On October 31, 2025, acclaimed cellist, composer, and sonic storyteller Okorie “OkCello” Johnson releases his fourth and most personal album to date, Funny How Things Work Out. The record is a bold step forward, an exploration of trust, faith, and creative freedom that fuses the familiar intimacy of his solo, looped cello performances with new collaborations and daring soundscapes.
“This is my most ambitious album sonically,” Johnson shares. “While the core of each song remains solo, looped cello, I’ve added sounds, support, and collaborations that elevate the songs and their intention to storytell.”
From the electrifying energy of MOVE.ment and Clarion to the raw power of It’s All Done, where Johnson channels his inner Lenny Kravitz with gritty rock cello and soulful vocals, the album showcases the depth and diversity of his artistry. Tracks like Funny How Things Work Out and I Don’t Feel No Ways Tired expand beyond genre boundaries, inviting listeners into a sound world that seamlessly connects gospel, jazz, classical, rock, and house.
At its heart, Funny How Things Work Out is an exercise in trust, trusting the creative process and
trusting life itself.
“I wrote this album to help Okorie the person become as comfortable with uncertainty as Okorie the artist is,” he explains. “In my personal life, I crave order and predictability, but life usually works out better than I planned. This album is my way of reconciling those two worlds.”
While Johnson’s previous albums have always reflected his Atlanta roots and soulful improvisational style, this new body of work represents a maturation, an artist fully leaning into the unpredictable flow of inspiration. Recorded over the course of a year, Funny How Things Work Out evolved organically: its title, themes, and tracklist shifting as the project found its own voice.
When asked about the album’s eclectic mix of genres, Johnson smiles:
“An interviewer once asked if creating across genres was a marketing weakness. I had to admit, I don’t know any other way to make music. The artist must make music that moves them first, then, if they’re successful, audiences will move too.”
A Sonic Journey Across Genres and Emotions
Each song on Funny How Things Work Out is both deeply personal and universally resonant. Listeners are invited on a sonic journey through contrasting yet complementary emotional landscapes, tension and release, control and surrender, order and chaos, all woven together by the cello’s warmth and Okorie’s signature looping artistry.
A Creative Risk Worth Taking
Johnson’s favorite moment on the album, It’s All Done, captures his boldest artistic leap yet.
“Not only am I playing rock cello, complete with distorted rhythm riffs and blistering solos,” he says, “but I also decided to step into the fantasy of ‘front man’ to belt and sing away my cares. It’s the most intense and fun song I’ve recorded.”
