Check The Notes with Olivia Nelson

We are nearly a decade into this extraordinary R&B run by UK artists, and Olivia Nelson sits comfortably at the forefront of that tidal wave. Her vocal ability shifts the atmosphere, and she’s equipped with a pen that’s just as dangerous. She’s a generational talent that embodies the sacred excellence of the likes of Whitney and Mariah. In her recent release, Wings, Olivia explores the highs and lows of love. Every kiss that lifts, every heartbreak that anchors, and the unfaithful choices that entice us. I had the incredible honor of discussing the EP more in depth and uncovering the emotional consciousness that it takes to make a body of work like this. If R&B is at its best when it awakens the heart, then Olivia Nelson is certainly a conduit. Without further ado—

Who is Olivia Nelson? Not the artist, the human.

I’m a girl from Greater London who tries to find the beauty in the little things. I love music, bingeing shows, making people happy, writing lists and analysing why people do things.

I read that you dreamt of being an astronaut as a child. Has your career satisfied your ambitions or does the thought of travelling to space still nudge you now and then?

Haha, I don't think any career can ever fill the void of space travel. Like.. What job is even close to that? Getting to explore a whole universe outside of where 99.9% people ever go. I've come to terms with the fact that my brain was never wired to be smart enough to go into that field of work, so that brings me peace. But it doesn't stop me from watching youtube videos at stupid o’clock of astronauts washing their hair or brushing their teeth. So fun. Plus my favourite film is Interstellar, which makes sense.

Wings— what does that title represent to you?

I felt like these past few years have been really transformative for me. Of course, the Big C happened. I unintentionally took some time away from releasing music afterwards. It turned out to be longer than I had expected, I was met with a lot of hurdles during this time, ones I had never faced before. But I made it through with so much more knowledge on who I am. I wanted to pick a name that symbolises that journey for me and I've always loved butterflies and I think they’re one of the most evolutionary beings. So here we are.

This EP appears to be at least three years in the making, what did you learn about yourself over that period of time?

I learned about who I am, how I deal with things - good & bad. What and who truly makes me happy and I want out of life. I'm still learning and that's the beauty of being human but I feel like I have much more clarity than where I was when I started making this.

What songs, albums or performances inspired you during the creative process of Wings?

I mean, Frank Ocean is my favourite artist so he’ll always be a huge inspiration for me in anything I make. Lyrically he takes me to places like no other. Whitney Houston vocally is the best to ever do it, yeah I said it. Lots of these songs I started a long time ago so it's hard to pinpoint specifics when my general music library over the last 4 or so years has bled into this EP.

Your ability to write (music) and verbally paint imagery is unmatched. So much so, that I felt immersed in each heartbreak and every moment of bliss. Can you give a little insight on how you developed such a strong pen so early in your journey?

Firstly, thank you. I appreciate that complement a lot. I always loved English in school and I started writing poems when I was around 13 years old. I’d write about my place in the world and feelings I couldn't yet describe. What a deep child I was haha. As I got older I continued to write and I would listen to songs that would touch my spirit and I’d analyse them. Why did it make me feel something? How did they paint this specific picture? Is it specific? is it vague? And slowly, I started to implement that into my writing! Also listening to interviews of songwriters I love and working with amazing people definitely helps speed up the process. And it is a long process but so worth it when you get it right.

No Angel, a perspective we don’t hear in R&B often, is such a beautifully written piece. What place, mentally and emotionally, did you have to visit to write a record like that?

I remember that day, I was in the studio with Josh Thompson. It was my very first time meeting him. We sat down and he asked me what I wanted to write about today. Studio sessions can get very samey when your life isn't that crazy. I knew I wanted to write something different and I’d always had the idea of writing about being a cheater. I think there's a million songs about getting cheated on but not many about being the cheater. A song that always stuck out to me from childhood was Unfaithful by Rihanna. I remember singing it in primary school at age 9 or 10! Believe it or not but I've never cheated on someone myself so I was super apprehensive about singing from this perspective. But I have been cheated on so I just tried to flip the situation I experienced and use it. Shoutout to my ex. Josh is a beast when writing so the lyrics came together pretty quickly. It originally wasn't a piano ballad, but after sitting on it for a few years my manager reminded me of how great it was. I asked this producer J.AR.J to play some soulful keys on it and that's the version we have today.

I absolutely loved the use of strings on this project. I feel as if their arrangement grounded me in the emotion you wanted from the listener. From a production standpoint, what were some of your favorite elements to play with?

I LOVE strings. They add such an emotional depth to a song that I can't even describe. I wanted to use a lot more real instruments on this project compared to my previous. So we also recorded trumpet on Hard to Say Goodbye, there's guitars and live bass on almost every track. Oblivion everything is recorded raw and real. Of course we mixed in some other synthetic production elements throughout the project too but I think the combination of elements fit the meaning of the EP perfectly. Ultimately it's about the feeling.

This is a no skip EP in my opinion, however, when fans discuss your discography, what record do you think will be the undeniable classic on the track list?

It has to be Oblivion. Even though I've heard great things about my other songs when people talk about this song.. It's different. It's got a very classic, sophisticated feel. The lyrics are torturous but relatable. People old and young are into it. It's also my mum's favourite and she's a hard woman to please.

Has love impacted your perspective on music or has music impacted your perspective on love?

Oof, great question. Probably a bit of both but mainly the latter. I remember listening to songs about love and heartbreak before I could ever imagine an ounce of what it felt like. Then when it happened and I would listen to those same songs and it all started to make sense. What a feeling. After that music surely impacted my perspective of love.

Alot can be uncovered about a person through their taste in music and twice that by their taste in food. What’s one dish, from mom’s kitchen specifically, that you can eat for breakfast, lunch & dinner without complaint?

My mum actually doesn’t cook much anymore. She's over it haha. But something that she always used to make growing up and still does is banana fritters. She's from St Vincent so you know us Caribbeans love a banana frittahhh.

What’s one fact about yourself that would absolutely shock your fans?

How much I love the musical Wicked.

Where are you finding joy in your life?

My loved ones, inspirational music, figuring myself out, burritos.

From the editor: Loved ones— I thank you all with for the continued outpouring of love in this space. I don’t take this opportunity or your support for granted. All that I ask of you is to simply pass that along to Olivia’s doorstep. Buy the EP (directly from preferred platform), buy tickets to shows, merch and so on. Keep her lifted in that same euphoric love. in the meantime, I’ve linked Wings below, so you can give that a few spins and carry some of that magic with you throughout the week. I hope you’ll join me again, there’s always room!

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