An earthquake isn’t the only thing shaking Boorowa as local superstar, Olivia Pearl, gears up to release her debut album, ‘All Roads Lead To This’.
Written and performed by the 28-year-old and produced at Old Binda Road Recording Studio, Olivia says the album has been a big local team effort.
“I’m so excited,” she says.
“It’s a pop album and I wrote it all myself and produced it with Steven Lindsay.”
Singing for as long as she can remember, Olivia comes from a musical family whose nurture and encouragement has got her to where she is today.
“All my brothers and sisters are involved in music in some way or have been in the past, in different bands and different genres too,” she says.
“I feel like I was really influenced by that, [by] growing up and seeing them play different instruments and seeing them forge their own paths.”
From a few successful singles to skyrocketing as a performer, Olivia says she continues to hold her childhood and close bond with her family as inspiration.
“My sister and I used to sing a lot together as children, and I kind of just grew from there,” she says.
“When I was at Boorowa school, I got some awards from it, so that was encouraging as well.
“I’ve always been singing and songwriting.”
Growing up in Boorowa, Olivia says, has taught her a deep love of the land and community, a theme that permeates her music.
“I find that in a lot of my lyrics and poetry, there’s a lot of nature motifs and descriptions that express how I feel about things, and I think I wouldn’t have such a strong tie to those metaphors if it weren’t for growing up in a country area and being close to nature to feel the freedom of it,” she says.
“I feel like [the area] really did impact the way that I view my writing and the world.”
Returning to her roots is something she says she finds comfort in.
“When you’re writing something so close to your heart, you know to return to what you know best, especially when you’re feeling lost and you’re wanting to write about those feelings,” she says.
“I think that nostalgic feeling of returning home and coming home, even just in writing, does help. Even when I’m going through a writer’s block.”
Although she has since flown the nest to nearby Goulburn in favour of being closer to studios, she says she loves retuning to her hometown to see her family and their farm.
The last two years have seen Olivia thrive within the musical industry. As the prime opening act for ARIA-nominated and award-winning artist, Conrad Sewell and Odette, Olivia’s future looks bright ahead of her debut album release party in May.
“I want to keep growing,” she says.
“I’ve grown more than ever and want to keep going up.”
But what are her songs about and where do they come from?
“The whole album really explores different aspects of anxiety and loss through the lens of the dangers of driving and vehicles,” she says.
Her lead single, 60 zone, is one such example. Exploring boundaries through the comparison of driving too fast, Olivia says she finds the metaphors she uses helps her explore and express different forms of grief.
“I love exploring different parts of my life, I definitely feel strongly about it,” she says.
“So, I will keep telling my stories and seeing [and writing] about things that we all go through as people.”
To celebrate her album, Olivia will be performing in honour of its release.
The debut releases on 22 May, and she will be performing the new songs at the Goulburn Club on 23 May.
Olivia is a familiar face around both Boorowa and Goulburn, and locals may have heard her perform both her own songs and covers of songs that she loves.
Now singing and songwriting full time, she says the release will open up new doorways to her.
“It’ll be really great once the album is out,” she says.
“I [will be able to] perform every single track freely and get to show everyone more of me.”
Her skills extend beyond herself, and outside of singing, Olivia’s handwritten songs are being performed by other artists too.
“I love to song write for other artists and help out at other studios as well,” she says.
“It’s a big passion of mine, and I’m glad that it seems to be going so well.”
Although she wrote them herself, Olivia says that she’s never felt over-attached to the songs she writes for others.
“I feel like once I hand a song over, it becomes part of their story and their journey, and in their life,” she says.
“I find satisfaction from that.”
Out of the various tracks she has written for other artists, she says the ones that she writes for her sister hold a special place in her heart.
“I’ve really loved working with my sister because she and I do a lot of writing as well,” she says.
“I think that’s why it’s my favourite because it’s so amazing to hear someone you’re so proud of make a new life of your song.”
Although ‘All Roads Lead To This’ falls within the pop genre, Olivia has previously experimented with writing rock, country and indie music.
“I love writing all different genres for others as well,” she says.
“It’s really fun to explore all different kind of facets of myself and my lyrical ability.”
Inspired by Amy Lee, the lead singer of American rock band, Evanescence, Olivia says rock would be a genre that she’d love to further explore in her music, perhaps as part of a band.
“I grew up in love with her voice and use [Amy Lee’s] influence as practice,” she says.
“I feel like that became an integral part of how I perform as a vocalist too.”
Evanescence’s writing style has also formed a pivotal part of Olivia’s inspiration as a songwriter.
“Even in terms of the writing and the way they write their music and tell their stories is really unique, like poetry,” she says.
A double threat, Olivia says she wouldn’t know which of the two (singing and songwriting) would be her favourite pastime.
“Songwriting has helped me process a lot of things and life and helped me understand myself better as a person,” she says.
“Sometimes I don’t even know what I might be feeling at all, and it just comes out as a song, and then I understand myself a little better.”
Olivia continues to work closely with the community and will feature as Highland FM’s Artist of the Month for June. This opportunity, she says, will allow her to share more of herself to the world following the release of her album.
“I’m really appreciative that they’ve given me that opportunity and I was to use that to keep going with a leg up,” she says.
Olivia can be found on all music streaming services as Olivia Pearl. She can also be found on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
More information about her concert will be available on her social platforms in the coming weeks.
– Elizabeth Kovacs
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