New year, new persona for these OKC music makers

OKLAHOMA CITY – You’d think that an artist’s persona is something that forms and presents itself naturally, evolving out of the art as it’s made over time. And sure, that’s often true.

But sometimes an artist or a musician needs to reinvent themselves and create a new identity to inhabit or to get into a new flow for a new kind of expression.

Radiohead’s Thom Yorke has helmed multiple bands and projects with different monikers in just the past decade. Singer/songwriter Justin Vernon jumps around regularly between his Bon Iver persona and any number of other names, bands, or designations. Even The Beatles famously worked to get themselves into a new headspace by creating Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band as an alter ego.

But especially for younger artists and local acts that are expected to tie their artistic output to their own personality through social media posting and hyper-personalized branding, it can feel like a full-on liberation to break free of an established persona and start from scratch with a new name or new sound.

It’s no surprise, then, that our own homegrown artists here in OKC would play around with identity and shift their projects and personas to try new things or explore different sounds, and that’s exactly what we’re getting from some of our most electrifying musicians as the new year gets rolling.

So here’s some well-known locals that’ll be rolling out new bands, new identities, and new sounds in 2026, because “a rose by any other name,” etc, etc.

Sundesi

Songwriter, singer, rapper, and experimenter Sundeep Sharma has already made a pretty indelible name for himself as an award-winning, festival-storming, multilingual firebrand, first as part of Finite Galaxy and then as Sun Deep.

But sometimes, notoriety can means expectations, and expectations can mean creative constraints. And if there’s one thing that Sharma has become particularly adept at, it’s bucking expectations.

So for his next trick, Sharma is reinventing himself from the ground up and reemerging as Sundesi, casting off whatever shackles of assumption his fanbase may have forged and letting his musical imagination run wild with greater aggression, deconstruction, and crushed, chopped sampling channeling more funk and attitude.

Sundesi has already dropped two propulsive enveloping new tracks since the year’s beginning – “Hold Me” and “Kaante” – leaving his prior romanticism behind and merging the textures of his own Indian musical heritage with a darker kind of cyberpunk electronica.

Married

Another local veteran that’s dropping his government name in favor of a fresh new project is Donovan Funk, who retired his personally named solo act at the end of last year with the standout “For a Moment I Was Warm.”

In its place, Funk has joined forces with longtime collaborator Robin Rhoades to for a more cohesive and cooperative band as Married.

The new unit has yet to drop any official new looks or listens for what their sound will be, but they’re gearing up for some pop-up duo DJ sets that are sure to give a glimpse into the new marriage of Funk’s moody, gothy rock and Rhoades’ electronic and experimental proclivities.

In fact, Rhoades herself has also been developing a new persona recently, dropping her own name from her hotly in-demand DJ gigs and becoming DJ REBOOT.

Satin Soul Funk Band

For years now, pianist/bandleader Kendrik McKinney has been one of the leading movers and shakers of OKC’s lively and surprisingly young jazz scene, with multiple regular jazz nights, tribute showcases, and inexhaustible collectives featuring some of the city’s best instrumentalists.

But McKinney isn’t exclusively a jazz player, having proved his pop, soul, and even country cred with funk-rockers J + The Bishops and blowout shows paying tribute to everyone from Prince to Toby Keith to Mario Kart.

So it’s only natural that he’d finally launch a new act dedicated to funk, soul, and the unique power of vocal-led, electrified  R&B with his brand new Satin Soul Funk Band, an unfolding collective of high-level players and singers that McKinney is unveiling one at a time.

So far, in addition to McKinney’s own indisputable chops on the keys, the Satin Soul roster boasts heavy hitters Lacy Saunders of Soft Hands and the A.D.A.M. Music Project and local soul powerhouse Rod Porter.

There’s bound to be a whole load of other artists joining the fray from the tops of their game, so follow along with the ongoing Satin Soul band reveal on Instagram.

You can find out about local music and performance happenings in the OKC metro weekly in this music column by Brett Fieldcamp. | Brought to you by True Sky Credit Union.

Brett Fieldcamp is our Arts and Entertainment Editor. He has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for 15+ years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.