Olivia Dean

Singer/songwriter & cocky-described hopeless romantic Olivia Dean ties together unlike stages of a break-upwards on her brand new EP, but in that location'south ane question she is trying to effigy out: what is she going to exercise on Sundays?

Information technology's safe to say music helped a lot of us get through 2020, just stumbling upon Olivia Dean'due south music earlier this year truly felt serendipitous; that thrilling moment where you notice the exact artyist who tin can depict and define everything you're feeling within a three-minute song. The 21-yr-old Londoner writes with a delicate dust, penning confessional songs about personal experiences and events seamlessly paired with catchy hooks and dreamy melodies. A year after her stunning EP 'Ok Dearest You Bye,' she releases 'What Am I Gonna Do On Sundays?', a beautiful EP that highlights a mature shift within the vocalizer/songwriter.

Like any true body of work shaped around a pause-upwards (recollect Lorde's 'Melodrama' and Amy Winehouse's 'Back To Blackness'), Olivia Dean mirrors the feelings that arise when someone is navigating the dissimilar stages of the break-up—from gaining the courage to end things to suddenly realizing you have to really feel every ounce of heartache. Olivia knows how nosotros attain for music when we're at our highest of highs and lowest of lows, which is why both authenticity and timelessness is woven into each and every lyric; she aims to make sure her songs could be heard 100 years from now and nevertheless feel and sound the same.

Back when it was withal warm enough to sit down in the garden, 1883 had a cup of tea on Zoom with Olivia where we talked about 'What Am I Gonna Do On Sundays?', what it feels like to learn how to stand up on your own, and the importance of letting her go of her music despite knowing people will question the most intimate parts of her life.

Attending the BRIT school must've been an interesting experience; everyone around you was there for the same reason and had very focused goals. What was it similar to attend a school solely focused on music?

For me, the biggest matter was existence effectually like-minded people. Where I grew up I felt like I stuck out a flake like a sore pollex, like there's that annoying person that just wants to sing all the time! At BRIT, I realized that anybody is that abrasive person and we can all exist that together. I establish it an encouraging environment; I met all of my all-time mates in that location and the people who are in my band now. Information technology was an inspiring identify to be. People have said things like,  "Oh that must've been so competitive! It must be similar 'Fame' and everyone stabbing each other in the back" , only I didn't observe it that way at all. It was inspiring to be in a identify like that around loads of amazing musicians and talented people.

Your debut EP 'Ok Love Yous Bye' came out merely over a twelvemonth agone and now you're prepping to release your next. How would you say you've grown since the debut EP and this new i?

I honestly feel similar an entirely different person. I don't know her, I don't know that Olivia! [Laughs] Sometimes I listen to songs from that EP and I can hear how much I've grown upwards since and then. I've learned and so much about myself and my relationships with people in my life and where I want to go with my career. I feel similar I own myself a flake more; I'k the more refined version of that Olivia from my debut EP. But don't get me wrong — she'south withal got work to go! She's nonetheless growing! I'm on the mode.

Particularly during a year like this, y'all're spring to change.

Yeah, even over the last few months in lockdown I've learned so much most myself and the way I carry. Do yous know what I mean?

Yeah, we've all been forced to have time to think near who nosotros are and where we're headed. To quote Drake — you just live once, so figure out what's working and what'southward not working.

Right! I experience similar I only zoomed in on myself and analyzed why I do things. It's been a period of reflection. It's asking ourselves if we're enjoying where we're headed and if we're not, nosotros have to make a change.

Speaking of reflection — where do yous unremarkably pull from when information technology comes to inspiration?

It ever starts with me going through something in my life. My music is quite personal and it comes through in a fashion of me trying to procedure something. Sometimes I find it difficult to communicate how I'thousand feeling just by talking with someone, I find it a lot easier to procedure it if I write it in a song. The entire procedure of it is quite therapeutic for me; it's just me trying to figure my life out in music form!

Yeah, it takes what's in your caput and center and materializes into something tangible.

It's nice to be able to wrap up sometimes what can be quite a complex emotion, feel, or anything else I'm going through and summarizing it in a three-minute verse-chorus song. It makes me feel like I'g processing it and continuing outside of the situation and feeling like, that's it, it'southward okay, that'south how I felt most that. I can sing it and look back and see how I felt and remembered it that fashion.

Like a bird's eye view and seeing something from the get-go, middle, and the cease.

Exactly, yeah. That's normally why I start songwriting and writing scribbles down, but I heed to a lot of music. I heed to all kinds of stuff all the fourth dimension so sometimes if I hear something that rhymes or sounds cool, I'll record a vocalism memo—I'll be in the shower and I'll think of something and take to immediately record a vocalism memo in case I forget it. I'one thousand ever hearing things and ideas in my brain so information technology'due south always fun to put information technology all together and make information technology into a more than succinct matter.

The title runway for the EP, 'What Am I Gonna Practice On Sundays?' is a cute & vulnerable track that I feel like every person can chronicle to. Immediately when I heard information technology I felt seen and thought how many people can relate to that feeling of loss and realizing you lot were my person, what am I going to practise on Sundays now .

I'm so glad you said that. I know information technology's not out all the same only that vocal is slightly different production-wise than some of my other stuff so I was a fleck worried about what people would think.

