an interview with Olive Louise

Olive Louise is backing with her newest single "Undefined"! Olive and I chat about how "Undefined" was created, what inspired the track, and so much more!

Hi Olive! It’s so nice being able to interview you again, how have you been? I’m good! Thankfully! I’ve been writing a lot more music, playing chess, going on hikes, all the good stuff. You’ve just released your newest single “Undefined”! Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind it, and how it came about? I had a quick break between classes at school and was feeling pretty down so I locked myself in a practice room, and it just sort of happened. It’s like I feel the melody before I play it. I just get this feeling that I need to get to a piano and then the chords and lead line are all right there, literally I don’t need to search for it. I didn’t have words yet for how I was feeling, so listening back to that original recording is just me humming over the lead piano I wrote. In your music you have such a big sense of vulnerability and honesty, how do you portray this so profoundly without hiding parts of it away? I don’t think I’ve ever been good at hiding how I’m feeling. Everything shows up on my face and in my tone but it works well in terms of writing and being able to just put it all out there! In your songs there’s always an exploration of mourning, and anxieties. With “Undefined” there’s so much hope, how did you go on to find that growth not only in your personal life, but in your music? I’d love to say I’ve mastered my anxiety and I’m all good now and I’ve moved past grief but the truth is that it’s always going to be there on some level, it’s just about turning it into background noise so you’re able to be a person and feel joy and stability. I started working on implementing healthier patterns, in my day to day- like, speaking up for myself. Seems easy enough, but I found It was really hard for me. I think learning to speak up for myself in a way that wasn’t aggressive and rather came from a place of knowing it was perfectly fine to stand up for myself, was such a game changer. It made me feel more like I didn’t have to apologize for everything. Aside from that, little things. I put up more family photos in my place in my own time. I tried to implement a more structured routine. Structure really helps. Just feeling like I could trust myself and rely on myself opened up my writing to be more free flowing. You’ve been able to master your craft, and self reflect at the same time. Has this helped you develop more as a musician? I have no idea! I think it’s more my willingness to try new things and my craving of new experiences that’s helped the most. I love writing while on the road, even if it’s a short trip to Windham in the winter. New places do it for me. Also, I have a journal that I’ve drawn in over the past couple of years, it’s nearly full. The drawings are almost like a road map of how I’ve felt over time. It’s full of many eyes, flowers, mountains, and weird cartoon creatures. Was the creative and writing process for “Undefined” different from “Bad Things”? Definitely. This one was like a collage over time. It traveled with me from Times Square, to Fresh Meadows to Queens and through different stages of my life until I was ready to finish writing it. It felt like unpacking a suitcase and finally putting the clothes on shelves! It found a permanent home. Was there any particular band or artists sound that inspired “Undefined”?

Possibly unknowingly, I was in musical theater school and so I was listening to people sing all the time. Lots of Rodgers and Hammerstein. What came first for your newest track music, or lyrics? The piano and humming over it. It’s usually humming and a few lines here or there in the car, on a walk, in the bath. It’s like I need to catch it while it’s there. How do you go about portraying your true self in your music? I make sure that I’m not writing to please anyone else. The second I stop doing that, I love what I’m doing again. Who would you most like to collaborate with if given the chance? ooh! Markus Dravs,Neil Frances, and I’d also love to collaborate with Galen Hooks. I mean my head even goes towards creating with Tim Burton. There are so many amazing people in the arts. There’s been so much growth in your music since you released “Bad Things”, what helps you grow in general? Fighting fear. Whatever I’m scared of is usually what’s holding me back and what I should be doing. What advice would you give someone who wants to not be afraid of being vulnerable? It helps to think of the pros and cons of opening up. If you want to be more vulnerable, you probably feel disconnected so the pro would be feeling more connected to those around you, having better communication, and feeling like you’re not hiding anymore- the con would be the possibility of not being accepted or having someone treat you differently because of it, but there is freedom in opening up. Even if someone doesn’t accept you, you’ll feel the strength from knowing you were open and yourself. If you can do that, stuff will roll off your shoulders. As you know, we’re all about discovering new music! Who are you listening to right now, that you think we should be listening too? My favorite songs right now are Birdy’s cover of Blue Skies, Oren Lavie’s Dance Around The Memory Tree, and Dreaming by 1-800 Lost/ Jade Alice. That last one is absolutely my favorite song right now.

Words by Melody

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