We were lucky enough to catch up with artist Olla following the stunning release ‘Monte Carlo’. Read the full interview below!

Hi Olla, what is your earliest music memory?

My earliest music memory is at the age of 4, performing Whitney Houston’s song in front of my parents.

How did you get into the music industry?

Becoming an artist has been my dream since childhood. As I was growing, I was getting more conscious of my hobby, which turned into a serious goal.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t dedicate myself to music when I was young for a number of reasons that you can simply call “life”. I got married, and I became a mother soon after that, and everyone was expecting me to fully concentrate on my family.

At some point, I decided to pursue my dream no matter what. So I went to study music in LA and found a vocal coach. Eventually, I moved to Monaco, where I decided to build my own home studio and assemble my creative team. So my coming to the music industry was not provoked or inspired by some specific event. It was rather a chain of decisions I’ve made in my life and a strong desire of wanting to do it.

Who influenced your superb latest release, ‘Monte Carlo’?

The song was fully inspired and influenced by the city itself. As a tourist, you simply don’t have enough time to feel this place. But when I started living in Monte-Carlo, it opened up to me as a very romantic and gentle city. I wanted to show this hidden side of it in my song, and I believe I managed to do it.

What’s the live music scene like in Monaco?

There are plenty of private live shows and charity events in Monaco. There is a Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival and Monte-Carlo Summer Festival that take place every year. Our Salles des Etoilles is one of the most beautiful venues I’ve ever seen, and it hosts world-wide known stars such as Sting, Christina Aguillera, James Blunt and many, many others.

But overall, I’d say that Monaco’s live scene is mostly for an adult audience. I’m afraid there are not that options that would be appealing to younger listeners.

Who would you most like to collaborate with?

Collaboration with Sting would be a dream come true!

What’s your dream venue to play?

Salles des Etoilles in Monaco is definitely on my dream list. It would be an honour to be on stage where the top artists performed.

Other than music, what are you passionate about?

I am a big fan of psychology. I read and study a lot about such concepts as awareness and subconsciousness, as well as how to use and direct your brain to achieve your goals.

I love travelling and discovering new places and cultures. This is a great source of knowledge and inspiration for me.

Skiing is one more passion of mine. The mountains, the sun, nature – all those things are healing and very refreshing.

What changes would you like to see in the music business?

I believe in balance in life. And this relates to the music as well.

It seems like we are not quite able to keep up with the speed of technological advancements, including in the music industry. On the one hand, the development of streaming platforms gave a chance to thousands of independent artists a way to share their music with people. On the other hand, we are at the point when thousands of songs are being thrown out there every day.

What I feel is that music is not being treated as something special anymore, as there are literally thousands of alternative songs that you can find in a matter of seconds. We forget that there are hours of work of a whole team behind each song, and ‘music appreciation’ is something that is quickly fading away.

I am not sure how exactly we can balance it or if it’s even possible, but this thought is something that concerns me as an artist.

How do you feel about how the internet plays a role in today’s music business?

It plays a crucial role in the music business. We have almost completely switched from TV and radio to YouTube, social media and streaming platforms.

Your audience has way more options now to talk to you, to get to know you, your music and the process of its creation. This opportunity of a direct connection with your listeners without having any middlemen is a great advantage of the internet. But, just like I’ve mentioned in my previous answer, it has its downsides as well 😉

What would it be if you could choose one thing for fans to take away from your music?

I guess the main thought that each song of mine contains is that love is the greatest power on Earth. It’s healing, empowering, fulfilling and inspiring, and it does conquer all. So far, I’ve only released one song, but this idea will be shown and revealed in different aspects of my upcoming songs.

What is your favourite song to play live?

Michael Buble – ‘Feeling Good’

Have you started working on your next release?

Oh, I started working on it a long time ago 😉 We have the release date planned for the 31st of March, which is quite soon 🙂 So stay tuned; I’ll be announcing everything on my social media!

FVMusicBlog March 2023

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7md0bWFAdF0j5nK6pdw97a?si=u6IkIRAtRkuZqRUzV3YbDw
https://www.youtube.com/@OllaMusic
https://www.instagram.com/olla.vibe/