Olivia’s life story interview

Olivia: I’ve been coming to United Response about two to three years now, and I’ve really enjoyed coming, and found it’s really helped me with my music and I’m just gaining confidence, and then working with Andy’s been really good as well. He’s helped me do gigs and get my music out there.

INTERVIEWER: So, is that what you originally came to do as well? It was sort of musical focus?

Olivia: Yeah, I’d say so. Before I came here, I did a music college course at the Jam Factory for two years, where I got the opportunity there to do other gigs and things. And then I went on to Tang Hall Smart and did music there for a bit. And then I found obviously United Response and joined here, then kind of progressed to music further.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah.

ANDY: Yeah, I think it was more of a chance for you to look as a solo musician, was it? I think here, rather than being part of a bigger group, is that- would it be fair in saying that?

Olivia:Yeah, that would be fair.

INTERVIEWER: Did you have a lot of background in music? Did you always sing? Do you play an instrument?

Olivia:: I’ve been singing since since I was four. I used to do, like, mini concerts for like my parents and then any family- any family that would come round and then my mum kind of always thought that it would progress into something. But I’ve kind of grown up with like the influences of, like, Disney music, bits of Queen, rock music from my dad. And there’s really older music. But then I’ve grown like a love for pop music, which is mainly what my songs are.

Andy: Yeah, I think that comes across as well, doesn’t it in the songs that you’ve written.

Olivia: Yeah

ANDY: You’ve got a lot of guitars going on as well, and that’s not just me playing them, it’s your influence on the kind of things that you’ve listened to, isn’t it as well?

INTERVIEWER: Yeah.

Olivia: Yeah, definitely.

INTERVIEWER: Who would you say sort of inspires your music the most? A couple of artists?

Olivia: I’d say Lewis Capaldi’s one, and it’s like, how he writes such meaningful songs. And for me, those songs – he shares such powerful messages to other people, like talking about his mental health and letting other people know that they’re not the only ones going through it.

INTERVIEWER: Is that something you want to get across in your music as well, that similar sort of message?

ANDY: I’d say it’s with Somebody?

Olivia:  With Somebody, I did to let people know they don’t need to, like, cover themselves up or pretend to be someone else. Just being yourself. It’s all that matters really. I’d say music brings out – brings out my confidence, more like- I really struggle, like being social with other people. Like I find it really hard to hold a conversation or talk to someone but when I’m singing, I don’t have that. It’s like that anxiety there, it’s just not not there anymore.        

INTERVIEWER: Yeah, I can definitely, definitely relate to that.

Olivia: So, my mum is a singer herself. She’s always doing the singing and I wouldn’t say my Dad’s musical. He’s more a bit of a techie nerd. My brother is a musician as well, he plays guitar. He’s always wanted to make it as a like a session musician. And then, my sister, she’s not musical either. So, it kind of- there’s only like a few of us in my family that are musical.

But when I was younger, Mum could see that I obviously had a passion for it and she got me into stage school when I was little, and I actually had the opportunity with them to take part in some shows. And I did take part in Joseph the Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Grand Opera House on their tour. I wasn’t a main part or anything. I was just in the chorus. But then I got to be in it alongside Ian Watkins from Steps at the time, which was quite a fun experience.

I’ve had that experience and then I’ve been in and out of choirs as well through school, and then I joined a gospel choir with mum and did a few solos there. And then kind of just over time, just kind of tried to progress myself as a solo singer.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah. You said a sort of a lot of your family are musical. Have you ever, you know, worked with them musically? Do you ever want to do that in the future? Maybe.

Olivia: Well, actually me and mum work together quite a bit.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah.

Olivia: She’s always helped me with lyric ideas for my songs, and actually the one that’s… I’ve just finished one recently, and she actually helps with some of the lyrics and that.

INTERVIEWER: That’s good. Would you she’s a big musical influence on you in your life?

Olivia: I’d say so with the support she’s given me. She’s always kind of never put a damper on obviously me wanting to do something in music, so she’s been really supportive and kind of always helps me think of ways I can achieve it, and different routes I can take as well.

Olivia: My first gig is probably when I got the opportunity to play at the Barbican through Tang Hall Smart, and that was quite a surreal moment because I never thought I’d be on the Barbican stage. Even if I only did a few songs I’ve always wanted to have that opportunity.

INTERVIEWER: Did you have friends and family in the audience?

Olivia: I had two of my best friends come and watch, and my grandma, mum and dad came to watch me as well.

