Odette on a later-in-life autism diagnosis: ‘It completely revolutionised the way that I exist’

Sydney singer-songwriter Odette has revealed she was diagnosed with autism last year. The artist, whose full name is Georgia Odette Sallybanks, also got sober around the same time. She says the diagnosis changed how she understands herself and her music. Her third album, Blink, comes five years after her last record and is out now. It is not the first time a diagnosis has reshaped her work. In 2021 she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder just before her second album was released.

Odette was signed to a major label as a teenager and released her debut, To A Stranger, in 2018. She has since earned four ARIA nominations. Autism is often missed in girls and women. Many learn to copy social behaviour, so their struggles are hidden. As a result, lots of women are only diagnosed in their twenties or later. For many people, a late diagnosis brings relief rather than shock. It explains a lifetime of feeling different.

Many young people wait years for answers about why they feel out of step. Odette's story shows a diagnosis can be a relief, not a label.