The star-on-the-rise powerhouse vocalist Olivia Rox recently premiered the official music video for her fourth single, ‘Princess,’ off her debut album, Poprox. Among our favorite releases in 2021, her album Poprox stands out as a beautiful piece of art. Each song has its own unique sound and imagery that is as captivating and emotional as the next. So, if you haven’t already added it to your music repertoire, do it now, and don’t miss out on all the fun.
[apple_music_ad artist=”Olivia Rox” song=”Princess”]‘Princess’ stands out as a love song about finding your true love in an incandescent fairytale, something we all dreamed of when we were young. The song opens with a sparkling piano-filled atmosphere combined with Olivia’s captivating vocals, pulsating with a mesmerizing rhythm that feels like a beating heart. It wouldn’t be wrong to say this rising artist is on her way to becoming the next superstar. With her four-octave-plus range, vibrant imagery, witty personality, and lyrics that speak volumes, she embodies everything that pop culture and music lovers love!
The music video depicts the story of a young stable girl, Olivia, who falls in love with a prince. In a classic tale of forbidden love, their love transcends royal etiquette. As the plot unfolds, we find the prince forced to marry another cruel princess from a faraway kingdom – a marriage of convenience. The prince must ultimately choose between true love and disobedience to the royal command. We will not reveal more spoilers, so watch the music video below to find out who the prince picked.
We couldn’t be more excited about any release this year! And when we got the chance to interview Olivia Rox, we were ecstatic! We couldn’t wait to ask her about not only her music and the new release but also about her forthcoming projects and what we can look forward to seeing from her in the coming months!
What has your experience been like since the release of your LP? How are you feeling?
After releasing my debut LP Poprox, I subsequently dropped four singles to radio, ‘It Girl,’ ‘Galileo,’ ‘Shooting Star,’ and now ‘Princess,’ with their official music videos. Additionally, I released six lyric videos creatively filmed in one take for ‘Say Goodbye,’ ‘Crazy Love,’ ‘Be Happy,’ ‘Outcast,’ ‘I Will Be,’ and ‘Go For It.’ It has only been a few months in between the release of each song from my album Poprox, plus a few side projects that included releasing my own original Christmas song, ‘It’s Christmastime,’ writing a song called ‘Go Vote,’ in which I partnered with multiple organizations to raise awareness of the importance of voting, and releasing an acoustic album, ‘Just a Girl & Her Guitar.’ With ten songs and videos already released from my Poprox, I feel so lucky to get to breathe life into so many of my songs. It is wild to see the growth between each one. I started with a handful of fans, now to see 2+ million followers just on Facebook alone is unbelievable. I celebrate every milestone. So I suppose I have been feeling very inspired through it all – continually writing new songs and working hard to make my dreams a reality. Mostly, I am just grateful to get to do what I love every day. I couldn’t ask for more!
You are working with amazing musicians who have worked with a lot of well-known artists. What’s the most exciting thing about working with them? Did you get any life-changing advice?
Because I grew up in the music industry, I don’t really get starstruck, which is probably a good thing because otherwise, I’d most likely be too in awe to talk to some of the people I’ve been lucky enough to work with! For instance, my mixing engineer, Mick Guzauski, is considered the top in the industry – the guru, so to speak, and has worked with Mariah, Pharrell, Janelle Monet, just to name a few. So I always know I’m in great hands with my incredible team. As with any industry, you should always aim to align yourself with people who know more than you and are more talented and wiser. That way, you can continually grow. One piece of advice is to remain grounded, be authentic and never let success go to my head.
You write your own songs, and they are fantastic! How do you decide on topics for your songs, and what inspires you the most?
Aww, thank you, I appreciate that! I’d say that I’m mostly inspired by my emotions, happiness, heartbreak, and everything in between. I use songwriting as a journal for my life, which is why many of my songs are very personal (and why some will never be released, haha). But I write about everything. There is inspiration everywhere you look, if you know to actually look. There are so many complexities in life and love, and if you have the bravery to acknowledge and write about them, then that’s when some of the best songs can emerge. Because I also write stories, I sometimes find myself writing songs about my characters’ lives and whatever they are going through in their fiction. It opens up a whole new set of songs from experiences that I myself haven’t gone through.