INTERVIEWER: Did you feel nervous performing in front of people, or were you sort of quite used to it or-

Olivia: I’d say I’m quite used to. I don’t really get nervous performing, and when I am performing, I tend to find a spot that I look at. I don’t tend to look at anyone because that way I – that’s how I stop myself getting nervous.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah, that’s a good way not to- not to overthink, isn’t it?

Olivia: Yeah.                                           

INTERVIEWER: I suppose it goes back to what you said about music being a sort of escape, it doesn’t really matter what other people think.

ANDY: No, no. And I think from having seen you at the gigs that I’ve been at with you when we- when we’ve played together, I think that it does give you that as an escapism. But it also gives you- instills in you that confidence that I think you would perhaps not have if you were just in a-  in the bar or pub by yourself normally. And I could identify that, and I think many of us could be. It almost gives you like a superpower being there.

Olivia: Yeah. It does.  

If I was just in a bar and someone would come up and tried to make conversation, I would literally freeze and I would have no idea what I would  say to them.

ANDY: But there you are talking- Talking through a microphone to a bunch of rowdy people. You’re kind of in command of that room, aren’t you? And then when you start singing. everyone stops and listens.

Olivia: I suppose when you’re the one performing, I’m doing the gig. I suppose it’s kind of you in control… in some ways, which I think helps with the confidence side of things.

INTERVIEWER: Would you say that that first gig was one of the most impactful? Or if not, is there any that of, you know… Like a lasting impression?

Olivia: I say the first time I played at the PAB Bar was quite impactful because the night I did it was actually quite busy as well. There was a lot of people. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, which was nice, and you could see people singing along and like really enjoying themselves.

INTERVIEWER: Must be a great feeling to see that, all the people singing along.

Olivia: And even when I was doing my own songs, you could see people were really getting into them as well, which is a nice feeling.

INTERVIEWER: You talked a bit about your autism diagnosis there. Did that open up sort of more doors after you sort of got that?

Olivia: Yes, it definitely did. I think it was 2018 I got my diagnosis, I would have been 23. So I was a late diagnostic. But it was like, you felt like you kind of belonged somewhere. When I finally got told I had it, my shoulders dropped and I kind of went, ‘oh thank goodness. Someone’s finally explained why I’ve been feeling a certain way or felt like I didn’t fit in.’

INTERVIEWER: Yeah, it shed a lot of light on things and I suppose that opened up…-

Olivia: And obviously the whole time I was trying to fit in with like other neurodiverse people, like, so trying to pretend- like mask it and try and fit me like trends and other things but then it gets exhausting. But yeah, it was like-, all these magic doors that, like, been padlocked and just kind of opened.

ANDY: Right.

Olivia: Mum was able to get me support from the council and other things where before, like none at all, even was in reach.

INTERVIEWER: Do you think that new sense of sort of understanding of yourself is shown in your music and your self-confidence to put it out there?

Olivia: Yeah, I definitely say so, especially with ‘Somebody’ especially that was kind of what I wrote that about. So the funny thing with when I wrote ‘Somebody’ is I went to bed that evening, and I had this really crazy dream of me actually performing that song, then woke up the next day, got on the piano and wrote the whole thing out like it just came to me. I had this really…

INTERVIEWER: Just sudden strike of inspiration.

Olivia: Yeah.

ANDY: Yeah. Because,   remember quite clearly you- you went- I saw you one week and then the very next week, you came in and you had the song…-

Olivia: Written.

ANDY: …written.

INTERVIEWER: When did you release ‘Somebody’?

Olivia: It was last year? Oh, yeah, April this year.

INTERVIEWER: Very recently then. Very, very recently. Is that… So that’s one of four?

Olivia: One of four, yeah?

INTERVIEWER: Is that one of your sort of favourites that you’ve released? Do you think you’re improving, or you know, would you like to go in a different direction in the future, I suppose?

Olivia: I’d say Somebody is probably quite a personal song that I wrote.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah.

Olivia: And I’d say it probably is one of my favourites. It’s kind of just had that nice stripped-back feel, whereas Brain Fog on the other hand was more kind of a rocky feel. And I think with Somebody as well, I’d say it’s putting more powerful than the other ones with like obviously the message that’s coming across through the song.

ANDY: There’s a resonance about it I think that people identify with, and I think that’s reflected in how many people have listened to it.

Olivia: Yeah, I say this song definitely had the most dreams out of all. With Somebody, I was able to get York Press to help me advertise it.

INTERVIEWER: That’s a great achievement.

Olivia: And also, it helped advertise- helped make people, aware of United Response as well, with the support they obviously offer out. And then obviously Local Link did the article for me. And I think since been-

ANDY: You also go to York TV.

Olivia: Oh, York TV got in contact with me. On to me on there as well.

