Empowering Voices: Olivia Yells' Musical Journey

In the world of contemporary music, Olivia Yells emerges as a distinctive voice, blending sincerity and depth into her alt-rock melodies. Originating from Brazil, Olivia's musical journey began as a form of self-expression during her youth. Olivia has garnered recognition BBC Solent with her songs "Tired" and "Waiting Room", showcasing her unique blend of musicality and introspection. Olivia shares, "My goal with writing songs was always to speak about things I couldn't really say out loud to anyone."

Reflecting on her artistic evolution, Olivia and I discussed her debut EP, "Waiting Room." Released last May, this collection of 5 songs explores focuses on her experience dealing with different heartbreaks. However, she realized it wasn't the sound or stories she wanted to share. Olivia explains, "I love this EP, but I felt the need to get more personal and share things I've been avoiding. In September, I wrote 'CLEAN,' the first song of this new project exploring the cost of feeling 'clean' as a woman based on my Catholic experience. It's scary to have the whole world listening."

Upon arriving in the UK, Olivia felt isolated and introspective, which fueled her creativity. "When I came to the UK last December I felt so weirdly alone and my train of thought was driving me crazy. I felt isolated and then started to question every bit of my life so far. This got me into writing the most difficult lyrics, but really powerful songs."

Discussing her musical influences, Olivia shares, "I grew up listening to what my brothers were listening to: Classic Rock, Alternative Rock and some Post Punk. I also listened to a lot of Pop/Rock and maybe that's when I started to learn about structure and metric (since I began to write very early). In the past 9 years my favourite bands have been the Arctic Monkeys and the Queens of The Stone Age, I got so much inspiration from these two bands but mostly from QOTSA, I always felt they were the perfect example of the sound I wanted to make."

Olivia adds, "In 2019 I discovered the Riot Grrrl movement from the 90s and started to listen to Punk Rock, Hardcore, Heavy Metal and Grunge. That's when everything changed for me! Today, bands and artists like QOTSA, Black Sabbath, PJ Harvey, Hole, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains really inspire me."

In addition to her musical influences, Olivia also strives to connect with her Brazilian roots through her music. Despite linguistic challenges, she has been making efforts to incorporate Portuguese into her songwriting. Olivia shares, "I write mostly in English, but I've been trying hard to write in Portuguese, too (although it is difficult!)."

Recalling memorable performances, Olivia reminisces, "The first show that I played with my songs was at Rock Camp in January, 2022. I remember singing to this whole audience of little girls and seeing them dancing to my songs, sticking my stickers to their arms like a fake tattoo, looking at me and smiling. That was so special, oh my gosh! I think I got home and cried that day."

"In July, 2023, I got to open for The Monic, this rock band from São Paulo - BR everyone should check it out, and also one of the bands that inspired me to start my own project," Olivia continues. "I just couldn't believe I was doing that, maybe one of the best days of my life so far. And I just couldn't leave behind the fact that I played two gigs in London that changed my life completely."

Addressing her challenges, Olivia admits, "I think my biggest challenge right now is to stop putting so much pressure on me, I'm a perfectionist and that has created a lot of problems and headaches for myself. But at the same time I know it is because the whole world knows that if you're a woman you cannot make mistakes. I get so angry thinking that almost 100% of the time I'm acting and thinking about my work based on a man's perspective of things and there's this war in my mind every time. I'm sick of it and I've been trying really hard to notice when I'm doing this kind of stuff so I can stop it."

When I asked about her plans for the future, Olivia eagerly shared, "I've just released 'CLEAN,' the first song of my upcoming EP that is called...actually I don't have a name yet haha but it is going to be released by the end of this year! I've been writing new songs and studying new sounds so I can present something different from the first EP. You can also expect something louder, angrier."

This week marks the official video release of 'CLEAN'," Olivia announces. "For my Brazilian mates, catch my first show of the year with She Is Dead and Favourite Dealer on April 6!"

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