Canadian artist Olivia Lunny just debuted a brand new collection of songs with the debut of her self-titled album, which includes the single, “Dominoes” – an instant smash co-written with 6x Platinum and 2x Billboard #1 songwriter Melanie Fontana (BTS, Dua Lipa) and GRAMMY-nominated songwriter Whitney Phillips (Christina Aguilera, Ariana Grande). “Dominoes” was produced by GRAMMY-nominated writer/producer Tommy Brown (Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Meghan Trainor) and GRAMMY-nominated writer/producer Mr.Franks (Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, BLACKPINK).
Other songs on her debut album include: “Sad To See You Happy”, “Worth It”, “Crazy Love”, “Cold Coffee”, “Modern Love”, and my personal favorites – “The Walls” and “Who Could Say No”.
In just over a year Olivia went from being crowned a winner on CTV’s ‘The Launch’ and scoring her first Top 40 hit, to capturing international attention with her heartfelt debut EP, To The Ones I Loved. The project has racked up over 2.8 million streams on Spotify to date, won her a SOCAN Young Canadian Songwriter Award sponsored by SIRIUSXM, and garnered praise from Billboard, Refinery 29, PAPER, Parade, Hollywood Life, Pride, and more. In addition, Olivia lent her voice to a charity rendition of “Lean on Me” alongside top Canadian artists including Tyler Shaw, Justin Bieber, Avril Lavigne, Michael Bublé, Sarah McLachlan, Command Sisters, and more to raise funds for the Canadian Red Cross’ COVID-19 initiatives.
With the success of her debut EP, the 22-year-old talent landed a deal with Universal Canada and launched her own imprint, Infinity &. Olivia started 2021 with the first release via her label, an infectious single entitled “Sad To See You Happy“. The track has her signature melancholic pop sound, but also shows her evolution as a songwriter and artist.
I reached out to Olivia Lunny to learn more about her songwriting process, and how this global pandemic impacted her growth both personally and professionally.
WiMN: Lyrically, you are exceptional. With back to back album releases, how do the lyrics come to you?
OL: That’s very kind, thank you! From a young age I’ve always loved writing poems and journaling. Lyrics come to me very easily and flow especially when I’m experiencing a lot of emotions. When I’m observing how I feel within myself, lots of the time I’ll think in lyrics which lead to me sitting down and putting them to a melody!
WiMN: Adding to the first question, how long have you penned such thought-provoking, from the heart lyrics? Are they from personal experiences?
OL: I draw heavily from my perusal experiences with heartbreak and navigating the world as a young adult. Sometimes I’ll write from a different perspective and put myself in the shoes of others, but more often than not my lyrics are intimate and about moments very close to me.
WiMN: How deep was your dive into self-reflection while navigating through this pandemic? Are you a different person this year because of it, and what kind of impact did it have on your songwriting?
OL: I truly feel that I came out of the pandemic a more thoughtful and intuitive person. Contrasting the state of the world in that moment- I was able to use that time to reflect and get to know myself better! Through COVID I adopted so many habits such as meditation and yoga. These habits have translated wonderfully into my songwriting process and I feel that I’m now able to channel my creative flow easier!
WiMN: Do you have any live performances scheduled for the remainder of 2021, or in 2022?
OL: I have some live performances in the works! I’m beyond excited to play this new album live and cannot wait to connect with others through music again!
You can connect with Olivia Lunny on her social media via Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, and Twitter.
