With an infectious personality and strong vocal ability, Olivia Lane is an unstoppable force getting her feet wet in the country music world. Olivia’s inspirations include Linda Ronstadt, Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley and of course her mother who was a regional Texas singer.
With the release of her second EP Hearts Unlocked available today on iTunes and Spotify, Olivia spoke to The Shotgun Seat about the incredible events taking place in her life.
First off, thank you so much for chatting with us! Our readers are highly anticipating your new mixtape Hearts Unlocked. Are you getting excited as the release date approaches?
I am so excited, we are three weeks into debuting a song a week, and then the whole playlist will be on Spotify in October and I just can’t wait. I am getting such great feedback from the songs that are trickling out each week. We are putting out music videos of the songs each week as well and I think that just a really cool thing for the people I’ve been meeting out on the road who are into the music, the new fans, the new friends so I am super excited about it. You want to give the people who come up to you after the show something to latch on to.
Can you tell our readers a little bit about your new single “You Part 2”?
Yeah! So “You Part 2” is a sassy, up tempo breakup song. It is loosely based on a real winner I dated in college (we are NOT together anymore). You kind of look at all of your material and you’re like “Hmm, what don’t I have, I need a breakup song.” So I was running one day and I got this idea, thinking about my past relationships and this one relationship popped into my head, I do not need another sequel gosh. We tried to get back together – basically it did not work out because part one was just so terrible I realized I did not need him in my life anymore. So I brought this idea to the write and my co-writer spun around and was like “I don’t need another, another you part 2” And I yelled YES that’s the hook, we are writing it, it’s going to be awesome! Three hours later you’ve got your part two. It was a really fun day in the writing room. It’s one of my favorites to perform.
A little over a year ago The Shotgun Seat spoke to you in an interview and asked about your song writing process, when you had written three songs on the EP. Has your song writing style changed, considering you wrote 10 of the 11 songs on the new EP?
I feel like as a songwriter in the last year I have gotten really, really comfortable with who I am and what my message is. I am not writing with a bunch of random people, I’m starting to find my go to co-writers that I call when I am in town. I am starting to find the writers that really get me. That is probably the biggest change in the last year. My songs are starting to string together nicely and show who I am as a person. It is way more comfortable for me to write now, these people that I write with, Jim Beavers and Erin Shirts and all of these wonderful people I have been writing with really understand who I am and what I am going for.
I got a chance to preview your EP and my favorite song is “Mama Raised Hell.” Can you tell us a little about the writing process and where the idea came from behind the song?
“Mama Raised Hell” is probably one of my most favorite songs I’ve ever written. I had that idea probably a year and a half ago and I kept pitching it at writes and nobody got it. That was a learning moment for me as a songwriter; I decided no, my ideas are good and I brought it in one day, on my last fumes with the idea and I said to Roxie Dean, “Everybody’s been telling me that they don’t get this idea but do you get this idea called Mama Raised Hell?” She responded “Oh my God I love it, lets write it!” Three hours later we came up with the song and now it’s one of the songs that everybody is paying attention to and they emotionally connect when I perform it. It is a really special song to me because it is one of the most personal songs I’ve written. My mom is actually in the music video, she is 27 and singing on stage its crazy! The song originally was inspired because I was such a terrible child. I was always crying because I never got my way. I think it was all of my artistic emotions pent up! That’s what the idea was inspired by but it took on a life of its own.
I recently read that Entertainment Weekly selected you as a Breaking Big Fall 2015 Acts. When you found out about this honor what was your reaction?
Yeah!! Oh my gosh I got the email and I was like “This is AMAZING!” Your PR team is always working Billboard and Entertainment Weekly and all of these outlets to really get your music out there but obviously its up to them to look at your material and want to feature it. It is sort of one of those milestones you hit in your life, people are actually putting value to my music and they’re getting it and they are taking me seriously now. It was such a reassuring moment that what you are doing is right and you should keep going for it. It’s such a cool feeling. And being the only female and the only country act, it’s just really cool.
Recently you have been on the road with Kip Moore and Easton Corbin. Any interesting tid bits that you learned about them while on tour?
Both of them are so nice, my boyfriend who does my social media and and music videos actually goes out on the road with Easton Corbin too. We got to the show that day and literally all of the guys treated me like family. Easton is such a nice guy he asked if I wanted to do P90X with them, I said “nah I’m good, you guys go have fun.” *laughs* Kip Moore was the same way, we got to the fair that day and we were all eating together and he came up to me (in his raspy voice) and said “Hey, I”m Kip,” as if I didn’t know who he was already. That’s the thing, these guys are just so humble, everyone in country music is so humble and I think that’s why country music is as popular as it is. We are such a relatable genre. You want to relate to the artists, you want the artists to be friendly and to be able to approach them as a fan. It was really cool to just be on the same level and have him treat me like I am an artist and gave me the same respect I would give him.
What is your favorite venue in Nashville to go as a fan and listen to live music? Have you been there recently and have you heard anybody you loved?
The Listening Room has a special place in my heart. The owner Chris Blair has believed in me from day one and has always given me shows. Whiskey Jam is awesome because you get to see so many people you have never heard of and it is packed every Monday, it’s ridiculous. Filmore is one of my friends, but as an artist he has been working and developing his sound and I hadn’t heard any of his music until I went to Whiskey Jam and it was amazing! He’s like Sam Hunt but goes in a different direction, it is awesome!
Thank you so much for chatting with us and I look forward to seeing you out on the road very soon!
Touring and meeting new fans has become a huge part of Olivia’s life and she isn’t stopping any time soon. With shows in New York, Nashville and as a featured artist on a Caribbean country cruise in October, she is sure to promote her brand new EP as the year closes out.
The Shotgun Seat is sure that with her cheery and upbeat demeanor this girl is primed for a great career. As a very talented singer songwriter Olivia Lane has a bright future ahead of her in this music industry and we can’t wait to watch her dreams unfold.
Follow along on Olivia’s journey on her social media outlets: Twitter, Instagram and her website.