Olivia Henry Los Angeles Music has always been the guiding force in the life of Cali songbird Olivia Henry. Internalizing the captivating qualities of great voices like Ella Fitzgerald at a young age, she knew that she wanted to make others feel as Ella made her feel; vulnerable yet strong, free yet grounded. She had found her soul’s ambition. As an evolving young artist, Olivia trained to sing opera by day, while sneaking into L.A. clubs with a fake ID by night. As she entered early adulthood, she pursued further vocal training at CalArts. Olivia’s 2014 debut EP, Sessions, showed her uncanny ability to weave the rich musical threads of the past into a modern Alterna-Pop format. With heaps of hype associating her with other Neo-Jazz and retro revival breakouts, the future looked flush with possibilities, but the Universe had other plans. Following the release of her EP, Olivia was diagnosed with a variety of joint related autoimmune conditions, and she was forced to take an un-welcomed and unplanned hiatus from her ambitions. “The worst part of those years—confided to a bed, wasting away, horrible pain—was the sense that my life had no value. I was just waiting to die” Olivia reflects. “And then I picked up some of my old notebooks and began writing again. I discovered I had something to say.” Now she has returned stronger than ever with a new appreciation for the inherent vulnerability of the human condition. Her new album Expectations (Feb 2020) documents her evolution from neo-jazz darling, to large scale Cinematic Pop songstress, evoking the work of Florence + The Machine, Sia and Bishop Briggs. Lead single “In My Touch” is a strikingly modern entry into her catalogue, yet imbued with the kind of fabulous vocal risks made popular by the forebears of jazz and soul. “I don’t want to be grouped in with other vocalists or current trends. I’d like to pave my own lane” Olivia asserts. “I’d like to make people say ‘I want to sound like that!’ Like I did with Ella Fitzgerald when I was a little girl.” Olivia Henry’s tracks Gotta Run by Olivia Henry published on 2020-01-11T00:45:05Z Crazy by Olivia Henry published on 2020-01-11T00:44:58Z D.W.A.M. by Olivia Henry published on 2020-01-11T00:45:02Z