INTERVIEWER: That’s brilliant. I didn’t know any of that. That’s great.

Olivia: So I think since doing those things, that’s definitely helped get it…

ANDY: Yeah.

Olivia: …recognised.

ANDY: You did all that yourself, didn’t you?

Olivia: Yeah, I did. I got in contact myself just through emailing. Didn’t think to hear anything. And so I kind of got an email straight back from York Press and this guy wanting to ring us and find out information and was really keen to write up a story. I do a lot of like singing videos as well, like TikTok and things to try and get myself out there a bit more.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah. Do you think that’s maybe why you’ve got a bit of an international audience? Do you think they’ve discovered you through there?

Olivia: Maybe. I mean, I’ve- `TikTok, I’d say I’ve got about 7000 followers on there.

INTERVIEWER: That’s not bad. 7000 people.

Olivia: My mum was kind of looking for something for me to do. We kind of went through the council and they recommended United Response to me because they’d thought I’d like it here and get on well. And it was just by chance that I got offered a 1 to 1 support here.

ANDY: And how did you come to them. Because obviously it wasn’t – perhaps not obvious to people if they don’t know – But initially it wasn’t me, was it, that, you were working with?

Olivia: No.

ANDY: With another musician? So how did you get introduced there to Mark? Was it Mark?

Olivia: Yeah, it was Mark.

ANDY: Yeah. How did you come to be paired up with him?

Olivia: I think they just thought that he’d be a good kind of match-

ANDY: Right.

Olivia: With my needs and then him having his experience.

ANDY: Yeah. Because he was a music producer, I think, wasn’t he?

Olivia: I think so.

INTERVIEWER: Being surrounded by sort of people that do really have a passion for music, isn’t it? And working with them, has that, you know, helped you develop your own music?

Olivia: I’d say it’s kind of given me some insight in how I could develop my own music and make it even better than it already is.  And just – they’ve given me kind of helpful advice as well on routes to take, which steps, like places to avoid and things.

INTERVIEWER: Andy’s written quite a few songs of his own. Is that sort of insight of somebody who’s been there and sort of doing it on the same, I suppose, level as you sort of, you know, local gigs and releasing it helped you as opposed to maybe somebody that you’ve done it for the wider world?

Olivia: I’d say it’s definitely helped, working with Andy because he’s had the experience and knows what it’s like. And it kind of makes the gigs less, like, nerve-wracking when you first do it because you know-

INTERVIEWER: Yeah, he’s familiar with the locations and the people- must be really helpful.

ANDY: I suppose what I would say is interesting, you’re- Question really is that when in that situation either recording or doing the gigs, it’s very much a peer-equal level…

Olivia: Yeah.

ANDY: …situation. The only difference being that I just have probably 18 more years or more experience, I suppose. I think just because of that really but very much everything is done…- It’s you’re-  we’re at the same level, you know, nobody has a hierarchy in that sense.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah. So, sort of having somebody that’s, you know, an equal.

ANDY: You’ve taken part at the art festivals. There’s been a couple of those, as in, you know, paintings and photography and things, and you’ve been able to integrate music into that as well.

Olivia: I’m looking into supported living at the moment…

INTERVIEWER: Yeah.

Olivia: …with mum. To go- to try that first and then hopefully progress there into my own place.

INTERVIEWER: Is that sort of a plan for the immediate future? Or, you know, something that’s not really high up on the priorities list?

Olivia: I’d say it’s something I’m looking into and I think when the time’s right, I’ll definitely make the jump.

ANDY: Right. Yeah, that’s good.

Olivia: But it’s just obviously stepping stones to get there.

ANDY: Yeah, yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah.

ANDY: Do you think, Liv, of, again, of like two or three, four years ago – would you be even considering such a move?

Olivia: No, definitely not.

INTERVIEWER: What do you think the Liv in three- four years in the future will be doing?

Olivia: Oooh. I’d like to say she’s doing a music-based job of some kind, and have a nice little place of her own with dogs.

INTERVIEWER: It’d be nice to have your own dogs, wouldn’t it?

Olivia: I mean, I kind of…- One of the dogs is kind of mine, but the other one we fostered because their owner was sick, so we took her in as our own.

INTERVIEWER: That’s very nice. Sort of-

Olivia: But they’re both Dalmatians.

INTERVIEWER: Would you get another Dalmatian again?

Olivia: Oh, if I lived on my own, I probably wouldn’t, because they’re very- They need a lot of exercise, and they’re very hard to walk because they’re very strong dogs. So, I’d probably look at a smaller dog, like a dachshund or something.