Rising Music Star Olivia Reid On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry

An Interview With Elana Cohen

There are only benefits from making sure everyone has the opportunity to feel seen by someone else who’s like them. I remember hearing she/her pronouns in a love song written by a woman for the first time, and the more I saw that representation, the safer I felt using those pronouns honestly in my own love songs. More diversity and inclusion = more art, that’s more honest.

As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Olivia Reid.

A calming vocalist with a strong pen, songs by Olivia Reid rest well within the soul, with tempos mirroring the pace of a steady heartbeat, and lyrics that articulate the most intimate parts of the human experience. Her production style blends indie acoustics with exploratory electronic pop soundscapes, landing listeners in a visceral sonic world.

As a self-proclaimed “chronic collaborator,” Reid has connected with audiences around the world via collaborations such as “Time is Mine” with Kidswaste, “What You Came Here For” with Jae Luna, and “Above the Clouds” with SŸDE — a track with over 20 million streams on Spotify alone. Also a chronic creative, Reid is constantly exploring new ideas in innovation technology, education, screenwriting, and podcasting — notably hosting the Spotify for Artists and Noteable series entitled, Song Start. There, Reid brought her multifaceted approach to production, songwriting, and human creativity to the table, in conversations with the likes of Sam Smith, Victoria Monét, Take a Daytrip and Hayley Williams of Paramore.

“Olivia Reid’s debut EP Earth Water hit streaming platforms in 2021. Her upcoming single, “Runner’s High,” is set for release on March 3rd of 2023, ushering in a new era of music on the horizon. Fueled by deeply personal lyrics and boundary-pushing production, this new project conceptually details an artist’s slow descent into madness.”

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story.” Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

Sure thing, I grew up outside of Sacramento in California. Really beautiful area, suburbs for sure, but beautiful sunsets and grassy hills. Growing up I was (and still am) a chronic student, I love learning new things especially in science and math. I binge read books and was an activity kid, signing up for anything and everything, never at home for too long. I played guitar, did choir, and started writing songs then dabbled with screenwriting and directing short videos for school projects all while doing competitive soccer, volleyball, and Taekwondo. But music was my safe space. I’d write songs late at night, always a solitary activity, my way of journaling or tapping into emotions that were hard to describe. I struggled with migraines, and a weakened immune system growin’ up, and didn’t sleep well due to vividly lucid dreams, so writing music helped me communicate those pains as a kid along with anything else that was weighing on me from life or family. Music was the throughline that was present when I was running around, reading, studying, creating. And that’s continued to be true as I started to write and produce my own music. It’s the throughline of everything.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When I played my very first show in New York, I planned on doing a cover of the Gnarls Barkley song, “Crazy.” So, I introduced the song, started playing the chords, and then could not for the life of me remember any of the words. It’s like the song had completely left my memory! I started laugh and just had to just stop and say, “so actually I can’t remember it at all. So, here’s my next song…” it was so funny. We all had a good laugh about it and some people that were at that show are still like “hey remember your AMAZING cover of ‘Crazy??’” I learned that it’s best to be real and just laugh it off. Half the time a crowd remembers the laughs and the good time you give them, more than a perfectly executed song. It makes performances feel human!

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I’m very excited about this new EP project, the set of 6 songs coming out this year. After working on these songs for quite a bit of time, I realized the project reflected the trajectory of someone seemingly losing their mind, only to realize that the sensation of madness was a signal of healing. It’s a very introspective project and in the lyrics, I’m exploring how the journey to healing feels foreign and isolating after traumatic experiences. I had this illusion that some emotions are arcane or inexplicable, but I wanted to try to break those emotions down, and unpack them. It’s been exciting to then pair those emotions with new sound design styles and bring each of these feelings to life.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

Absolutely!

1) There are only benefits from making sure everyone has the opportunity to feel seen by someone else who’s like them. I remember hearing she/her pronouns in a love song written by a woman for the first time, and the more I saw that representation, the safer I felt using those pronouns honestly in my own love songs. More diversity and inclusion = more art, that’s more honest.

2) Many doors have been shut for a long time in the art space, that were closed actively against diversity. Female writers had male alter-egos in order to publish their work, Black Americans had their songs ripped off by white performers, some version of that story was true for all creators who weren’t cis white men. While we can’t go back in time to open the doors for those folks in their time, we can open as many as possible now. It’s an active choice to make sure the door is open and accessible for everyone to create.

3) We can often live in our own bubbles and be somewhat ignorant to any other type of experience but our own. So much hatred is sparked in that very ignorance. So, diversity in music, film, and television allows people in their own bubbles to hear about or learn about an experience that’s different from theirs. This helps us understand each other more and empathize with each other so much more.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

I think I’d say that: Nothing is a waste of time. Did you help someone else today? That’s meaningful. Did you take care of yourself today? That’s meaningful. Did you give yourself rest? That’s meaningful. Did you have a new idea? That’s meaningful. It’s all forward motion! No day is going to look the same, but no day is a waste.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I think a global shift into a world without plastics or single-use plastics would wildly impact our world in a positive way. There are things like health care materials or safety mechanisms that are obviously reliant on the plastic system, but if possible, to find sustainable alternatives for all the plastic we use in our daily lives OR a new way to break down plastics sustainably for reuse. Wow. Could you imagine that world?

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I’m grateful for my sister’s support. She’s at almost every show, she tells everyone about my music, and she just doesn’t waver in her belief that it’s something I’m supposed to do. I think she also connects or understands the intricacies of the music itself. Because we have so many shared experiences from growing up, I think she can really hear me in the music.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

I’ve been really impacted by the work of Oliver Sacks. My favorite quote offhand is. ‘Every act of perception, is to some degree an act of creation, and every act of memory is to some degree an act of imagination.’ It’s not your average motivational quote, but to me it speaks to the power of our mind on the overall perception of our lives. That nothing is stationary or linear, but life is instead a constant exchange of experience with perception with thoughts with creation.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

I think Florence Welch, of Florence and The Machine fame. I feel such a visceral soul connect with her music and her writing. I would love to sit down, drink tea, hear her stories and share our experience of the world.

How can our readers follow you online?

I’m on most social platforms like Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok at @oliviareidmusic and you can follow me on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your music to hear new tunes as they come out! I’ve also got a newsletter and contact page on my website at www.oliviareid.com/contact Reach out and say hi, I would love to hear from anyone who enjoys the tunes!

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!