O’Brien on what he listened to growing up:
For me, one of the things—when I grew up—the taste police were out in force. And it was really limiting. So, the '80s it was like, what tribe are you in? What gang are you in? So I was in the post-punk, Smiths, you know, indie… you know, and I didn’t listen to Led Zeppelin. Happy Mondays and Stone Roses changed it all, because suddenly dance music, but in Oxfordshire we didn’t listen to R&B, really, and unfortunately it was one of the negative aspects of our childhood growing up.

On discovering ABBA through his daughter:
I can be totally honest, one of my daughter’s favorite films is “Mamma Mia.” Obviously ABBA in the ’70s was huge, but I never owned an ABBA record. And in the ’80s? ABBA? I mean, oh my god. And unfortunately that shadow is cast upon, and it alters your judgment and you can be very judgmental about this music. Watched Mamma Mia at Christmas, finally, all together, and I was like, “These songs are amazing! Oh my god!” I got spine tingles, even with Pierce Brosnan singing…

Okumu also spoke about the first records he ever bought, and Prince’s impact on his taste:
Prince kind of saved my life in the same way that music saved my life. I don’t know… The first record I bought was Sign “O” the Times. I did a double whammy—Sign “O” the Times and De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising. Those were my first two purchases… I was having a pretty shit time, a lot of change and confusion. Music saved me and Prince was a huge part of that. If I had to pinpoint what defined the good stuff, what I’m looking for generally in “expression” of any form—whether it’s now, having a conversation with you, watching a film, or music, or reading, or whatever, engaging with other human beings—I want to feel, I guess, a sense of… It’s that thing when you feel someone’s being themselves and it gives you license to be yourself.