We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Olga Prepis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Olga below.

Olga, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I think the seed was planted early on, even before I had the words to express it. I was four years old the first time I touched a piano. I still remember it, the feel of the keys under my fingers, the way the notes echoed around the room. At the time, my family had just moved from New Jersey to Cyprus, and music became this bridge between my two worlds; familiar yet new, grounding yet expansive.

I continued piano and joined my elementary school choir. The real turning point came in 6th grade. I remember walking into the kitchen and confidently telling my parents, “I’m going to study music at university.” I didn’t say maybe. I didn’t say if I get in. I knew. That conviction only deepened as I began formal voice training, which I’ve now been dedicated to for over a decade. Around that same time, I also picked up the guitar, expanding the ways I could express myself and connect emotionally through sound.

But the moment I truly understood this was my calling came a few years later. I was maybe sixteen, sitting alone in my room after a long day, layering vocals into a cheap recording mic. I remember harmonizing with myself; tracking, stacking, and hearing this emotional texture bloom from something I created entirely from scratch. It felt like I had uncovered a language I didn’t even know I spoke, one that let me process things I couldn’t say out loud. That’s when it clicked: this wasn’t just something I loved. It was something I needed. Something I was meant to do.

From that point on, everything shifted. I leaned into my training, eventually earning diplomas in both piano. music theory and voice, diving deep into songwriting, production, and performance, and later pursuing music seriously at Berklee and NYU. But it all traces back to those moments: the piano at four, the vocal and guitar lessons as a teenager, the mic in my bedroom, and a 6th grader’s unwavering certainty that music would shape the rest of her life.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Olga Prepis, a vocalist, songwriter, producer, and instrumentalist born in New Jersey, raised in Cyprus, and now based in New York City. I come from a Cypriot immigrant family where storytelling, music, and heritage were always part of daily life. That fusion of cultures really shaped me sonically and personally.

I got into music the way some people fall into their native language. It’s just always been there. My earliest memories are filled with classical compositions looping in our home and me experimenting at the piano before I even knew how to read music. After moving to Cyprus at age seven, I immersed myself in both formal training and the island’s deep musical roots. By middle school, I’d already told my parents – quite seriously – that I would be studying music at university. Since then, I’ve never looked back.

My artistry lives at the intersection of emotional vulnerability and sonic innovation. I write and perform alternative pop music with influences from electronic, Mediterranean, and indie-soul textures. I also produce, arrange, and often engineer my own work. Vocals are my main instrument. My sound leans on layered harmonies, ambient textures, and raw lyricism that sits somewhere between introspective and cinematic.

Outside of my artist project, I’ve also worked as a topliner and demo vocalist in the K-pop space, and performed internationally. Whether I’m crafting an intimate ballad or a bold, genre-bending track, I aim to create something that people can feel deeply, even if they don’t have the words for it yet.

What sets me apart is the combination of technical training and intuitive emotion. I’ve studied both classical and contemporary music extensively, graduating Summa C*m Laude from Berklee College of Music where I got my Bachelor of Music in Professional Music focusing in Songwriting, Production, Performance, and Minor in Private Studio teaching, and now pursuing my Master of Arts in Music Business at NYU. That academic rigor supports the emotional world I explore in my music, which often speaks to healing, identity, longing, and self-discovery.

I think a lot about creating safe emotional space through sound. For listeners, my music often serves as a kind of mirror, validating feelings they may not have fully understood or expressed. I want them to know it’s okay to feel everything, to sit with it, and to not rush to “fix” it. Just being with the feeling can be enough.

I’m most proud of the way I’ve been able to maintain creative authenticity while navigating different sides of the industry. I’ve grown as an artist, performer, and businesswoman, while staying rooted in storytelling and sincerity. My recent releases like “Sober,” and “Somebody Else” reflect that journey, and there’s so much more coming.

To anyone new to my world: if you’ve ever felt too much, not enough, or somewhere in between…I make music for you. I want to remind people they’re not alone in their emotions. This is more than a career for me. It’s a language, a lifeline, and a love letter to anyone who’s ever needed a song to say what they couldn’t.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was that perfection equals worth and that if something didn’t come easily, it wasn’t meant for me.

Growing up, I was often praised for being “naturally talented.” I picked things up fast, singing, piano, melodies and that kind of praise quietly taught me to associate my value with how effortlessly I could succeed. So when I hit challenges, whether in vocal technique, songwriting, or later on, production, I’d get discouraged. I thought, If I were truly good at this, it wouldn’t be this hard. That mindset made me afraid of failure, and I started losing the joy in simply creating.

But over time, I realized that talent is only the spark. Everything needs practice. And with enough practice, you don’t just get good; you get better. You get amazing. You develop skill, depth, and a kind of emotional endurance that no natural ability can replace. That was especially true when I started teaching myself production. It was uncomfortable and intimidating at first, but I stuck with it…late nights, messy demos, lots of trial and error. And slowly, I got better.

Ironically, it wasn’t until I started producing my own music that I began to unlearn that mindset. When you’re writing, recording, and layering vocals alone at 2am, there’s no such thing as perfection, only honesty. Some of my most emotionally powerful takes weren’t the most “technically perfect.” They were the ones where my voice cracked a little, or where I was singing through something real. I began to realize that vulnerability and imperfection are not weaknesses, they’re where the truth lives.

So I’ve had to unlearn that perfection defines my value, and instead lean into the idea that practice, growth, and emotional honesty are what truly shape an artist. These days, I create from that place and I think listeners feel it.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

My social media journey has been a slow, intentional build, not overnight growth. It started with music, but I quickly learned that people connect with more than just the final product, they connect with you. The person behind the art. Once I started showing more of myself, my process, my thoughts, even my humor, that’s when real engagement started.

I post a lot of content around my original music and behind-the-scenes moments, but I also create videos that highlight my culture, my Cypriot and Mediterranean roots. Sharing those traditions, languages, aesthetics, and even just little nostalgic moments from my life has brought in people who feel seen, especially those from diaspora communities. It creates a sense of belonging.

At the same time, I’ve found that mixing in non-music content like participating in current trends, doing storytelling voiceovers, or even sharing thoughts on healing and emotions helps boost reach and engagement. Not every post needs to be “on brand” in the traditional sense. If it feels true to me, it belongs. And if it gets someone to stop scrolling and feel something, that’s a win.

Another thing I always prioritize is responding to every comment and DM. If someone takes the time to reach out, I want them to feel heard. That kind of genuine engagement builds trust and eventually, community.

My advice for anyone starting out:

– Don’t box yourself in. You’re a full person, not just a product. Let people see different sides of you.

– Mix value with vulnerability. Share things that inform, inspire, or just entertain, but let it still be you.

– Engage deeply. Reply to comments. Answer every DM. The real growth comes in connection.

– Don’t fear trends. Use them in ways that align with your message. You can be both relevant and authentic.

– Be consistent, not perfect. Growth comes from showing up, not from getting it right every time.

At the end of the day, social media is just another form of storytelling. If you lead with realness, people feel it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.olgaprepis.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olgaprepis
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olga.prepis/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olga-prepis
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiWbHpZZwuJfIM6PpSdKFQA
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6szQXwPWZKEW360QFeyFsh
  Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/olga-prepis/1444552486
  Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@olgaprepiss