Country music gets a lot of grief for being a largely male-dominated industry, so it’s always refreshing to see a new girl join the ranks of Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood. After Olivia Lane graduated from the University of Southern California in 2013, her musical career skyrocketed. She has worked with the same songwriters as Jason Aldean and Tim McGraw, and her singles “Steal Me Away” and “You Part 2” were included in Billboard‘s Tomorrow’s Hits list, among many other incredible achievements. More importantly, this young singer (and graduette!) is super talented, and we’ve got her catchy songs on replay. We recently had the privilege of talking to Olivia—check out what she had to say about her music, being a woman in country, her love for ’70s fashion and more!
Her Campus: Did you always know you wanted to be a musician?
Olivia Lane: Absolutely. I did my first musical, Grease, at six and after singing on stage and entertaining the audience, I was hooked.
HC: What does country music mean to you? Did you grow up with it?
OL: I’m a story girl. Stories have always fascinated me, especially true, biographical ones. I think that’s what drew me to country music because country artists and country music songwriters write truthful and powerful stories that help us as people relate to one another. My mom was a Texas regional country singer when she was my age so she always had her favorite country music playing in the house.
HC: Your songs have a lot of female empowerment in the lyrics; has it been difficult being a woman in country?
OL: Being in the music business is difficult in general. Being a female, there are some double standards you face, but every artist has their hardships, male or female. I try to focus all my energy on making the best songs that I can.
HC: How does it feel every time you cross a huge milestone (e.g. working with Danny Myrick, opening for Kip Moore, being named an iHeart Radio Rising Star, etc.)?
OL: Most of the teachers I’ve had in the arts always told me, “You’ll hear no a million times before you get a yes,” and though terrifying, it’s kind of true. I feel like I’m my worst critic so hitting these milestones in my career reminds me that I’m so blessed and should remember to be proud of myself sometimes!
HC: Which country artist would you most want to have a duet with?
OL: If she was still alive, Patsy Cline, hands down. Reba would be so amazing too.
HC: You majored in theatre at USC; have you ever considered acting as a career?
OL: I wanted to pursue both music and acting for a while growing up but realized during college, when I took my songwriting classes, that music and songwriting [were] where my heart was. I still have big dreams—maybe one day having my own sitcom, just like Reba!
HC: I hear you love fashion, and ’70s fashion especially. Do you choose your own outfits for concerts and music videos?
OL: I do love fashion! I recently have been working with a stylist to really fine tune my style, making sure my look lines up with my artistry and who I am, which has been so fun (and also helps me mix and match my outfits on the road)! I’m the boho meets modern country girl. I love my bell bottoms and floppy hats, but skinny jeans and cowboy boots are also fair game.
HC: Which project are you most excited about right now?
OL: I’m SUPER excited about my acoustic mixtape I just released on August 31st called “Heart Unlocked.” I wanted to give the fans and new fans music to get to know me and enjoy. We are releasing a song a week and the whole thing will be available in October. The best part? It’s free! You can go get all the songs at olivialane.com.
Want more from Olivia? Listen to her new song “Boys” below!