LA-based indie-pop artist and producer Olivia Morreale blends elements of jazz, R&B, pop, and indie-electronica, to create a fresh sound that fuses Sylvan Esso’s synth-heavy production mixed with Sabrina Claudio’s R&B vocals and a splash of BENEE’s quirky, lyrically-rich pop.
Olivia started rolling out her debut EP, ‘SPACE DREAMS,’ with the release of her first single, “NO ANSWER,” late last month. Her second single, “PARASOMNIA,” is due out on March 5th and the ’SPACE DREAMS’ EP will be released later this Spring.
We had a chat with her about her story
Do you remember your first musical experience?
I grew up singing in school musicals and eventually started taking classical voice lessons, but at home my parents were always playing jazz standards and big band records, so that was always in my ear.
When I was in high school I would go to jazz jam sessions in Manhattan, so when I moved to LA for school I started out in the jazz scene and eventually started exploring the pop and R&B scenes here as well. LA taught me how to be a part of lots of different musical communities at once, and that’s definitely something that has transferred over in the music I make.
What kind of artists do you look up to?
Vocally my all-time influences are Amy Winehouse, Stevie Nicks, and Nancy Wilson. Some current artists I really vibe with and have learned so much from are SAULT, Kevin Abstract, Moses Sumney, Nick Hakim, Omar Apollo, Snoh Aalegra…such a long list but those artists are doing some really awesome stuff right now.
Tell us about your new single, “PARASOMNIA.”
“PARASOMNIA” is supposed to reflect what happens in our subconscious and how those thoughts appear in our dreams. The verse at the beginning is about the battle between what you know you should do and what you want to do, and all of the opposing voices and thoughts in our minds that control our actions.
From there, Eli [my co-collaborator] and I just took the bridge to a strange place to convey elements of the subconscious. We didn’t necessarily follow any type of pop song structure and decided to have an extended bridge with some improvisational vocals and a weird drop. This lent itself really well to the music video, which also depicts a strange, Alice in Wonderland gone wrong type of nightmare.
What inspires the visual and aesthetic part of your act?
Right now I’m really into a really vibrant, almost neon aesthetic combined with vintage wardrobe and lots of glitter. I really like the DIY/self-starter trend that is happening now in fashion and culture – I walked into Zara the other day and they were selling tie-dyed long-sleeved T-shirts with iron-on patches, which are things anyone can do to a plain white t-shirt at home.
I’ve been trying to bring this vibe into my visuals as a guiding force too, especially since all you need to experiment like that is access to relatively inexpensive craft supplies and time.
My friend Nicole Ciancia is an awesome visual artist and makes these really cool collages, so I’ve been inspired to make those recently as well just to turn a regular photoshoot into an interesting piece of art instead of just a picture of my face, which is probably the most boring type of content I can think of.
Like, who cares. I think finding visual collaborators who share your taste is also really important – the friends I’ve worked with so far on the visual end are all amazing artists in their own right, so I’m very inspired to create something with them visually that is a true collaboration. The artists I collaborate with are all individuals who really inspire me in a creative sense with their own personal projects/other endeavors.
Anything in particular that inspires your lyrics?
It definitely depends on whether I’m writing alone or as part of a co-write. If I’m with another writer I’ll usually try to bring in a few phrases or concepts that have caught my attention recently, whether they’re just things I’ve been thinking about or sentences I’ve heard in conversation or thought about or read.
Usually, in a co-write, each writer will have their own pretty immediate opinion on at least one concept, and then (in a perfect world) the song just becomes a conversation about our ideas surrounding it. When I’m writing alone, I’ll usually do the same thing, but in my head. As you can imagine, that usually goes a lot slower, but sometimes the ideas flow.
I used to write full poems and then convert them into songs, but I’ve moved away from doing that because saying too much sometimes doesn’t leave enough room for the music to say what the words can’t.
What would best describe your looks and fits?
I’m really thriving in this 90s trend because it’s how I have literally always dressed. My grandmother and aunt have always influenced my style as well – they bought me my first juicy sweatsuit. I really love fringe and sparkles and combining something shitty and bejeweled with a really nice piece.
I also love how much access there is to more independent artists, designers, and brands as a result of social media – some of my favorites right now are Mimi Wade, Ten Hundred, and ZigZag Goods.
How do you think the industry changed after the past year?
I think the industry is currently in a huge transition period as a result of COVID-19; the lack of live performances has put so many touring musicians and crew members out of work from their primary streams of income and into survival mode, moving to work in other industries in many cases.
However, it’s also given rise to so much new artistic expression and time for self-reflection and the bettering of one’s craft, as well as avenues for music discovery on TikTok and Twitch that are accessible to so many more artists.
As touring resumes hopefully soon, I think the end of this period will find the lives of many artists and industry professionals significantly altered, not only in their income streams but in how they interact with audiences and how audiences interact with them on an artistic and personal level.
