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

Olivia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Growing up with my Mom being a writer and both of my parents having a deep appreciation for art of all kinds, creativity was always encouraged and rewarded. I remember when I was 4 or 5, my Mom and I would sit together and color the afternoon away with a rainbow range of colored pencils.
Fast-forward a few years, my parents signed me up for piano lessons when I was 6. By the time I was 12, I had picked up guitar and written my first song. Throughout high school, I wrote music in my bedroom and attended my local Nashville Songwriter Association International (NSAI) chapter meetings. We’d discuss how to write melodies, lyrics, and even have song critique nights where we’d share feedback on each other’s works.

With the help of my parents, I recorded my first album in Nashville when I was 16 and released it for the world to hear. A few months later, I submitted the title track “Back to Happiness” to the Ohio Music Awards and it won Best Pop Song of the Year.

That moment gave me the courage and affirmation I needed to pursue a creative path professionally. It inspired me to take a gap year in Music City before attending college and is a pivotal moment that took me down the road I’ve been traveling on.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Sure thing! My name is Olivia Frances. I’m a multi-award-winning Folk Pop, Singer-Songwriter and musician from Cincinnati, OH based in Nashville, TN. I’m an environmentalist, knitting, chocolate-loving, midwestern gal who believes in kindness and the power of music. I absolutely love writing songs and performing; It reminds me how interconnected we all are and that we’re not really strangers.
Music’s always been apart of my DNA. I primarily write what I call “sunshine story-pop” — it usually falls in the Folk Pop, Indie-Folk category. I have 3 albums out so far, and have released singles every few months this year. What sets me apart from other artists is my nature-y angle (i.e. “Moon to My Sun,” “Wind Chimes,” and “Labyrinth) and positivity within my art.

This year, I’m most proud of having 2 songs up for consideration at the GRAMMY’s including “Wind Chimes,” which is being considered for Best Americana Performance and “Somebody’s Reason,” which is being considered for Best Americana Roots Song. On these tracks, I’d like to give a special shout-out to my talented co-writer, Michael Astrachan, and my wonderful producer Pat Lassiter for helping bring them to life.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I don’t believe that someone is a non-creative. Instead, I see all of us as being creative in our own ways whether that be through writing, sculpting, or launching a new solution to a problem. Sadly, some folks may have been told they’re not creative enough. Deep down however, I believe a tiny piece of it is still there.
Something that some folks might not realize about being a creative in the music industry is that 90% of it is business, rather than time spent creating. This includes things like signing a contract to perform at a festival, uploading a new song to Spotify, sending my song in to be copywritten, creating a budget for my tour, sending out emails, getting my guitar adjusted at the music store, scheduling writing sessions, drafting a release plan for a new single, etc. Perhaps you can think of creating content as being creative but to some artists (like myself), that’s not really creating for creating’s sake. Instead, it’s “creating” to get your business off of the ground and promote. It’s exhausting to do all of this work yourself. Oftentimes, it feels completely overwhelming and can feel impossible to juggle. We all try our best though!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Last year, I spoke with a manager and he shared a valuable piece of advice, which I took to heart and adopted as my philosophy this year. I asked his advice about balancing writing, recording, practicing, and touring – I was unsure how to approach it from a time-management perspective.
That advice was to view the year in 4 quarters. Q1 is writing, recording and planning for the year ahead. Q2 and 3, the weather’s good and you’re hitting the road as hard as you can (while still releasing singles throughout the year). Lastly, Q4 is when you wind down your touring and get back into the studio. In Q4, you spend more time writing and reflecting on the past year and how you’d like to improve next year.

His insight has helped me manage my various responsibilities as an artist. I wish I’d gotten this guidance sooner as it would’ve benefited me greatly as an independent artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.oliviafrancesmusic.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/heyoliviafrances
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/heyoliviafrances
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/hioliviafrances
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/oliviafrancesmusic
• Other: www.tiktok.com/@heyoliviafrances

Image Credits
Libby Danforth