Olive Louise

Brooklyn songwriter Olive Louise pours a ton of talent and life experience into her music. She’s a classically trained pianist with a knack for crafting pure pop melodies and a penchant for incorporating deeply personal themes into her lyrics. This deft combination makes for some compelling music, as her sparkling and at times dark brand of indie pop sees her dissect how different life events have shaped her as a person. In 2020, she released two great singles, “Undefined” and “Bad Things,” both of which explore the challenges that accompany battling feelings of anxiety and depression. The songs are ones of strength, though, as they reflect on these experiences with an eye towards moving forward, and listening to them may very well aide listeners on their own journeys.

With 2020 in the rearview mirror, we caught up with Olive to chat about her musical background, her two most recent singles, the awesome video for “Bad Things,” and more:

You were initially exposed to music at a very young age through your mother, who was a pianist. What are some of your earliest music-related memories and when did you realize that you wanted to be a musician?

One of my earliest memories was seeing my mom playing the piano on stage at Tilles Center. The stage was lit up and the audience was dark and everyone was almost in a trance. Something in the music changed and I started crying and was so happy that no one could see me. It was an experience I couldn’t make sense of at that age but It’s just a testament to the fact that music is a universal language and you’re not immune to feelings from it. The piece was one from The Planets by the composer Gustav Holst. Unknowingly, that may have been my very first experience with realizing I wanted to be a musician. I love feeling deeply. I feel the most present when I’m really immersed in my feelings.

You seemed to be very serious and disciplined about playing music from a very early age. Are there some early lessons that you still carry with you and apply to your current work? How do you think you’ve evolved as an artist over the course of your life?

Practice things slowly and do it a million times! I apply it to life too, whatever you’re putting off is what you need to be spending your time doing. There’s a lot of satisfaction and confidence that comes from getting over a hurdle. I’m scared of new things, but If I don’t try new things I’ll never find new things I enjoy. I despise not being able to play something well the first time, but with time it gets better and I can say, hey, progress. I’m just not scared to talk about real experiences anymore. For example, I’m writing this new song and the opening two lines are “ took a bus to your small town, and you surprised me with ketamine”.  I would have been scared to put that down. I’d worry people would think I do ketamine, or would misinterpret me. Truth is, it’s about an experience in my life from when I was lonely and wanted love and visited someone who I found out had just taken ketamine, and then this fairytale in my head crumbled and I was literally surprised and stuck in this tiny town with someone I didn’t really even know. I’m just not scared of how people take me anymore. Who cares. 

I was very sorry to read that you tragically lost both of your parents when you were a child. Your latest single, “Undefined,” powerfully grapples with processing the grief that set in in relation to this loss as you reached adulthood. The overall message, though, is one of comfort and strength in the face of these challenges. How’d the song come together and what do you hope people take away from it? 

There was a lot of growth in different areas and I felt like I was so far away from who my parents had wanted me to be that I started to worry, If I ever get to see them again will they still love me, will they recognize me” and Undefined was really my way of reassuring myself that I could find happiness again and that I would always be loved by them. I had to realize that I was growing up, and inevitably you change as you get older. You experience very new things. I was allowed to do that and they would want that for me. 

What I really like about your music is you’re not afraid to be vulnerable and the focus of your music is on your story - no matter the experience. Have you always approached songwriting in this manner? Do you find it challenging or do you find the process to be so therapeutic that it’s ultimately worth it? 

My songwriting used to be more tame. I was scared to really write my feelings and always found a watered down version of what I meant that felt safe enough to put out. It’s not challenging anymore. Nothing feels better than capturing an experience exactly how I felt it in the moment. It’s like an adrenaline rush when I capture it again in song form.

The video you made for your single “Bad Things” is incredible! How’d you come up with the concept for it and how were you able to execute it? Also, tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind the track, as the lyrics seem to be tied to the narrative of the video. 

 I couldn’t have done it myself. I was so lucky to be working with the hardest working and most creative people ever. My boyfriend Harrison produced that track with me, and he’s one of the most creative people I’ve ever known. It was his idea to have the chair upside down on the ceiling for that one shot in the music video, and he and the cinematographer, our friend, Blake Gaytan, really worked magic making that happen. Lani, my friend and stylist found the most amazing vintage clothing and helped create the weird tardigrade costumes by hand. It was all hands on deck. I can’t stress enough how big of a team effort that video was to pull off. We all chipped in with staging the therapist scene and the bedroom scene. I wanted an almost Alice in Wonderland, dystopian nightmare for the music video to represent my feelings of anxiety as a child in therapy. I’m still so grateful to everyone who was a part of it. 

How have you been spending your time recently given the circumstances? Have you been able to write and record more than usual given the circumstances? 

Definitely yes. I’m writing a ton. My fiance and I, ( I got engaged this year! ) go hiking a lot, and love nature and being outdoors and I think being able to have the time to do that has really made me feel much better and that’s helped my writing more than I even know. That and yoga. Yoga gets a weird rep, but scientifically it’s proven to help stress so I don’t really get it. It works. 

Since live music is currently on hold, which song of yours are you most excited to perform live once shows return? 

Right now, “High As The Sinktop,” which isn’t even out yet and is produced by Jonny Shor! I can’t wait. It’s such a fun song and the process of creating it with him was just incredible. I love singing it and just know that live, this one’s going to be so fun. 

Who are some of your favorite New York City-based artists/bands that you’d recommend to our readers?

I love Julia Wolf. She’s from Queens and her writing is so unique and her new song “High Waist Jeans” is on repeat and Samia Finnerty, her new song “Big Wheel” is truly poetic. 

What’s next for you? 

Lots more music with awesome people.

Stream Olive Louise’s music on your platform of choice. Keep up with her by following her on Instagram and liking her on Facebook. Stay tuned, as her next single and video are dropping later this month!