Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Farabaugh.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
I am a singer/songwriter originally from Palmyra, Pennsylvania. My husband and I now live in our tiny home on the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee! I started playing the guitar the summer, going into fourth grade. The songwriting came with the process of learning the guitar. My first performance was in 2005, when I was in fifth grade. I loved being able to perform and display my music. From then on, I continued to play in talent shows, coffee shops, etc. I continued to develop a passion for writing, singing, performing, and connecting with others. Right after high school in 2013, I played my first paid gig and was amazed that I could be paid for doing something that I loved. This made me continue to pursue this endeavor. In 2015, I had the opportunity to be a contestant on season 10 of NBC’s The Voice. That entire experience solidified that I wanted to pursue music as my career. In 2017, I attended NSAI’s song camp in Nashville, Tennessee. During the camp, I knew I had to move to Nashville if I wanted to do this thing. As I continued to build my name in Pennsylvania, I worked up the money and resources, with the help of my husband, to finally take the plunge and move to Nashville in 2021. Since then, I have been working on my craft in Nashville, surrounded by the wonderfully talented individuals who live here.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a pretty unpaved, backwoods, bumpy path so far! This is not necessarily bad, as we have learned many life lessons that have made us better people today. Around the same time, I felt the pull to come to Nashville in 2016; my husband and I moved into a rental home that unknowingly had black mold. I started to have health issues that no one could explain or fix. My health continued to decline and affect my day-to-day life. This continued for about four years until I was diagnosed correctly with Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). 20% of people have this gene that can become activated by the perfect storm of toxic exposure. For me, that was the rental home filled with black mold. Now that the gene is turned on, my body cannot process toxins as it usually should and stays in an inflammatory state. It recirculates the toxins in my body, which causes the immune system to be in overdrive. This causes various symptoms such as body aches, fatigue, brain fog, blurred vision, etc. We were then forced to leave this rental house immediately as it was deemed unlivable. We had to throw away a large portion of our belongings that had been affected by the mold. We had to move back in with my parents until we could find a safe environment. This process became tough as we had to figure out the treatment and all about the life of dealing with CIRS. Every building I go into, I have to think, “Is this going to make me feel worse today?” Everything revolves around preventing re-exposure from living a symptom-free life. This means preventing exposure to water-damaged buildings or mold and treating the inflammation and toxins in my body. This has been the biggest challenge along the way financially, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Many venues and bars are older buildings with some water intrusion since it was built. Navigating what is safe and what is allowed for me has been the hardest part. Even though this has been very challenging, this has not and will not stop me from pursuing what I feel god has put in my heart for a reason. I believe he gave me this love of music, the gift of writing, and this illness for a reason.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love to perform and share my music, and I also love to use music in many ways to benefit others. Music has many opportunities to do good in the world; I love to explore how I can benefit others. As I started sharing my story with CIRS, I talked with others about the same situations happening to them. My husband and I were lucky to have moved in with my parents for 2 years to pay for testing and treatment. This also allowed us to save money for a big move to Nashville. While talking with others in similar health situations, I realized only some could have such a fortunate backup plan. This is because most insurance companies do not cover most testing and treatments for this illness. This financial restriction prevents many people suffering from similar issues from getting the help they need and deserve. I realized something had to change, and I wanted to help. I have since been able to team up with a nonprofit called Malachi’s Message, which helps individuals affected by toxic mold exposure. We were able to create a branch off of the organization called the CIRS Support Fund. This is aimed at helping individuals with testing and treatment costs. An annual music festival drives this fund, outside donations throughout the year, and the sales from my upcoming album, “Transparent.”
I have released two singles from this album: “Righteous Dollar Bill” and “First.” I have another single that will be released on January 12th called “Somewhere in Between.” This album’s music is influenced by my own experiences and the stories of others’ experiences that I gathered from social media. It was interesting to me to see people picture perfect profiles come to be such relatable experiences. I then realized we are all humans going through trials. I wanted the album to be a compilation of a transparent human background; the raw nature of human life is often hidden from the world.
What makes you happy?
When I play a song at a show, someone comes up to me and tells me how much the song spoke to them and how the song moved them. It is a great reminder that my love and passion can help others. Moments like that solidify my purpose of making music and that I am on the right path.
Contact Info:
- Website: oliviafarabaugh.com
- Instagram: @oliviafarabaughofficial
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oliviafarabaughmusic/
- Twitter: @farabaughmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OliviaFarabaugh/featured
- Other: https://malachismessage.org/cirs-support-fund/
