We recently had the chance to connect with Olivet and have shared our conversation below.
Olivet, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Spending time in nature. I always prioritize going for long walks on my favorite local trails, as I find it grounds me and leaves me feeling refreshed and connected to the world around me. I often find myself stopping to look at a particularly beautiful flower or plant, or examining snails, insects, and other creatures I spot along the way. Currently, I am visiting the Redwoods of Northern California, and it has been so lovely and restorative being surrounded by ferns and tall trees.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello! I’m Olivet, a local indie pop cover artist. Olivet, the project, was born in 2022 as a creative outlet after I made the conscious decision to prioritize my artistic passions, particularly singing, after a career as a violinist and fiddle player. I’ve always been drawn to old jazz tunes, and wanted to find a way to incorporate the essence of that time-honored style into my songs. I love taking pop hits from the 70s and 80s and reimagining them with a nostalgic flair.
I recently released my third single, “Tainted Love”, and am excited to share it with your readers. The well-known Soft Cell version of the song is such a fun bop, and I’ve loved it ever since I was a teenager. One day, I was driving my car and the song came on the radio. Even though it was probably the thousandth time I’d heard it, I was struck with inspiration in that moment. I wanted to create more of an old-school, smoky ballad – picture a 1930s vaudeville theater stage with a single spotlight. So, after meeting with my producer, Dave Coleman, we came up with an arrangement that perfectly fit my vision for the song. The song is fully acoustic, and features violin, lots of layered percussion, upright bass, and glockenspiel. The song opens with the classic synth line that everyone recognizes from the song played on bass, and a long, solitary note on the violin. I enjoy incorporating violin into my songs as a nod to my musical roots, and this song was no exception!
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
Definitely my grandparents, Guy and Dolores. They owned a successful grocery business when I was growing up in Aurora, Illinois, and instilled a strong work ethic within me from an early age. They worked long hours at the store, and I saw how their hard work and dedication paid off. I’ve carried that value with me into my own businesses, and hope I can honor their memory through my work.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear of being “wrong” has been crippling for me, as a perfectionist, and that is something I’ve really had to work hard to undo and reframe. When I came out as a lesbian in my late twenties, while married to a man, I couldn’t believe that I had gotten it wrong for so many years. If I was wrong about something as fundamental as my sexuality, what else had I gotten wrong? I was living the life I’d been told was right, but I finally had to accept that it was wrong for me. As with every decision in my life, I contemplated it for probably way longer than necessary (hello again, perfectionism), to make absolutely sure that I was right before derailing the life I was building and hurting my best friend. As a lifelong people-pleaser, I feared coming out and showing up as a version of myself that the people in my life would possibly disagree with, probably not understand, and certainly not recognize. I knew it wouldn’t fit into the box they’d put me in of who I was supposed to be. It was through this experience that I learned to let go of other people’s opinions, and that if I truly wanted to be happy, I needed to stop asking other people for permission to live my own life, which is what I had been doing for so long. I learned that I can’t please everyone, and the more I try to live for other people, the more I will be betraying myself. I also learned that if I show up authentically in my life, I’ll be able to show up authentically in my work.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
I used to have very black and white thinking. I wholeheartedly believed the things I was taught growing up, and self-righteously saw everyone else as wrong. I now understand that I can hold multiple opposing truths at once, and that many aspects of life have a significant gray area. None of us truly knows who’s doing it right and who’s getting it wrong, if such a thing even exists. People come to their own conclusions based on their personal experiences and background, and I now try to remain open and curious about where people are coming from and why.
Since starting Olivet and being able to showcase my voice, I’ve discovered that this concept is directly linked to who we are as people. Humans are multi-faceted, 3-dimensional beings, and when we perceive them during one interaction, we are often only seeing one small part of them, not the whole of who they are. For example, I am an introvert who enjoys curling up on the couch with my cats and a cozy blanket, a hardworking business owner, a socialite who loves connecting with people, and a performer who craves the spotlight. All of these things are a part of me, and all — though seemingly opposing — can be true at once.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I think I can finally say I am doing what I was born to do. For so long, I stuck to the script society handed me for my twenties — get a degree, find a husband, buy a house — and I really perfected that script! If I could have been graded at life, I surely would’ve gotten an A+. But life had other plans, and showed me how ignorant I was for thinking I had it all figured out. The biggest lesson I’ve learned through that experience was that despite our best efforts, we truly have no control over the outcome of our lives, and I needed to release control I thought I had in order to find true freedom and peace. I used to believe that if I made a decision I had to stick to it no matter what, and I wasn’t allowed to change my mind — regardless of new information or changing circumstances. This mindset kept me trapped in many ways. Now that I am out of my twenties, I am rediscovering myself and am finally pursuing the things I was always meant to. Olivet has allowed me to express parts of myself that are often otherwise hidden, and that’s something I am grateful for.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_olivet
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3BhS4yNp1Tq9lfK0sWWJqW?si=Krb3LZmpSJaTmPQ0RrOxaw
Image Credits
Tammie Valer
