Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Little.
Hi Olivia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started singing at the age of 4 and have since dedicated my life to music. At 7 years old I started taking singing lessons and was trained by an opera singer until I was 14. When I was 13 I started my alternative rock band that I was the lead singer of until we all went to college. I attended music school in Los Angeles where I started my journey in finding my voice and the artist that I am today. I have always been attracted to unique and obscure sounds, which led me to become not only a singer, but a multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and a professional DJ. I started the ‘aquabass’ project about 5 years ago, and it has grown into something so beautiful. Last year I played my first out of state shows at The Ave in Philly and The Meadows in Brooklyn. This year I was so lucky to have my first headline show in Cleveland with Goth Wook Clique and Ohio Rave Sistas. As I have been able to travel more with my music I have really understood and begun to believe music creates a place for us all to feel connected to something. It’s so easy for us to feel alone in this world and music is something that brings us all together. My purpose is to create music and a space with my art that allows people to not feel alone and to be their true selves. Through electronic music I found where I belonged, I found love and acceptance. I had dreams of creating a space with my art where others could feel the same. No matter what they are going through in life this moment together is an escape. Music can be a form of therapy and a place for all of those who are broken to feel and heal. I hope to create a deeper connection with my art and help anyone to have a safe space to let go and feel like they belong.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have struggled in many ways along this journey. Financially this industry isn’t an easy one to get into, music equipment is expensive and you need a lot of time to work on your art. I moved back to Florida after I finished music school so I could afford to buy music equipment and spend time working and honing in my craft. This was a difficult decision for me but necessary. I think I have sacrificed a lot of my social life with this as well because of my dedication to my craft. I have started to find more balance with this, but it’s interesting how addicting your craft can be and how isolated that can make you. Being a female in a male dominated industry is not easy, but I wont let that stop me from being apart of something I want to be in. Any struggle or obstacle in this journey is worth it to me and just makes the successes that much more rewarding.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Growing up in an alternative rock band, singing blues and jazz, you can feel my musical roots shine through when you hear the melodic, haunting vocals layered through heavy bass music. Singing live during my DJ sets has been so amazing, I feel like the connections I am able to make with an audience during these moments are really special. I think one of the proudest moments I’ve had is fans singing my lyrics with me in shows I’ve played in cities I’ve never been to before. That was unbelievably special to me.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I am definitely a risk taker! There have been a few times in my career where I took some major risks, but I believe you have to do that in following any crazy dream. My mom said, ‘if you’re dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough’ and I always believed that. The first major risk I took was moving alone out to LA to go to music school. It was a financial risk and I was moving far away from my whole family. This was also where I found who I was and made life long friends. The next risk I took was moving away from a city that had shown me so much so I could work on my craft and move back to Florida. I miss living in LA, but I think this decision was this best I could’ve made for my musical journey. The other risk I took was learning a whole new craft with production and genre that was a whole new world to me and diving right into it. I had never had any experience in EDM, but it resonated so much with me I had to take the risk. I’m so grateful for all of these risks and leaps I’ve taken, they have brought me to where I am today and I believe I’m on the right path with my art.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aqua.bass/
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/aqua_bass
