Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Olivia Kierdal. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Olivia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I’m very fortunate to have been surrounded by musicians my whole life. My Mum was a singer and performer who taught me all about performing. She would have me sing at community events and concerts from when I was about 4, teaching me how to introduce myself on stage, how to move and walk, what outfits to wear – a stage mum but in all the right ways! She instilled in me a love for performing and entertaining. Dad, who is into rock and blues, played guitar and would always come up with these little poems, so he influenced my writing and taught me how to play guitar. My brother and sister are also creatives – my sister is a brilliant writer who I’ve worked with on songs, and my brother has an incredible ear for making melodies and producing. So the whole family is musical and I learned a huge portion of my craft from them.

Growing up in the late 90’s/ early 2000’s was a blessing. Pop music was so great at that time. One of my biggest musical influences is Max Martin. It was crazy discovering who he was because only once I got older and studied who was actually writing and producing these incredible hits that I loved, did I see his name in almost every single one of them. He is phenomenal. I’m really lucky to have been influenced from a young age by his songs.

Knowing what I know now, I would have started collaborating and working with other writers and producers sooner. Growing up in Sydney, I didn’t get to meet as many creatives or people pursing music the way I was. Moving to LA in 2019 changed everything – there are so many creatives out here and people with similar drive and aspirations as mine. To those looking to pursue a career in music, I’d say go to where there is an abundance of creatives. It’s extremely challenging and competitive, and you will have to push yourself to heights you’ve never imagined, but it really is the place to learn, grow, collaborate and be given opportunities that you wouldn’t even dream of. You just have to constantly work on your skills and put in the hours and hours of practice, but if it’s what you want to do, it’s worth it.

Regarding essentials, I think learning piano was one of the most essential things and has been a pillar to my musical development and success. It allowed me to be my own accompanist, taught me music theory, how to read music and the ease of playing in chords and melodies as I’m producing. I don’t think I’d be where I am today without it.

I don’t think there were or are any obstacles in the way of learning more per se. In this day and age and having endless sources of information from the internet, there really are no limitations. It’s just knowing what (or who) to listen to and applying it the right way.

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?

I am a songwriter, producer, artist and pianist from Sydney, Australia. I graduated with a B.A in Contemporary Music and Media from Macquarie University and not long after moved to Los Angeles. I primarily work as a topline writer in the pop, dance house and deep house genres, with one of my more popular singles being “How Do I Sleep Now” with Dallerium. I was pursuing becoming an artist for many years and through that I met a lot of people, producers and other artists. Getting deeper into the music world and learning more about myself and my skillset, I realised that writing was what brought me the most fulfillment. I’m able to get really personal, write about my own experiences or experiences of my co-writers and address them in a way I think others could relate to. It’s a beautiful process bringing an idea from nothing to a complete body of work.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The mission that drives my creative journey is half selfish and half selfless. It’s a channel for me to grow and challenge my capabilities and creativity, as well as bring something into the world that people can connect with and enjoy. I love pushing my limits and seeing what else I can learn or how far I can go with my ideas. Then on the other hand in a more selfless way, I know how much happiness or emotion music brings to me – hearing an incredible song for the first time is such a surreal feeling. It makes you question “how did they come up with something so amazing?” or “how did my world exist without this song in it?” Music is so powerful, so in return, creating something that others may love brings a feeling of purpose.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being an artist and creative is being able to express myself in the most raw and authentic form. It’s like journaling or therapy. I’m able to really look internally, do an audit of my feelings or experiences and just pour it all out on paper. And if others connect with that, it’s even more rewarding. Secondly, working with other creatives from all over the world is also very rewarding. We all have similar experiences in the creative process, having to be very vulnerable at times and share things that can be really painful or personal, but after all that’s what connects us and makes incredible art. Each of us have a story and it’s a beautiful process learning how to share that story through a creative outlet.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @itsolivemusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@itsolivemusic
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4d4czVhvwZ2vTH0fdsoSVF?si=Txi1Ync3QLSTfQ6MADt1gg

Image Credits

Angineh Galstanian @angiz_g
Vahag Aghakian @vahag.aghakian
Nathan Quinton Sebakijje @nqsphotos
Jamie Fisher @fishyfoto