UFO099 Is Building A World From Isolation

UFO099’s story is not one of those polished artist bios where every struggle has already been converted into branding. He is from Florence, Alabama, living now in a rural pocket of Leighton, and when he talks about making music at home, the details are plain: a mobile home, a dead-end street, trees everywhere, long stretches without seeing many people, anonymity, and the uneasy feeling that comes when random cars turn around outside at night.

That would be easy to overplay, so I don’t think the point is to make UFO099 sound like some mythic outsider project. The better read is that he is using music to build a place he can actually control, one where feeling anonymous, underestimated, bullied, laughed at, or misunderstood can become part of the architecture instead of something that just sits on him.

Even the name says that in a strange, direct way: UFO for anonymity, 099 for the feeling of being worth ninety-nine cents, and then the alien/astronaut imagery as a way of inviting people into a world that is still being built.

The interview below is short, raw, and probably better because of it.

Throughout out discussion, he talks about making music in isolation, finding clarity from the trees around his home, wanting UFO099 to reach people who do not feel accepted, and hoping his family can see the work he has been putting in even when the whole thing looks uncertain from the outside. There is no big industry polish around it yet, which may be exactly why it feels worth paying attention to.

This is an artist trying to turn a small, lonely corner of Alabama into something that can speak beyond it.

Interview With UFO099

When you’re making music at home in Leighton, what does a typical day look like, and when do you usually feel the urge to start recording?

On a typical day, when it’s sunny, it feels isolated, like I’m the only one in this part of town. I live down a one-way dead-end street, and sometimes it can feel dangerous or unsafe because random people can drive down here for no reason and do a U-turn. I don’t have protection, so I can feel vulnerable at times, especially at night.

How much does living surrounded by trees affect the music you make? Do you notice a difference in what you write after spending time around other people?

That’s the thing: I haven’t been socializing with anyone. My therapist, my uncle, and my mom are the only ones I talk to or see. But sometimes the trees give me wisdom and clarity. If you clear your mind and realize the trees have been here for 100-plus years, they teach you to just be and to observe.

You want UFO099 to connect with people who don’t feel accepted. What experiences made that something you wanted your music to address?

Being bullied in school is not cool. Being laughed at is not funny.

What does the name UFO099 mean to you, and how did you decide it fit the music you wanted to put out?

UFO means being anonymous. The 099 means $0.99, like I’m worth 99 cents, even though I’m worth whatever that play button is. The only thing that keeps the world spinning is music. Also, since UFOs are associated with aliens and whatnot, it’s cool to add an astronaut twist to the music. You’re entering my world.

You’ve said your family doesn’t yet see what you’re working toward. What would you like them to understand about the commitment you’ve made?

I need them to see I’ve been working very hard, even during times when I felt like this was all for nothing. I need them to have faith in me. Right now, it’s like they think I’m being delusional or I just haven’t quite got the hang of my craft. I need them to see that I got this.

As UFO099 develops, what would you like to change about your daily life, and what would you want to keep close to how it is now?

I would like to have stability. I would like to live comfortably. Everything the exact same way it is, but stable.