An Interview with Charlotte, NC Songwriter

1. Why do you write music?

- Most often, I write music to process. I'm an external processor, and people aren't always around to talk to. Even when they are, I find that I often don't know how I feel or have words for my emotions until I start writing or singing about them. Honestly, I cry a lot when I write, which is probably why most of my songs are quite melancholic and sad. For some reason it's easier to process lighter emotions, but it's the heavy stuff I often put into my songs. I've found that I help a lot of people cry who haven't been able to though, and that's probably my motivation for sharing: to help people feel understood.

2. How long does it take to write a song on average?

- This is gonna make me sound cocky, but usually an hour or two. But I can't just brute-force myself into it. I really admire the disciplined artists who write daily, but I'm not one of them. I tried that once and I almost stopped writing altogether. But I can feel a song coming on, like it's calling me away to listen to it's sound and give it life. So I just follow the whispers where they lead me. I probably write a song once every 2-3 weeks, but it nearly always comes together quickly. I think God knows I'm too critical of my work to sit on it for too long!

3. Do you start with lyrics or melody?

- That's a hard question, because it really depends. I usually just pick a key by eyeing my guitar frets and clumsily placing my capo wherever it looks best that day and strumming or piking a bit until something sounds right. Then I just sort of start singing exactly what needs to be sung, lyrics and melody together. I'm sort of stealing ideas from both Madeleine L'Engle in Walking on Water and Elizabeth Gilbert in Big Magic here, but it really is my obedience to the song that wants to be written here. But, to answer your question straightforwardly, I can't remember a time where I just wrote lyrics before playing. I just keep my phone beside me and record whatever comes together. I guess it would start more with the melody in that case.

5. What if your initial thought and feeling when you started sharing your music with the public?

- I was kind of terrified. While I consider myself a confident person in general, I would not necessarily say the same applies to my music. I've been singing for years, so I suppose I feel pretty good about my voice, but my songs receive a lot of scrutiny from me. I'm learning to be more kind and gracious to myself, but I definitely have perfectionistic tendencies. It's probably due to the fact that I recognize that so much music out there is just a shadow of something already written, and I never want to blend in. I want what I write to be honest, genuine, and drenched (even painfully) with authenticity. I want it to make people feel what I'm feeling, or at least what they need to feel. So I run songs through the ringer until I have a balance where I've reached truth without overdoing it. So putting a song out there for others to listen to felt really scary because they never felt quite done. I wouldn't say they didn't feel good enough, but almost like there was something missing. I really only started doing it because I felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to lay down my pride and perfectionism and hold myself accountable to actually dedicating myself to the dream of music. If I hadn't started sharing, I wouldn't be getting ready to record my first EP. I am a bit of a procrastinator (because I'm a defeated perfectionist), so the risk of sharing really threw me into it. I wouldn't go back. I'm so grateful. Take risks!

6. How did you get started in songwriting?

- I've been writing music since I was in middle school. Obviously the early years only produced really cheesy love songs about boys I went to school with, in old notebooks where I scribbled their last names next to mine on the inside covers. It's hilarious, actually. But I really laid it down for several years, from high school until last year. I am a part of a community with an almost obscene amount of incredibly talented people, and as a result, it can feel hard to distinguish yourself or keep up. I think I just convinced myself I couldn't do what they could do, so I just didn't. When I went through a breakup from a long-term relationship in 2018, it really threw me into songwriting - this time for real. I had so much to process that I literally couldn't without music. And I couldn't really even see the Lord's goodness in it all unless I faithfully sat with my guitar daily and let my song pull me out of the depths of pain. Pain isn't an enemy, but you aren't made to stay there forever. So really, the hardest thing I've ever gone through led me to the greatest gift I've ever received: music.

7. What music inspires you?

- Oh man. There's so much out there. Mainly singer/songwriters. I am obsessed with the gentle + compelling vocals of Noah Gundersen, and his honesty is something I aspire to. Bon Iver's curiosity and exploration of musical boundaries always takes me through an other-earthly, almost transcendent experience. Andy Squyres is the worship leader at my church, and his songs literally make me weep and the emotion in his voice is unmatched. Andrea Marie (of United Pursuit) made an album called "Low," and it's potentially my favorite album because of it's vulnerability. Plus, her voice is so different than anything I've ever heard. Outside of that spectrum, I super appreciate Loud Harp's worship. They have a way of wording things about God that is profound, new, and needed. And Coldplay. I really don't need to say much about them, they're really just the best. They have tested countless genres and completely transcended a mold, and I honestly never get tired of listening to them. As for genres, jazz and R&B. They're way different than what I make, but I get better at what I do after listening to what they do, especially vocally. I could really go on and on, but I'll leave it with a few more honorable mentions: The National, Jess Ray, James Blake, Thirdstory, Matt Corby, H.E.R, Phoebe Bridgers... probably way more than you were asking for, but hey.

8. Do you have any tools you can't write without?

- My guitar, my music journal, and my phone recorder. And honestly a good setting. I write the most early in the morning in my cozy room or outside at sunset.

9. When you write, do you plan beforehand? or is it spontaneous?

- Completely spontaneous, most of the time. I can think of a few times where I've already had an idea for theme, melody, or lyrics. But most of the time, I just wing it.

10. What does the term "creativity" mean to you?

- Whew. I think it's overused. While I believe that everyone has the potential for creativity, I don't think that everyone utilizes it. Therefore to say that "everyone is creative" is to somewhat diminish the truth and focus solely on potential. I think that creativity is sacred and needs to be honored when it's seen. None of this is to say that I've reached creative standards that I'm setting, because I haven't. But I really think that creativity is what happens when we realize that we look more like our Father than we think and actually practicing His ways. You can be a creative mathematician or scientist, for sure. But only if you're actually using your brain to think outside of the box and not just regurgitating facts. It's the creative ones who make discoveries and shape history. Creativity is what holds our society together, because creativity produces beauty. And in the end, isn't that what we are all living for?

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Bio: Olivia is a singer/songwriter based in Charlotte, NC, who loves God and people. She believes in the power of honest songs to transport people to places of healing, through empathy and vulnerability. She is a defender of truth, an advocate for the misunderstood, and a compassionate feeler. In addition to writing music, she also owns Quilt + Color Photography, and writes for both Little City Magazine and Spiritually Fearless. You can find her picnicking on a lake, enjoying meals with friends, or drinking a good glass of red under the stars.