Meet Olivia Rose | Songwriter & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Olivia Rose and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Olivia, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I always knew that my life just had to revolve around music. Ever since I was little and heard Taylor Swift on the radio for the first time, I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. Songwriting and performing are two of my favorite things to do, and it was never an option for me not to pursue artistry as a career.

I am also a little bit obsessed with self expression. I strive for authenticity in everything I do, from the lyrics I write to the clothes I wear. I keep my outfits colorful and a little silly, and I write the most honest lyrics I can stand to write. Also, I’ve recently incorporated the bass into my artistry, which has been such a cool experience. I feel like learning a new instrument or skill means I’ve unlocked a new part of myself, and it leads to me expressing myself in a way I hadn’t before. It’s so exciting! And I get to have that be part of my career!

All to say, being able to have a career that centers around my creative ideas is really awesome, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I write and perform songs that are a fusion of Taylor Swift, Sara Bareilles, Hayley Williams/Paramore, and HAIM. I write honest reflections about love, mental health, and anything that is on my mind. Songwriting is the only way I can accurately sum up what happens in my head, so, if you were to listen to me sing about mental health for three minutes, you’d have gotten a glimpse into a very intimate space in my mind.

However, I also love to write lighthearted pop songs, and I have been trying to emphasize this process lately. Songwriting is my therapy, but that doesn’t mean it has to be intensely introspective; it can take the form of writing a synth pop bop to cheer me up! This is a new lane I’ve been super excited about exploring, and it lends itself nicely to this new bass era that I’m in as well.

A lesson I’ve learned while on the artist journey is that there is always exploration to be done, and it’s okay to not have things fully figured out. I am 22, and I just graduated college (with a songwriting degree), so this is a bit of an interesting and intimidating time for me. I am fully on my own, exploring new sides of myself, not knowing exactly where it’s gonna lead–and that’s okay.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am such a sentimental person that when my best friends come to town, I don’t immediately show them the touristy spots. Instead, I show them places like LA College of Music (where I recently graduated from), the first apartment I lived in when I moved to LA, and my favorite tide pools to explore at Will Rogers Beach. I just think it’s so cool that when my best friends that I grew up with come visit me in LA, I get to show them a glimpse of the life I crafted out here by showing them the places I frequent. I would also have to give them a tour of my favorite coffeeshops/cafes, like Homebrewed Bar, Ginger Corner Marketplace, Republik, and Canyon Coffee.

Something else that I love about when my friends from home (Phoenix, AZ) come to visit is that they get to meet the friends I’ve made out here. It’s so cool to see my worlds collide, and then my friends from different places become friends with each other! It fills me with so much joy.

I will also say that I’m not a huge nightlife person (I’m a bit of a homebody past 8pm), but I can’t let my friends leave LA without a night out in WeHo. We would start by splurging on a dinner at SUR (I’m a huge fan of Vanderpump Rules, so this is a must), and then we’d bar hop along Santa Monica Blvd. It’s my favorite bar scene in LA, and it reminds me that it actually is fun to go out every now and then.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Firstly, I am incredibly lucky to have grown up with such supportive parents. I don’t take for granted that they believed in me enough to let me move to LA when I was 19 to make this career happen. I also have to recognize the friends that I grew up with, who cheered me on at elementary school talent shows and continued to encourage me as I got older. Then, in LA, I was met with such great support from teachers/mentors I had in college and all of the friends I made. My best friends out here are also artists and songwriters themselves, which makes for a pretty special connection. It is just such an incredible community to be a part of.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiimoliviarose/

Image Credits
SULU