Information technology's a gorgeous vocal and information technology's ane that I immediately wanted to share with everyone I know. It's so intimate and universal. What's the story behind it?

I'g someone that if I beloved someone, I'1000 completely in. I don't practice things by half measure. I'm very much a hopeless romantic and I was in this very serious human relationship and it started to pause down. This vocal was me thinking, well, what am I gonna do without this person? How am I going to be single? Exercise you know those moments when yous're the nearly dramatic?

[Laughs] Oh, I know exactly those moments.

I was someone who was in relationships since I was 16. I love love. I got to a signal where I needed to figure out how I was going to exercise this by myself. Information technology was important for me to be able to be by myself and feel comfortable in it. That song was at the breaking signal where I realized how hard it was going to exist. [Laughs]

That moment when yous're like,  oh god, emotions!

You know yous're about to exist devastatingly pitiful. I wrote 'Hardest Part' afterward that, so they are sort of coming out in the incorrect order but 'Sundays' happened first and then 'Hardest Function' was all yes babe! You got it! Yous're good!

I beloved that they fit together; 2 sides of the aforementioned money. What was it nigh 'Sundays' in particular that made you lot desire to name the unabridged EP after information technology?

I was quite interested in having a long title. I think that'southward something that summed up all of the songs that are on it for me. I similar that it's 1 of the songs and I love that information technology'due south a question. It makes people think. It was weird and long and a bit of a mouthful and I like that.

It's different!

Yeah, it's how that whole fourth dimension felt — weird and long and pitiful.

Y'all posed a question to forcefulness people to retrieve almost what they are going to do on Sundays!

Yeah, like yous tell me because I take no idea! [Laughs]

A track similar 'Sundays' is incredibly confessional — are there e'er moments where you lot're like Oh god practice I want to exist releasing this for the whole world to hear?

I used to experience that mode and so I read something that said the moment you write something it'due south non yours anymore. That instilled something inside me. I experience like it'southward of import to just give it upward and let become when it comes to worrying nigh information technology. I stopped stressing about what people I don't know will think about my real life and what people from my real life will think about these moments they might not know about. The bigger picture show is other people might get something from this. Without sounding super cliche, I had to let get of the embarrassment or feeling like people know what'due south going on in my life because they don't. I know the context, those closest to me know the context, and people can adhere their own lives and heartbreaks and situations to these songs now. That's why I loved Amy Winehouse and then much when I was growing up because while yous're listening you'd recall Oh my god, what goes on there? I want all the details. I idea I'd throw it all out there and people can think what they want. [Laughs] I think that'due south the best way to relate to people… to be super vulnerable. People will feel like they become it and you're connecting with people. That'southward what I want to exercise with my music.

Expect at the legacy Amy Winehouse has created considering of her music, too. So many people still talk about her incredible songwriting and the vulnerability she showed.

Exactly. It becomes a universal thing fifty-fifty if it starts with something quite painful.

In each description for your YouTube videos y'all like to add together a little note, similar 'For when you're ready to move on.' or 'For when yous're too in love to see how bad it is'. What would y'all say this EP is?

Oh gosh, how would I describe this EP… I think it is sort of when you're gear up to movement on only I think it's a chip more than than that. Information technology's almost like… for when you lot're realizing that you're a different person now. For when yous're seeing that yous've inverse and you know you're going to be okay past yourself and you don't need another one-half, that you're whole past yourself.

The video for your single 'The Hardest Part' was inspired by Motown stars like The Supremes where you performed all three parts. I'grand certain you were spending quarantine in your room learning the choreography, what was that like?

Yes! In my knickers in my bedroom dancing around at 2 am. I had this idea of being all of the Supremes and to do this cool dance. I danced a bit when I was younger but I don't take any sort of background in dancing, and so I don't know who I think I am agreeing to do this! When it came to the actual dancing, I was like … uh oh, I'm going to have to actuallydo this . I was sent some videos and spoke with choreographers over Zoom and they were fantastic, and then chill and understanding. I had to initially get over the feet of not wanting to wait awkward and constantly thinking almost what people would say.

The video is amazing! It's stunning and then captivating.

Out of any of the videos I've done information technology was the most fun while likewise being the scariest. It's exposing; there are no props, simply three Olivia'southward dancing. I have a lot of happy memories attached to this video because my friend who has trip the light fantastic toe training came round to aid me and we were just dancing in my garden. I'll never forget it.

What practise you promise people accept away from your new EP?

Hm… I'd say I know it's hard breaking upwards with someone, whether it'due south a romantic human relationship or even a friendship that comes to an end, but I hope people know it'll be okay. Information technology's okay to experience sorry about it. In a way, the EP is stages of a intermission-up and by the finish you should experience like you're going to be okay…. Even though the title doesn't advise it! [Laughs]

Yeah, are we going to exist okay Olivia? [Laughs]

You volition be, I promise! I was talking to my friends the other day and everyone is going through some form of break-up and information technology'south just a part of life. Someone's gonna break up with me at some point and you know what? I'll be okay. Information technology's just ane of those things. This EP is a helping hand to anyone going through that.

Olivia Dean's EP 'What Am I Gonna Practice On Sundays?' is out now.

Interview by Kelsey Barnes

Photography past Fil Mawi

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Source: https://1883magazine.com/olivia-dean/

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