In Conversation with Olivia Prado

Words by Paula Zawicka

The best musical projects take you on a journey, moving through different moods and emotions while giving you a clearer picture of the artist behind them. That’s exactly what Olivia Prado’s new EP, Dirty In The Sand, does. Out August 26, the project moves from upbeat, infectious tracks into something more vulnerable and introspective – something Olivia says was completely intentional.

“My first album didn’t have as much contrast. I really wanted to give people different sides. I’m curious to see how it’s received and what people gravitate towards. It starts on a high note, upbeat and infectious. It starts to get vulnerable and deep, and I think that’s a good reflection of myself and my creative life.”

And I think it’s fair to say Olivia’s creative life is thriving.

She grew up doing theatre, dance and talent shows. She still dances and has gotten back into acting, both of which fuel her creativity. The singer started releasing music after graduating college, and her background in dance has had a huge impact on what her art has grown into.

Though she grew up listening to pop, R&B and soul, dance is a major influence on how she makes music. She loves choreographing to songs, and when she’s writing or choosing what to work on, she naturally gravitates towards music she can imagine movement to.

“I love doing choreo to music, and so when I’m making songs or deciding on songs, I always gravitate towards music that there could be choreo for. I love dance so much. It’s definitely a big part of how I make music, especially rhythm, groove, pocket…”

Her creativity and drive also show in how involved she is in every part of her career. From recording music herself to producing her vocals and developing the visual concepts around her songs, Olivia likes to be involved in the whole process.

The visuals for “Ocean” ended up shaping the entire aesthetic of the EP. She was originally shooting casual content for the song with a friend when her friend took four photos. One of them unexpectedly became the cover of Dirty In The Sand. More than just a cover image, the shoot was the moment Olivia realised she wanted to create an entire world around the project.

“I was like, oh my gosh, I need to finish this EP.”

She also loves working with the people around her to bring those ideas to life.

“I have a lot of great friends who help out with styling or photos or videos, so I love getting together with my girls and having fun with the process.”

The oldest song on the project, “Up N Down,” was written around two years ago. Olivia had been looking for a feature for it at one point, and although she has grown a lot since writing it, she still feels connected to the song.

“I feel like it was a great stepping stone into this project and era. Really taught me a lot about who I am as an artist, what I wanna do creatively and how to finish a project. I have a lot of fond feelings towards that time.”

The rest of the EP is much newer, with “Is It Enough” being the final song Olivia wrote for the project, and currently her favourite, although she admits that can change depending on the day.

I have to say, I think it might be a fan favourite too. It’s the perfect closer – raw and honest, but still huge in sound.

“I’ve tried to write about that so many times, you know, that feeling of not feeling like enough or not feeling worthy enough. And I realised through therapy this year it’s something I’ve struggled with, and it’s a major theme in my life. And when I wrote this song, I wasn’t really referencing a specific relationship, just every moment in my life where I felt less than. Relationships, parents, friends, business people – all the instances where I didn’t feel worthy enough. I summarised that and put it all into the writing.”

She wrote it under a tight deadline, too. With a flight the following morning, she hadn’t eaten that night and didn’t want to let the song “escape” before she had finished it.

The EP brings out so many different sides of Olivia that I wondered whether she struggled to decide which songs deserved a place on the final tracklist. How do you know what to get rid of?

“I really struggle with that, actually. Yeah, it can be very overwhelming. There were a lot of songs that were up and in the running for this project. It definitely took some months of working on them, finishing them to the best extent they could, and either realising they weren’t quite there yet or finishing them. I think what’s meant to be finished will get finished.”

For Olivia, songwriting is about taking an idea and slowly building it into something complete. She describes it as “outlining a drawing and filling in the colour and the details.”

She also produces all of her own vocals. Her previous album was recorded very DIY, largely in her closet, while Dirty in the Sand was recorded in a studio, giving her more space to focus on the music itself. She loves collaborating but works with a small group of producers – four people in total, including herself.

“Turn Me On” features some of her biggest vocal moments on the project, with inspiration coming from the Justin Timberlake and Timbaland era. Her broader influences include 2000s pop, modern R&B and Mariah Carey.

“Temptation,” meanwhile, started as a more R&B-focused track inspired by 2000s R&B before becoming glossier and more pop-oriented. The song captures that particular feeling of lust and excitement at the beginning of a relationship, when everything is new and you’re still figuring out where the attraction might lead.

“I would love for people to listen to it with headphones and be moving. Whether that’s walking, working out, or in their rooms dancing or cleaning, I think being alone could be really cool. A lot of the songs are upbeat and expressive. A lot are also introspective. Alone in your house is my favourite way of listening to music. No one’s watching. I can express myself, be fun or sexy, just embody the music.”

She also shares new music selectively before releasing it.

“I kind of like to keep it a little private just because everyone I know and all my friends – everyone I’ve gotten feedback from in the past – all have a different version of me that they like.”

She loves feedback, but prefers getting most of it once the music is finished. Too much input while she’s still creating can make it harder to stay connected to her original idea.

“I can digest it. It can be confusing, especially when trying to finish things and you’re still in the creative process of them. You can lose your ground.”

It’s clear Olivia is living and breathing this project right now, but when she’s not working on music, her current escape is considerably more wholesome. She’s getting her first dog soon and has been spending her time watching puppy videos and learning how to train one.

As for Dirty in the Sand, we’ll all get to escape into Olivia’s world on August 26.

Are you a star or a freak?

“I’m gonna say freak. I wanna say both, but deep down, freak.”