‘Princess’ is described as a love anthem. What is your ultimate one from the past or present?
My ultimate love anthem? Well, I have not written it yet. But seriously, I love ‘Saving All My Love For You’ by Whitney and ‘Make You Feel My Love’ by Adele.
The videography took us right into a fairytale world with ‘Princess,’ a Marilyn Monroe aesthetic with ‘It Girl,’ and you also gave us a Copernicus scientist look with costumes. Which era will be the next?Haha, I love your observation!! I love making authentic videos that take you on a journey. I am a sucker for vintage things. Without giving too much away, I suppose it would be fun to go to the ’50s or ‘60s.
How did you come up with the storyline for your music video?
Often, the music video is as much a part of writing the song as the lyrics and music. Sometimes it’s a visual that’s etched into my mind from the very conception of the song that I know just has to come to fruition one day. So a lot of the visuals in this video were in my head from the start- the kids growing up together in a faraway land, a forbidden love filled with drama when the Prince is engaged to another, cantering on a horse to stop a wedding. Then it was about putting those visuals together and writing the actual screenplay, which would not have been possible without my incredible director and video co-writer Tamara Van Cleef. When it comes to productions, we’re a tight-knit team that complements each other’s strengths and weaknesses, which is a rare thing to find, especially as a mother and daughter team.
Your upcoming release circles around fairytale love. How would you describe fairytale love in real life?
Fairytale love is something that you fight for. Love isn’t always easy, and that strife is what we see in just about every fictional love story. It’s the exact same in real life. I believe once you find your fairytale love, you have to continually fight to protect it and hold on for the epic adventure.
‘Princess’ is all about finding the kind of true, fairytale love everyone dreams of in their lives. Do you believe this kind of love really exists, or is it just a fictional topic for songs, books, and movies?
I do believe it exists. I have seen it firsthand, and it is more powerful than any other force in the world. I definitely hope to one day find it myself. (fingers crossed, knock on wood!)
Do you look up to any fairytale love stories?
Yes, I actually have two pairs of fairytale love role models in my life; my parents, who have been madly in love for almost 30 years, and my grandparents, who have been married 63 years. My grandpa still adores my grandma with the same enthusiasm as when they were younger, and you can see their love in the little things they do for each other every day. If that isn’t something to strive for, I don’t know what is.
Did you draw inspiration from any songs for this fairytale realm ‘Princess’ inhabits?
Growing up, I was always in awe of love stories, fairytales, and happy endings. Some of my favorite love songs are ‘Come Away With Me’ by Norah Jones, ‘1, 2, 3, 4’ by Plain White T’s, and even one of my dad’s songs he wrote for my mom, ‘Our First Dance,’ by Warren Hill.
You accomplished a lot at a young age. Can you tell us about that magical “I made it” moment of yours?
It is funny because I don’t know if I have had that huge, single realization yet! It’s been a combination of a lot of little moments that I am eternally grateful for. “La vie est faite de petits bonheurs.” There were moments when I was nine on stage playing Annie that I thought I had made a big-time – then fast forward to being 12, booking my first commercial in LA. The moment I played a concert in Mexico then hopped on a flight hours later to go to South Korea for a live TV performance airing to millions at 15 years old, or when I was offered a record deal from Warner Brothers Records. Then American Idol, seeing the audience plastered with signs of my name, holding my debut album in my hands filled with songs that I wrote. Seeing my name listed on the charts among artists that I admire; hearing my first single come on the radio for the first time, or that blissful moment when you’ve finished filming a music video and all you can think about is when you will be back on set. I will say a reoccurring “I made it” feeling is when I meet fans out and about. It is one thing when you’re at a concert filled with fans, but when you are shopping at Target, and someone comes up to you to ask for your photo, it’s the real “Oh my gosh” moment. Most importantly, I continue to be grateful for every moment and keep that sense of awe alive with every small success.
