Exclusive Interview: Olivia O’Brien Talks All Things ‘blip,’ girlhood records, and More!

We are making our best attempts at staying calm as we write this introduction to our interview with an artist we’ve loved since the ‘I hate u, i love u’ days! Of course, we are talking about the now full-blown popstar, Olivia O’Brien! Olivia O’Brien is one of those artists that, if you go through her discography in order, you can truly see the growth happen in real-time. You can watch her come into her own as an artist and experiment with sounds and ways of writing, and that leads us to where we are today, talking all about ‘blip’ and what’s in store for the future. Since we chatted with Olivia O’Brien, she has released a track called ‘glimpse of me’ which, along with ‘blip,’ is a must listen! (you can do so here)

Let’s jump in to our chat with Olivia O’Brien!

Stream ‘blip’ here!

Hi Olivia! Welcome to The Honey POP! We are huge fans and can’t wait to dive into these questions! To start us off, for anyone that isn’t aware of who you are and the music you make, how would you describe your sound/message to any new listeners?
The first thing i would say is to not just listen to my top tracks! i have experimented with a lot of different sounds over the years because i was only sixteen when i started. my new sound is a lot more organic and raw than a lot of the stuff i put out when i was younger. i like to think that i reverted back to what i did when music was just a hobby… which included mainly just myself and a guitar. i have a playlist on my Spotify page called “my favorites” that includes my personal favorites from my catalog. I’d start there, because i think those songs are the closest sounding to what i am making now.

‘blip’ is your newest track! We’ve seen what a strong reaction this song has elicited from fans, and seen what it means to them, but to you, what meaning does ‘blip’ hold?
‘blip’ was the first song i made with an amazing producer named Jackson (daywave). i was in a bit of a rut with my writing at the time and had been doing a lot of sessions with other songwriters. when i worked with Jackson, it was just the two of us and i was a bit nervous at first because i wasn’t feeling confident in my writing abilities. i also had just had one of the worst weeks of my life mentally. much to my surprise, i wrote one of my favorite songs to date. i had a poem i wrote that would eventually become the hook of ‘blip’ … i also just loved the word “blip” at the time and thought it would make a cool title. he wrote a beautiful guitar part and i just kind of started singing my poem in whatever melody cane out naturally to me. it was a very cathartic experience and since then i have written many more songs with Jackson in the same way. it reignited my passion for music and my confidence in my ability as a writer. it also helped me get back to my roots and reminded me why i started writing music in the first place… to get my feelings off my chest and express my creativity for no one but myself.

The visuals around ‘blip’ blew us away! Where did the inspiration come for that aspect of the creative process?
i wanted to create a world for this song and this project that aligned with the new organic sound. i thought long and hard about what i really love and how i would want to present myself visually if no one else’s opinions matter. i love all things vintage… clothes, architecture, home decor, classic cars, old music… i wanted that to be a big part of this era. i hired a wonderful creative director, Callum walker Hutchinson, and he had the idea for the ‘blip’ visuals to be like a bride who was left at the altar. i coincidentally had just bought a white Victorian looking gunne sax dress that fit the vibe perfectly and i knew i had to wear it. we did a 1960s hair and makeup look as an ode to Priscilla Presley, i was very inspired by the new film Priscilla and how beautiful she is and always was… and of course, we had a classic car to top it all off. i think the ‘blip’ visuals are my favorite from the whole project.

We have to ask, is ‘blip’ a stand-alone release? Or are we looking at the start of a larger project? 
I have a project coming in a slightly unconventional way. i will be releasing a lot of music this year broken up into a couple parts as well as a few singles before each project. i love that i have the freedom to release music in this way and it has been very fun to piece it all together! the projects have their own unique themes and I’ve really enjoyed the process of building a story and a world for my new music.

‘blip’ is such a lyrical triumph, featuring some of our favorite lines we’ve heard on a track so far this year, in particular, “I was a roadblock, you were my catalyst” When you look at the lyrics to the track, is there one that really stands out as one you’re particularly proud of?
Because I wrote the lyrics to ‘blip’ by myself, i definitely have a lot more pride in my words than in songs that i have written with other people. i think the roadblock/catalyst line actually is probably my favorite because it was such an “aha!” moment when i came up with that one. i knew that the word catalyst fit so perfectly and i thought: what is something that has the same significance to a catalyst as a “blip” does in someone’s timeline or an “extra” does in a movie about someone else? i think i almost said “i was an obstacle” but it did not feel right… as soon as i sang “roadblock” i knew it was perfect.

‘blip’ is your first release on girlhood records! Can you tell us a little bit about girlhood records and what inspired you to start this endeavor?
girlhood records is the name of my label under ADA, the distribution company I recently signed with. it felt empowering to be able to put something out through something that i created, with a name that I picked. as of now, it is kind of just for me but i would love to be able to sign other artists eventually. being with a distribution company instead of a “traditional” label has been such an incredible experience so far and I can’t wait to see where it takes me!

You’ve been putting out music for about a decade, with the ‘Complicated’ cover coming out in 2015, when you look back at that version of yourself as an artist, what do you see as the biggest difference to now, the artist who just released ‘blip?’ 
I can’t even say there is one “biggest difference” because i was an entirely different human being. i was fifteen years old, i had never been in a writing session or recorded a real song, i was living in Napa, i knew absolutely nothing about music and had less than zero confidence in myself let alone confidence that I could make music as a career. It may be easier for me to tell you the one thing that is the same. I feel as though, in my insecure confusion trying to please the world and find my sound over the years, I lost the thing that was so special about my art. I tried to put myself in this “pop” box and, because i literally had no experience or discernible “artistry,” i had such a hard time figuring out what my strengths were or what i should be doing. i had a moment a few months ago where i remembered that my biggest song of all time was written in my room on a shitty Yamaha keyboard by fifteen year old me with no knowledge of music, a broken heart, and no intention of anyone ever hearing it. lately i have been channeling her, writing how i feel with no holds barred and singing whatever simple melody comes to me the easiest. both current and past me are being as vulnerable and honest as we can be, no matter what.

We have to chat a bit about “Was It Even Real?” that album was such an important project to us, and features so many incredible tracks! When you look back at that body of work, is there a song that stands out as one that you have only grown to love more over time?

I think “just friends” is probably my favorite right now because it’s closets to the music i am making now, but my favorite track definitely changes all the time. honorable mentions go out to “we lied to each other, ”inhibition (omw),” “i don’t exist,” and of course “purpleworld.”

‘blip’ live is something we are dying to experience! Are there live shows in the near future? And what goes into crafting first-time performances of new songs? 

I am doing a few live shows but no tours or anything like that have been planned. a lot goes into crafting a live performance for a new song, but it depends a lot on what the performance is. sometimes the first time i play a song, it will be a stripped back acoustic version just my guitarist and myself… and sometimes it’s a big production with a band and tracks! it really all depends. for my shows in the future I’d love to be able to play guitar as well as sing so that is something i am working on now.

Thank you so much for chatting with us Olivia! Now that ‘blip’ is out into the world, what is on the horizon? What can fans get excited about?

I will be putting out a LOT of music this year so there is a lot to look forward to. I am not giving myself much time to rest between releases, that’s all I’ll say for now!

Check out more of our exclusive interviews like this one with Olivia O’Brien here!

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