It’s an honor to speak with you today. Why don’t you give us some details about you and your story. How did you get to where you are today?
Being on stage and signing for people is something I always wanted to do since I was a kid. I loved listening to Patricia Kaas and Whitney Houston, and I was all the time performing their songs in front of my family. Unfortunately, I couldn’t fully dedicate myself to music for a number of reasons. My family was mostly concentrated on extreme sports, hence my hobby wasn’t taken seriously.
I got married pretty early and became a mother soon after that. Being a mother was a priority. And my husband wasn’t quite happy about me switching my attention from family to the music and singing.
At some point my marital status changed and I decided to pursue my dream even though one might think it’s too late for me (by industry standards). I went to study music and to work with vocal coaches in LA, and that helped me realise that I am not giving up my passion. I built my own home studio and assembled my creative team with whom we brainstorm and write together. My vision and principles are shaped by life and experience. And unlike some young and starting artists, I know exactly what I want to do, what I’m good at, what I want to share with my audience and how I can do it. I don’t feel insecure when coming up to the stage. And I simply enjoy every stage of the whole artistic process.
I’m sure your success has not come easily. What challenges have you had to overcome along the way?
One of the biggest challenges was not to lose faith that one day I’ll be able to do what I love. It is hard to keep on advancing in something when your family does not take it seriously or does’t support it at all.
Being at LA musical institution was some sort of a psychological challenge for me. Because of my age, I did feel like a black sheep sometimes among all other very young, sometimes underaged, students.
Another big challenge, and I believe this one can resonate with many other artists, is finding your signature sound and releasing the material that you genuinely love and enjoy. Trends often dictate their own rules: how long the song should be, what sounds you should use, what topics you need to raise, etc. The fear of not reaching success might push you towards doing something you don’t really like. And this is the most important challenge to overcome. The most important thing for me is to put my heart and soul into my songs, to feel and understand every single line in my lyrics. And yes, my music may sound a little bit more conservative than some other songs out there, but I am not willing to give in to the common success recipe just for the sake of it.
Let’s talk about the work you do. What do you specialize in and why should someone work with you over the competition?
I am not afraid of experimenting with different styles and genres. We often use various ethnic instruments in arrangements.
I always try to keep my lyrics meaningful but simple. The idea is not to overload your listener, but to make him/her understand what you say and why you say it.
What’s your best piece of advice for readers who desire to find success in their life?
You should only make decisions based on love, and not on fear. Love is soothing and ameliorative. It pushes you beyond your limits and reveals and encourages your best sides, whereas fear will only hurt you sooner or later.
Speaking of success, what does the word mean to you?
To me, success is every small victory you achieve on the way to your bigger goal. Being able to truly enjoy every improvement and minor achievements, feeling happy and satisfied about what you did today is the success.
What’s next for you?
I am only at the beginning of my journey. The first important step is done – my single is released and I’m looking forward to sharing more new songs in the nearest future. I will be experimenting with styles for my audience to see my different sides. I also plan to release one big album which will compile and share a set of important insights with my listeners.
Finally, how can people connect with you if they want to learn more?
You can connect with my via Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. I am always reading all your comments and messages, and I do my best to respond to all of them.
FB page link: https://www.facebook.com/olla.vibe/
Link to the music video on YT: https://youtu.be/bQP-gk9LSpk
Multi-link to the song on all platforms: https://ffm.to/ollamс