You host The Olivia Rox Show featuring different guests and original and cover songs. What made you decide to sort out that kind of content and do you have any fond memories of recording it?
The Olivia Rox Show initially started as a live stream titled Live From My Living Room- The Quarantune Sessions. I was supposed to be on my first official tour for my album Poprox summer of 2020, and we all know how that turned out! So my mind was bursting with creativity, and my body was longing to perform. Hence, the online show was born, which gave me the platform to connect with my fans and perform live. As it grew, I started reaching out to some of my friends through the years to be guests on the show, and before I knew it, an official show was born. I especially loved making the themed specials; Reggae, St. Patrick’s Day, and even one for World Health Day. The opportunity to feature never-before-released original songs and to feature well-known songs was great. In one episode where I featured Jim Peterik, he performed the songs, and I interviewed him. Or another episode with Quino from Big Mountain, who had a #1 hit with the ‘Baby I Love Your Way’ feat. Warren Hill – so we created a live version of the song with Quino, Warren, my band, and me, which was quite memorable. My favorite experiences have definitely been getting to perform with the incredible artists I have on my show. It was wonderful to stay in touch with friends, band members, and fans regardless of distance. There were many wonderful memories from the show!
Your talent encompasses everything- songwriter, singer, actress, dancer, social media viral sensation, and novelist! It’s a big deal, you seem very hardworking and determined, but what’s your secret to success? How do you stay motivated?
Haha, why thank you! I don’t know if I am everything, but maybe one day! Well, I suppose it stems from my upbringing. I have homeschooled my entire life and have always learned how to be a self-learner. Being homeschooled takes a lot of personal motivation. I believe it helps to teach it as well. When I was especially interested in a subject, I could explore my fascination and learn as much as I wanted. Being homeschooled also gave me plenty of extra free time to develop my craft and find my passions. Since I was the only student in my class, the pace adapted to my learning speed, and I managed to finish my studies in time to practice my music. Now, my motivation seems to be on auto-drive. I’m a highly creative person, and sometimes I find myself unable to turn off that creative spark, which I believe is a great thing. When I know there is something to write that’s fragmented in my mind, I have to write it down and put the puzzle pieces together. So, I guess the secret to my success is my passion and love of what I do. When you find what you love, working towards it is not like work at all.
You were signed to Warner Brothers Records when you were only 15. Do you have any tips for young artists?
Absorb everything, learn everything, enjoy everything. Ask questions, even if they seem obvious. Learn about every aspect of the industry that you can, so you are well prepared to take it on and know where your strengths lie. Learn how to budget, read a contract, set up gear, record yourself. You must know the basics, and it also protects you from getting ripped off because you know what’s actually involved in the process. Don’t be afraid of feedback. Although no one WANTS to hear it, constructive criticism is one of the only things that help you grow. At a very young age, I learned that having ‘yes men’ around you can be an ego boost, but it stunts your growth as an artist and person. Always have someone around you that pushes you to be your best self.
What can fans look forward to from Olivia Rox as 2021 ends or 2022 begins? Will anything exciting happen?
Yes! I am always creating something. You can look forward to another epic music video (hint: from another era) dropping in a few months, and I have been working hard in the background to bring you some exciting endeavors. I’ll let you in on a little secret- my own branded music festival, which I haven’t officially announced yet. In addition, I will be publishing my first novel somewhat soon, and I can’t wait to share it with the world.
There you have it! We have finally revealed the big secret. Olivia Rox is putting on her very own music festival that we are eagerly anticipating. You can expect a night filled with so much excitement, thrill, and loads of new and old music by Olivia Rox. We are eagerly waiting for more music and live concerts to come our way. Keep an eye on this section to stay informed about all the new music and tours coming soon.
We would also like to thank Olivia Rox for her time, and we can not wait for whatever you have planned next! It is no exaggeration to say that the moment we heard this newest single, we felt euphoric on an unimaginable level. Do yourself a favor and listen to ‘Princess’ right here!
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Featured Image Source: Courtesy of Olivia Rox. Edited by: Afnan Acharki- THP Graphic Design Team
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