Interview: Olivia Grace Discusses her Upcoming Releases and Next Steps in Brooklyn

Indie pop artist Olivia Grace is originally from Maryland but ready to take the New York music scene by storm. She’s focusing her energy and creative juices into launching a musical career while completing her senior year of college. Her latest single “Blackbird” was released on September 30 enticing listeners with her unique style. NYS Music had the chance to find out more about Olivia Grace’s unreleased music including “Shoestrings” to be released early June.

Sammy Steiner: As a singer-songwriter, where did your inspiration for “Shoestrings” come from?

Olivia Grace: Ultimately, the song is about feeling out of place. It’s somewhat unapologetic, but it’s also about trying to make sense of everything when you’re not quite sure how you fit in. The story isn’t completely about me, as I do love creating fictional characters in my songs. However, when I wrote this song I had just moved to New York, and it was completely different from what I had been used to. I lived in Chicago beforehand, but New York just doesn’t compare. I think that feeling of navigating a new city and finding my place inspired a bit of the song. 

SS: Can you take us through your journey and involvement in the creation of this track? What was your favorite part of the record-making process?

OG: The song took over a year to write. When I first started it, it sounded more like a folk song. It was slower with completely different rhythms. It didn’t really feel like THE song. I came back to it when I was flipping through old song ideas, trying to write something new. I picked it back up and it just flowed out. My favorite part recording was the “oh’s” that you hear in the beginning and after the chorus. They were actually added last minute. The song didn’t feel complete when my producer Matt and I had finished. He told me to just go crazy improvising over my piano/instrumental part, and eventually I started singing the “oh” melody. We both knew when we heard it that, that was it!

SS: Do you have any upcoming plans or prospective venues where you hope to perform in the New York State area?

OG: I do! I’m currently setting up some shows for July in New York, so I’ll probably be posting about it in June!

SS: Can you name your top three favorite artists to cover at your shows and why?

OG: Truthfully, I don’t cover that many artists at shows! I mostly perform my original songs. The one song I always try to fit in my set is Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games.” It’s just so beautiful and after years of performing it, I still love it. 

SS: What are your plans going forward? Are you going to focus on future musical projects or touring?

OG: I have a lot of unreleased recordings right now, and I’m still going in the studio and recording more. I’m writing quite often as well. Both those things are my main focus right now. I don’t see myself doing a full on tour *right now* but I am traveling a lot this upcoming year, so I probably will be doing a few shows here and there. 

SS: What is one thing you’ve learned from your glimpse into life as an artist thus far? 

OG: Be patient. Everything takes time, hard work, and persistence. You can’t rush success. 

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