Whether it’s his matchday experience with or a birthday celebration with his friends, music is integral to .

“When I’m on the pitch, you even feel like you’re dancing with the ball,” he tells CLASH, a few weeks after his Baller Tapes shoot. “Music is important to everybody in life. You could be chilling, it’s a nice, relaxed feeling, or you can play music that’s going to get you ready for something. I think it’s so important that music’s around to give a different vibe, a different energy towards whatever you’re doing.”

Ever since the 25-year-old winger’s days in the Chelsea academy, when he was also part of England’s World Cup-winning Under-17 squad in 2017, flair and a bold sense of expression has shaped Hudson-Odoi’s personality. That’s down to both the conscious choice of wearing fluorescent boots and the melting pot of music he listened to during his south London upbringing, including exposure to and Ghanaian music at home.

“In the Chelsea school academy days, there were certain artists like [who were] a big thing for us,” he remembers. “It got us ready for a game, we were all gassed to hear him playing music… in the changing room, everyone loved drill.” Shortly before our conversation, he was blasting ‘Gratitude’ by in the car. “I’ve met loads of players who share the same [taste], and most of them are African, as well,” he adds, naming current teammate Ola Aina plus Dutch duo Jeremie Frimpong and Tim Fosu-Mensah, who he bonded with during his 2022-23 loan spell at German club Bayer Leverkusen. 

Fashion, meanwhile, is something Hudson-Odoi admits he’s started taking more seriously in the past two years – even if it’s something he’s respected since his youth. “You’re seeing people looking fashionably good, healthy, going on runways, going to fashion shows and you’re like, ‘Damn,’” he reflects. “You want to look presentable, for people to look at you, like, ‘This represents his brand.’ You don’t want, ‘He’s got a good personality, but he doesn’t look presentable.’ That balance makes it easier to be more confident and comfortable in myself.”

Describing his own off-the-pitch dress sense as “stylish, classy and mature”, Hudson-Odoi shouts out Newcastle midfielder Joe Willock as the best-dressed footballer he’s played with. Alongside the many milestones in his footballing career – including winning the Champions League in 2021 – he also thinks back to the purchase of his first Rolex watch. “It was a special moment,” he explains. “I never thought I could go and buy myself a watch. Growing up, times were tough… my mum and dad sacrificed a lot for me to get where I am today.”

Despite his personal interest in high-end designers, he can empathise with footballers who are less engaged. “There is a bit of pressure [to know] about the LVs, Gucci’s, Prada’s, but if that’s not your thing, you’re not obliged to do it,” he considers. “I go to Zara and Primark, it’s [more about] being smart about how you put it together. ‘Why has he put that top with those jeans?’ Over the years, my style’s changed for the better. I’m getting older and wiser, so I have to mature myself in the look.”

Hudson-Odoi watched basketball as a kid, recently starting following the NFL, and he’s off to play padel, his newest hobby, after this interview. His house is ordained with paintings, but he playfully downplays his own artistic ability – limiting it to stick men. “You don’t want to see my drawings,” he laughs. “I’m trying to actually explore actual art. I’ve looked at some art museums recently, on social media, and I’m like, damn, ‘Painting is actually fun.”

Naturally, football has played a dominant role in his life, but it’s not prevented him from pursuing other passions. “I don’t think you have to stick to what your job is,” he nods. “At the end of the day, you didn’t come in life to do [only] one thing. God gives you the opportunity to explore so many things and express yourself in different ways. It’s important that people have the opportunity to explore different places, views, cultures, to see what they’re about.”

If Callum Hudson-Odoi seems confident, with both his words and modes of expression, it’s because it stems from earned experience. After being drawn in by the social media hype as a young baller, he now chooses to stay away from the “opinionated” environment, focusing instead on what he control. For the next generation – including his nephew, Huddersfield Town’s Cameron Ashia – he has plenty of wisdom to impart. “Stay humble and graft,” he declares. “Put the hard hours in behind closed doors, and hopefully your dreams come true.”

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Photo & Direction | Haruki

Fashion & Creative Direction | Marcus Pancho

Talent Consultant | Rhys Marcus Jay

Club | Nottingham Forest FC