Olivia Penalva
Canadian pop artist Olivia Penalva has released her new single “Love Me”.
Co-written with Brian Howes and Emery Taylor, the upbeat single is about celebrating the unconditional love you feel for someone. "Love Me” is a fun, vibrant song about being loved by someone, flaws and all. It’s about celebrating the good, the bad and the ugly that comes along with real love. This song expresses the importance of being young and dumb with the person you love. A reminder to make the most of your youth with the people who care about you, regardless of what others will say. Life is too short to waste,” she explains.
Catchy and uplifting, the new single has won this month’ “One to Watch” spot on Kiss Radio.
While continuing to grow her audience in Canada and beyond, Penalva writes and sings about important topics such as bullying, self worth and love.
“Love Me” is now available worldwide.
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
Hi!! My name is Olivia Penalva and I am a pop artist from beautiful British Columbia, Canada. I have been singing and writing since I was 11 yrs old. Music is my passion! I love all aspects of creating music Singing, Songwriting, production and over the years i have been making music and lyric videos to go along with it. I have been fortunate enough to have my songs played on radio and television. This has led to me being able to play lots of shows which honestly is one of the biggest perks of my job. I love meeting people and sharing my stories with them. Music is all I have ever wanted to do. There is no plan B!
What did you grow up listening to?
Growing up I was exposed to a variety of music. We always had music playing around the house, everything from Adult contemporary to Jazz. I could often be heard singing Norah jones - just loved her timeless jazzy tone.
When did you start writing songs? What made you want to write in the first place?
I wrote my first song when I was ten. Although I am pretty positive that one wasn’t a hit song it felt great being able to write out my thoughts and feelings and turn it into music.
Growing up, what were your favorite records to sing along to?
Well, basically anything Ed sheeran. Norah jones and another random one is Nickelback. I remember every time we’d get together with my whole family, all my cousins and I would jam out to “rockstar” together. Even Eminem. My siblings and I would make my dad play him in the car on our way to and from the bus stop for school everyday. I have many fond memories of us doing that.
When did you know you had to be an artist and release your original music?
When I was 13 I really started taking writing seriously. When i released my first album, I was young and proud for doing it all on my own. I learned a lot from that and it showed me how supportive my community was of my dreams. My first CD release concert sold out with 200 people in attendance. That was such a special feeling. People seemed to enjoy my performance and after that it all became very real to me.
As an artist, what major lesson have you learned since the beginning of your career?
I guess i could say I learned early on that this career can be unpredictable and stressful at times. Not everyone is going to love you and that’s okay. Not every song you release is going to do well, but you need to pick yourself back up and try again. I am a firm believer in hard work pays off. If you are putting 100% into everything you do, then people will see that and it eventually will pay off. I think it's all about not giving up, working hard and staying true to yourself and your values.
What is your proudest moment of your career so far?
Great question! it would have be the moment it was announced that I was Future Star for Bell Media in 2016. I won two months in a row for my single “Skyline” one for CHR Radio and the other for Hot AC. Having the support and acknowledgement from radio was a dream come true for me. It was a song I worked very hard on and was super proud to hear it being played!
How would you define Olivia Penalva, the artist?
That’s a hard question… I’ll try my best to answer this. There are many sides to me as an artist. I have a need to try and make things better in the world. I know I am only one person but every little bit helps. Some of my songs touch on issues like bullying and self worth. Others are about love and love lost. I try to keep things upbeat and relatable. For me it’s all about the song, telling the story is very important. I absolutely love performing and meeting new people. My fans are everything!
"Love Me" is your new single - what's the inspiration/story behind this song?
“Love me” is an upbeat, carefree song about a relationship. It’s about celebrating that unconditional love from someone. That person that loves all the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in-between. Life isn’t always perfect but there is a silver lining in there with that special someone!
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this particular song?
Well this year was definitely different because of COVID. We did the writing session over zoom. Brian Howes and I are from Vancouver and Emery Taylor is from Toronto. I have to say I love that we were able to do this virtually. I actually tracked the vocals for this song in logic on my couch in my living room! We had a lot of fun doing this song together.
What did you feel when writing this song?
I felt very excited writing this song. The story and lyrics all just fell into place. We all knew we had something special here. Then Emery’s production took it to a whole new level!
What made you want to release "Love Me" as a single?
Honestly, Once we were sent the final production I couldn’t stop playing it. My manager had it on repeat and we both agreed this had to come out!
What can you tell us about the artwork?
I actually created the art work for the single.. I had to be creative as it is covid and we couldn’t go out to do a photoshoot at the time. So this picture is self done lol I hope you all like it !
What is your goal for this single?
Overall, I would love this song resonate with people and make them happy! It’s meant to be a feel good tune. The song just won the One to Watch on Kiss Radio, words can’t describe how very excited and grateful I am for this opportunity. Having my family, friends and fans hear me on radio is so surreal and not something I don’t take for granted. I would love to have it played on all CHR and Hot AC radio stations across the country.
What biggest life lesson have you learned so far?
I’d say staying true to yourself. I’ve always had a hard time standing up for my beliefs and expressing what I really feel. My goal for 2020 has been to be more open. I am so grateful I have a team that wants to hear my ideas and encourages me to be me but also has my back all the time. If I could share any piece of advice to young artists trying to build a career in music, it would be to work hard and surround yourself with the right team of people.
What do you want to accomplish?
I want to make people feel something. I love what I do, but I also just love connecting with people and making them feel understood. Obviously I wish myself success in my career but it wouldn't mean anything without the people who have been supporting me since day one. I am very proud of all the hard work I’ve done this year and of my team. I have high hopes for 2021 and the record we have been working to create. I think it’s gonna be a great year.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
More love! It’s really hard to grow up in a world where people hate and tear each other down rather than lift one another up. I was always raised to lead my life with love and respect for others despite my own insecurities. Nowadays people hide behind their laptops and phones to hurt people they don't even know and I’ve never understood how that could feel good for anyone. Everyone makes mistakes everyday. People without a social following have the luxury of making those mistakes without having millions of eyes on them. If we could all handle life with a little more love and grace in our hearts then we can focus on lifting each other up instead of tearing each other down.
What message do you want to give to the world?
I am passionate about music and I write for the people listening. If I can help make even one person feel less alone with my music, then I believe I’m doing something right. I want to live with purpose. I love being able to share all parts of my journey in life with others. I feel that you can accomplish whatever you put your mind to if you fight for it hard enough. Thank you for all the love and support!
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