Pop starlet Olivia Lunny might be scribbling love poems to the Hollywood hills right now, but this isn’t her first flirtation with Tinseltown’s finest. Last year, she hit the road with Ellie Goulding, the ethereal voice behind the glowing ‘Love Me Like You Do.’ Let’s be real: it would probably be the first tune to crawl out of Olivia’s iPod if we hit shuffle. And if that isn’t enough of a flex, she was also microphone-sharing pals with Eurovision’s winner Loreen. So, yeah, it’s her who’s got the cred to hang out with A-listers and then write a love letter to the picturesque hills that house them.
Suppose the TikTok-worthy clips of sun-kissed hair swept by a fresh breeze are the makeup that makes the view even more glamorous. In that case, Olivia’s latest release, ‘City of Angels,’ is the setting powder, perfecting and pulling this newest era together. But she’s not just hanging with today’s It girlies—she’s channeling the spirits of these fashion darlings, too. Think Marilyn Monroe, so are you as intrigued as she was intriguing? Olivia’s got a little secret to share with us as we chatted about her new single!
Guilty Reality TV Pleasures
Hi Olivia, welcome back to the hive! Last year, you had the exciting opportunity to open for Ellie Goulding’s HIGHER THAN HEAVEN Tour, but she’s not the first big celebrity you’ve supported. One of your firsts was through your stint on The Launch in 2019, where you won the opportunity to open for Lionel Richie. What learning experience did you take from that opportunity that later helped you with Ellie’s?
Opening for an icon like Lionel was such a bucket list moment for me. It definitely helped me go into the Ellie tour with an expectation and idea of what big audiences are like! I did 13 shows with Ellie back to back, with 17 with Loreen. Playing this many shows in a row built my stamina tremendously as a performer and vocalist. I loved touring so much and can’t wait to be back on the road in the new year.
Speaking of reality television, you said in your Ask Anything Chats that you could never do Love Island because you are a hopeless romantic. However, we’ve thought of one way to get past this: by being on their epic soundtrack! Is there a particular song that you think would fit the vibe of the show?
My Song ‘Fix This’ with Bryce Vine would be the perfect song to be in Love Island. It explores the universal ebb and flow we all experience emotionally in relationships.
‘GAMEBOY’
We love the personification around ‘GAMEBOY’ and how you’ve compared something that teenage boys typically play with to toying with your heart. Did you engage in the console back in the day, and if so, what game did you lose hours in?
I absolutely had a pink Nintendo DS. Animal Crossings was my game of choice. I played many, many hours of that game, hahah.
The official lyric video for the song is done so creatively as if it were a retro throwback to Tetris. You’ve constantly pushed artistic boundaries, too, since this isn’t the first time you’ve thought out of the box—‘Dominoes’ features stop motion, for example. Can you give us a hint about the uniquely artistic touches of this new era?
This new era explores the two very distinct sides of my artistry/life. It merges my raw, acoustic, humble beginning vibes with the glitz and glam of moving to Los Angeles, being on the road, and encountering so many interesting people and experiences along the way.
‘City of Angels’
Your newest tune, ‘City of Angels,’ is a self-professed love story to Los Angeles. Undoubtedly, it will be played in the car when Angelenos are driving around—but is there a specific location that you feel would give locals the ultimate listening experience? Perhaps while driving through the coastal views of Santa Monica Bay or high up above on the Hollywood Sign?
Driving The PCH, windows down, sun shining, or driving down the Sunset Strip at night time. I listen to the most music when I’m in the car. For me, if a song can pass the “car test,” then it’s always a winner :).
The song has a gorgeously lush intro with the same chords being repeated in its outro. Can you tell us what atmospheric sounds and energy of Los Angeles you wanted to capture through the song’s production?
The intro and outro of ‘City of Angels’ is whimsical. It captures the surreal “life is a movie” feeling lots of people experience when coming to this place.
By sprinkling a touch of Marilyn Monroe energy to your Halloween celebration and captioning “marilyn state of mind 👠 ” on one of your TikTok videos, it’s clear that you, just like everyone else, view her as the epitome of Hollywood royalty—and rightfully so. What traits do you think added to her timeless appeal?
Marilyn Monroe’s style will forever be iconic. She was and still is the Epitome of Hollywood’s “It girl.” My song ‘Marilyn,’ which will be on my upcoming album, pays tribute to her and romanticizes how it’d feel to be the modern-day Marilyn.
The chorus for ‘City of Angels’ has a notably dark tone, which is emphasized beautifully by your acoustic rendition. Having come from a small town, what advice would you give your younger self about diving so profoundly into city life, knowing what you do now?
I’m grateful to have always had a strong sense of self and values. Moving to LA hasn’t changed that for me; rather, it opened my eyes and tested me. I’d tell the younger me to keep being authentic and not get lost in the noise of comparison or what’s “trendy & cool.” As I get older, I realize in a saturated place like Los Angeles, authenticity is one thing that sets you apart from the crowd :).
We get a cheeky glimpse of its music video through a video of a camera playback on your TikTok, and we’re obsessed with the outfits already! What was the filming process like?
It was so fun to dive into the creative for this project. Going into this album, I had a very strong idea of the themes/vibes/substance matter I wanted to explore in my lyrics and visuals, etc. I’m super grateful to have a team that’s always down to try new things and play around!
Covering The Stars
Finally, we must talk about your hauntingly mesmerizing cover of Harry Styles’ ‘As It Was’ for the Recording Academy that feels like something straight out of Bridgerton. How did that opportunity come about, and do you remember the first inkling around having a gut instinct that it would work well as an orchestral rendition?
Once a month, The Recording Academy picks an up-and-coming artist to showcase. I was so honored to have the opportunity to choose a previously Grammy-nominated song. I chose ‘As It Was’ for obvious reasons: it’s an incredible song. I sat down with the guitar, changed the chords, and listened to the lyrics more deeply for the first time. The song itself has profound depth; I knew I wanted to incorporate strings the moment I changed the chords to make the song more melancholy. I’m BEYOND thrilled with how it turned out. I hope I made Harry proud.
So, will you blast ‘City of Angels’ as your car’s windows are rolled down? You know we will. Cruise along with us for the ride via our socials: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook! Maybe we’ll let you be a loving passenger princess by gushing about your favorite bits.
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