced me to her and that always inspired me. Brandy is my favourite singer too, she taught me how to use my voice as an instrument. I’d say Lalah Hathaway as well my – singing teacher when I was younger introduced me to her and her voice type and that’s how I learnt to love and utilise my deeper voice.

You’ve got a really beautiful tone. Is that something that you’ve always had or something you learnt and developed?
I’ve always just sounded like this (laughs). The school I went to was very traditional so the bass parts were only allowed to be for guys. They always put me in the tenor or soprano section and I never really wanted to be there. But it was my singing teacher who said that I have a really big bass range and need to use that. It’s where I feel most comfortable singing.
Have you always been musical?
Funnily enough, before I was in music I was a biochemist, I used to work in a lab (laughs). I went to boarding school with a music and science scholarship and then ended up doing science at university, but during the pandemic I bought music software, a controller, and a digital camera, and began to record covers and put them on YouTube.
That’s how I learned to produce. I already knew how to play piano and cello from growing up, and then through that I learned how to produce my own stuff. That’s when I applied for UD.

That moves perfectly into my next question. How did you end up studying with UD?
After deferring a music school place that I got before I went to university to study biochemistry, I came back to find out that the course was no longer running. They recommended UD and I spoke to Hazel (who’s now left), and she said I should come in and show her my stuff, and that’s how I ended up joining.
That’s so interesting. How did you get from science to music?
Music was always something heavily ingrained in me and has continued throughout my whole life, and regardless of whatever path I went down, even doing science, music has always been on the side. I remember my supervisor being like “science will always be there for you if you need it – just go and do music because you’re good at it”. And I did!

Do you feel like art and science are linked?
They are. I find that even when I’m producing stuff, a lot of the time it just feels like I’m experimenting with sounds, like testing out different experiences for people to listen to. I feel like you do that when you’re in the lab as well, you’re always trying out new stuff and trying to make something. It might not come out how you want it to, but you change it and adapt. Science and music are very heavily connected, even in terms of physics and waves and frequencies.
It’s so interesting that you have both those distinct experiences and have facilitated that connection between the two. Do you feel like UD was a space for you to experiment further with that?
I think for me coming in from a completely different world, they helped me to open up and understand the music industry more. I was coming from an industry that was completely different and thought I might have been making music and stuff. It helped me work out things I wasn’t completely aware of when I was studying and working in a lab. I’m thankful for that.

Were there any “secrets of the industry” that you discovered having studied with UD or things you weren’t previously aware of?
When people in the industry listened to my music they all just said “sync”. That’s all I heard, and I was like; “what is sync?!” – I didn’t know that was a path I could pursue, or something that people think I should pursue, so learning about that with UD definitely opened up that door for me.
You’ve mentioned that people don’t necessarily expect what they hear when they listen to your music. How does it feel to see them respond in different ways?
It will take like two seconds for people to start listening to it. The first question is always; “who’s singing?”, and the second question is always; “who produced this?”, and it’s just like oh yeah, both are me. It makes me laugh, because to me, me singing sounds like me, right? So when I get a reaction it’s always funny, but it’s also always a good thing, because it leads to some kind of interest or intrigue.
You have a very generous view on it (laughs). I can imagine that can be quite frustrating.
It can be, but I’m happy that I can challenge people’s expectations. It’s not just a problem within the music industry, this is also in the science industry. Like me looking how I look walking around the lab – people are like “oh, what do you mean? You work here?”. There are assumptions about a lot of us.

What’s a typical day at university or UD?
I try to compare it to being at university before, but it’s very different. It’s not the same kind of rigid ‘I’m in a lecture theatre sitting down and someone is talking at me’. You have this kind of tight knit family. You come in and everyone’s laughing or making a joke or working on something. It’s an environment where there’s always something different and new going on. It’s inspiring and it’s so different to a traditional academic institution. You come in with an idea and are just encouraged to learn.
That’s so interesting to hear. It sounds quite different to a conventional course.
Very, but in a good way because it promotes growth and learning and development in a way that creates safety. If you have someone who’s struggling or wants to ask for help in a typical university setting, that’s a challenge. But at UD you can ask anything, no question is too dumb to ask and you’re always supported.
What are your best memories from studying the L4?
I have a lot of good memories there. One of the best memories I have was when we were all sitting in the studio and everyone was sharing their own music and what they’ve been working on. That was really really cool. It was great to see people collaborating with each other too, you get to see the craziest combos that you wouldn’t ever think of genre-wise. You’d also get the shy people who are always quiet, they’ll share a track and it’s literally insane and everyone’s jaw just drops. That was everyday, with literally everyone.

Did you collaborate with anyone when you were at UD?
Yeah I collaborated with loads of people, I actually even collaborated with one of the teachers, Vanessa. She wrote a song for me to produce which was so cool.
If you were to perform in your ideal venue where would it be? What would your dream stage set up be?
I’ve thought about this a lot. I feel like for my first big show, I want it to feel like an experience, like having it in a warehouse and connecting with the stage setup stuff in terms of lighting and cool effects that will immerse people in the music. I like the idea of having wind breezing through or feeling like there’s “something” there. I don’t want to be performing “at” people, I feel like I want to make it so that people experience everything with me, like it’s a whole experience for all of us. That would be my ideal stage set up.
I feel like you have a visual perspective to your art as well as your music, can you tell me about your connection to your image?
It’s so crazy, normally I have blonde hair and all my piercings, but I didn’t even know that was a thing or a choice I’d made based on presenting in a certain way. I just thought it was cool (laughs). It’s just a style I’d adopted, but when I went to uni people were like, “you look like your art and you don’t even realise that” and I feel like I get that now.

How would you describe your style?
I’m going to say what people say to me (laughs). People tell me that I’m “alternative”, or “gothic” and “emo”. One person told me that I remind them of a deer or a “dark angel”.
That’s interesting. How do you feel about that?
I kind of like it! It’s cool. When I first played my music to Vanessa who was one of the tutors on the course then, she said that my voice reminded her of Enya – it’s unique but almost haunting. An angel is something that commands someone or something but also has this ethereal vibe. That’s cool.
What are the next steps for you after UD?
I’m still producing and working on new music. My plan is to begin releasing everything I’ve been working on, following the steps in my release plan. I’ve kind of held off, but I’m just going to keep releasing. I feel like this year is going to be a very big year for me. That’s something I want to put down.
Words: Elsa Monteith, a Brighton based writer and broadcaster working in and around the arts and on the radio waves. Subscribe to Elsa’s Discontented newsletter here.
Follow TobiMary on Instagram HERE.
Click here to find out more about UD’s Level 4 Courses, starting September 2025.